It’s part 2 of our smuggling double! Listen up for the story of a most ill-fated smuggling operation involving a muck heap, an incriminating beer bung, and a whole bunch of inns and drunken dragoons. We also address the decline of the free trade which does, I’m afraid, necessitate some further talk of UK tax systems.

How do you enjoy your tea, gin, and tobacco? In 18th century England the answer was simple: smuggled into the country without paying due taxes please! Yes, it’s time for the Ruth is Stranger team to tackle the topic of smuggling. It’s part customs and excise, part noses getting snipped off, and part wondering whether your favourite podcasters will be poisoned by an unpleasant and potentially toxic cocktail.

‘The Smugglers’ by George Morland, from The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

The Foyster family are about to arrive at the infamous Borley Rectory and encounter for themselves the disruptions and peculiarities of this creaking old pile. Marianne receives messages from beyond the grave (or does she?), family intrigues abound, and Harry Price continues to investigate. We also drink a new cocktail: Pebbles Down the Stairs. It’s Borley part 2!

It’s time for the most haunted house not just in East Anglia, but in all of England! Welcome to the first of our two part series about Borley Rectory. This creaking old Victorian pile became infamous for multiple ghost sightings, poltergeist activity, and bad plumbing. In Part 1 we explore the early years of the rectory under the stewardship of the credulous Bull family. We are also reunited with psychical investigator Harry Price, who played a central role in cementing the legends of Borley for years to come.

This episode the story begins, as it so often does, with a gruesome East Anglian murder and a sentence of death by hanging. But who will carry out that sentence? Whose shoulders must carry the fullest and harshest weight of the British law? That’s where the Pierrepoints come in. Henry, Thomas, and Albert, executioners all! Their paths were to cross with those of some of the most notorious criminals of the 20th century, and some of those unfortunate enough to suffer the most terrible miscarriages of justice.

Curses! Lice! Urine! Witch balls! A special episode recorded at our second live event, held at the Museum of Cambridge on 28th October 2022. Using examples from the Museum’s wonderful collection of artefacts from historical Cambridge and the surrounding lands (along with a few homemade props), we explore beliefs about witchcraft and the kinds of protective magic that the people of East Anglia used to guard against curses and the evil eye.

If your podcast client supports chapter art you can see the slides from the night along with this episode, otherwise head over to our blog to see all.

Episode photograph: corp chreadh, © Museum of Cambridge

Happy new year my lovely eggs! Join us again for the first Mini Stranger of 2023 - the story of a strange spirit who haunted Dagworth Hall in Suffolk many years ago. ‘Play again! Play again!’ cries the tiny voice of little Malekin. Is he a run of the mill ghost? A changeling infant from the fairy realm? Or Britain’s first recorded poltergeist?

Part 2 of our enquiry into the Peasenhall mystery brings us to the trial of alleged smooth caramel man (and alleged murderer!), William Gardiner. But was it William who killed Rose Harsent on that stormy, fateful night? We recap the evidence and hear all about the trial, with some small tangents including: could Jeeves and Wooster ever be remade with a new duo? And what would your crisp name be (I’m Ruth Wotsit, apparently)?

May 31st, 1902 in the small village of Peasenhall, Suffolk. A dark and very stormy night was about to unfold, and by the end of it servant girl Rose Harsent would be dead in a pool of blood on her kitchen floor. Suspicion immediately turned to local foreman, religious enthusiast, and proud beard-wearer William Gardiner - but were the accusations based in firm evidence, or unfounded local gossip? Katy and Jo join Ruth as they try to piece together the clues, including a broken medicine bottle, a bundle of correspondence, and some shocking autopsy results. We drink a smorgasbord of concoctions involving peas, caramel, and Lidl’s finest ‘Bitterol.’

Peasenhall village sign photograph copyright Adrian Cable.

The golden hare has been discovered and the story of Masquerade seems to be over - but is it? No! There are more twists and turns to come. First up, we hear about the legacy of Masquerade and the rise in popularity of armchair treasure hunts. Then, scandal unfolds after the precious hare comes to light at a Sotheby’s auction in 1988… we also drink a surprisingly tasty (aren’t they always?) herby concoction. Delicious!

Photo: CSIRO