The BackTracker History Show

Titanic's Bristolians

Season: 7 Episode: 14

Among the thousands who departed from Southampton, bound for a new life in America, was one man whose story embodies both the hope and the heartbreak of that journey, Red. Robert James Bateman. As the great liner pushed across the Atlantic, everything changed in a single, devastating moment, when an iceberg tore through her hull, sealing her fate, and the fate of so many on board.

CAST

Revd Robert James Bateman - Guy Pass

Ada Balls - Sam Roberts

THIS PODCAST

This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England.

If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com

Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic, you’ll find lots of things to choose from.

So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other.

CONTACT ME

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @BackTrackerUK

Instagram: @backtrackeruk

Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK

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SOURCES

Find-A-Grave

Encyclopedia Titanica

Ancestry

Family Search

Titanic Archive

‘A Night to Remember’ by Walter Lord

(1912) Record of Bodies and Effects (Passengers and Crew S.S. Titanic)

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Sound Effects by zapsplat.com

Intro music by The Model Folk

Back In The Day music by Freesoundmusic

© THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2026

Death in the Beaufort Arms

Season: 7 Episode: 13

On Saturday 20 July 1878, an ordinary evening at the Beaufort Arms in Barton Hill, Bristol, turned deadly, when a gathering of local workers, including Alfred Theophilus Freeguard and Frank Ferris, erupted into violence.

CAST

Edwin Jones - Simon Criddle

Frank Ferris - Jon Locke

Alfred Freeguard - Guy Pass

Witness’s brother - Julian Kendell

John Southall - Steve Sheperd

THIS PODCAST

This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England.

If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com

Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic, you’ll find lots of things to choose from.

So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other.

CONTACT ME

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @BackTrackerUK

Instagram: @backtrackeruk

Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK

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SOURCES

Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer - Tuesday 23 July 1878

Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette - Thursday 25 July 1878

Stroud Journal - Saturday 27 July 1878

The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post, Western Countries and South Wales Advertiser

Thu, Aug 08, 1878 ·Page 3

Devon and Somerset News - Thursday 15 August 1878

Western Daily Press - Saturday 21 September 1878

UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951 for A. T. Frigard

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Sound Effects by zapsplat.com

Intro music by The Model Folk

Back In The Day music by Freesoundmusic

© THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2026

Two Social Reformers

Season: 7 Episode: 12

Susanna Morgan and Jessie Stephen were two determined voices for change, social reformers who challenged injustice and fought to improve the lives of others, from campaigning for women’s rights to standing up for workers and the vulnerable, their efforts helped shape a fairer society and left a lasting mark on history.

CAST

Staffordshire Advertiser - Andrea Reid

Jessie Stephen - Lucy Brazier

The Daily Express - Cerise Reed

THIS PODCAST

This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England.

If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com

Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic, you’ll find lots of things to choose from.

So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other.

CONTACT ME

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @BackTrackerUK

Instagram: @backtrackeruk

Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK

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SOURCES

bgas.org.uk

cliftonhotwells.org.uk

Avon Local History & Archaeology

Staffordshire Advertiser - Saturday 16 February 1856

BBC

Bristol Civic Society

Globe - Saturday 26 January 1856

Working Class Movement Library

Bristol Evening Post - Saturday 11 June 1977

Western Daily Press - Wednesday 13 June 1979

Bristol Evening Post - Tuesday 02 October 1979

Corston, J. (2018). Suffragette and activist Jessie Stephen: a life remembered.

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Sound Effects by zapsplat.com

Intro music by The Model Folk

Back In The Day music by Freesoundmusic

© THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2026

The Seven Stars Pub

Season: 7 Episode: 11

Hidden in Redcliffe, Bristol, the Seven Stars pub isn’t just a place for a pint—it’s a site of history. In the late eighteenth century, its landlord, William Thompson, quietly helped sailors returning from brutal Atlantic voyages and welcomed the abolitionist Thomas Clarkson as he gathered evidence against the slave trade. From this unassuming tavern, stories of suffering and courage spread, helping fuel the campaign that would eventually end Britain’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. Today, the Seven Stars stands as a reminder of the quiet heroes who helped change history, one conversation at a time.

CAST

Thomas Clarkson - Steve Sheperd

Seven Stars - Sam Roberts

THIS PODCAST

This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England.

If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com

Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic, you’ll find lots of things to choose from.

So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other.

CONTACT ME

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @BackTrackerUK

Instagram: @backtrackeruk

Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK

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SOURCES

Bristol Radical History Group

Seven Stars Bristol

Slave Trade Trail

We Share the Same Moon

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Sound Effects by zapsplat.com

Intro music by The Model Folk

Back In The Day music by Freesoundmusic

© THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2026

Young Gentleman Harry

Season: 7 Episode: 10

From petty theft to highway robbery, the life of Henry Simms was a whirlwind of crime, deception, and daring escapes. Schemes, robberies, and a fabricated tales kept him in the spotlight until his dramatic final moments at Tyburn. This article explores the chaotic life and notorious end of one of the eighteenth century’s most audacious criminals.

CAST

Gentleman - Steve Sheperd

Henry Simms - Jon Lock

Ordinary’s Accounts - Guy Pass

THIS PODCAST

This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England.

If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com

Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic, you’ll find lots of things to choose from.

So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other.

CONTACT ME

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @BackTrackerUK

Instagram: @backtrackeruk

Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK

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SOURCES

The Old Bailey

Caledonian Mercury - Thursday 09 April 1747

British Executions

Ex Classics

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Sound Effects by zapsplat.com

Intro music by The Model Folk

Back In The Day music by Freesoundmusic

© THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2026

The Welsh Buccaneer (pt 2)

Season: 7 Episode: 9

In the first part of this tale, we looked at Henry Morgan's first steps into the life of a privateer. Now we see how his confidence sees him take on bigger risks. His greatest exploit came in 1671 with the sack of Panama, a triumph that cemented his legend.

CAST

Alexandre Exquemelin - Guy Pass

THIS PODCAST

This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England.

If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com

Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic, you’ll find lots of things to choose from.

So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other.

CONTACT ME

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @BackTrackerUK

Instagram: @backtrackeruk

Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK

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SOURCES

A history of the family of Morgan, from the year 1089 to present times

by Appleton Morgan, 1845-1928

Ancestry

King and his Navy and Army - Saturday 02 September 1905

Hull Times - Saturday 21 March 1925

Graphic - Saturday 26 March 1927

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Sound Effects by zapsplat.com

Intro music by The Model Folk

Back In The Day music by Freesoundmusic

© THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2026

The Welsh Bucanneer (Pt 1)

Season: 7 Episode: 8

He was a Welsh farm boy who rose to become the terror of the Spanish Main and later a knight of England. Henry Morgan carved his name into history through daring raids, brutal battles, and cunning strategy, from the fevered frontiers of Jamaica to the burning streets of Panama, blurring the line between pirate and patriot, and leaving a legacy that endures today, from history books to bottles of rum.

CAST

The King and his Navy - Steve Sheperd

THIS PODCAST

This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England.

If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com

Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic, you’ll find lots of things to choose from.

So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other.

CONTACT ME

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @BackTrackerUK

Instagram: @backtrackeruk

Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK

-

SOURCES

A history of the family of Morgan, from the year 1089 to present times

by Appleton Morgan, 1845-1928

Ancestry

King and his Navy and Army - Saturday 02 September 1905

Hull Times - Saturday 21 March 1925

Graphic - Saturday 26 March 1927

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Sound Effects by zapsplat.com

Intro music by The Model Folk

Back In The Day music by Freesoundmusic

© THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2026

The Cornish Logan Stone

Season: 7 Episode: 7

Perched high above the Cornish cliffs, the famous Logan Rock at Treen once rocked so gently that a single hand could set it swaying. Then, in 1824, a reckless act sent the eighty-ton boulder crashing down, sparking outrage across the country.

In this episode, we uncover the dramatic story of the man who toppled it, the costly and dangerous effort to raise it again, and how the scandal turned a windswept granite giant into one of Cornwall’s most talked-about attractions.

CAST

Hugh Colvill Goldsmith - Steve Sheperd

Obituaries - Andrea Reid

West Kent Guardian - Cerise Reed

THIS PODCAST

This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England.

If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com

Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic, you’ll find lots of things to choose from.

So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other.

CONTACT ME

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @BackTrackerUK

Instagram: @backtrackeruk

Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK

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SOURCES

Cornwall Heritage

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB)

The Naval Chronicle (late 18th and early 19th century)

Exeter and Plymouth Gazette - Saturday 12 February 1842

The National Archives, ADM series (especially ADM 6, ADM 8, ADM 12),

The Gentleman’s Magazine

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Sound Effects by zapsplat.com

Intro music by The Model Folk

Back In The Day music by Freesoundmusic

© THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2026

Shepton Mallet Prison (pt2)

Season: 7 Episode: 6

Part two of this series turns the spotlight on more of the condemned men who passed through the gates of Shepton Mallet Prison, each arriving under guard, each leaving for the scaffold. Their crimes varied, from calculated murder to acts born of jealousy, desperation or sudden violence, but their final destination was the same stark yard within those high stone walls.

CAST

Charles Squires - Jon Locke

Henry Quarterly - Steve Sheperd

The Jury - Molly Jefferies

THIS PODCAST

This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England.

If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com

Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic, you’ll find lots of things to choose from.

So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other.

CONTACT ME

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @BackTrackerUK

Instagram: @backtrackeruk

Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK

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SOURCES

Weymouth Telegram - Tuesday 15 August 1893

Langport & Somerton Herald - Saturday 12 August 1893

Cheltenham Chronicle - Saturday 08 November 1924

Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser - Saturday 14 February 1925

Illustrated Police News - Thursday 29 January 1925

Ancestry

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Sound Effects by zapsplat.com

Intro music by The Model Folk

Back In The Day music by Freesoundmusic

© THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2026

Shepton Mallet Prison (pt1)

Season: 7 Episode: 5

Built in 1610, Shepton Mallet Prison is Britain’s oldest jail, a grim stone fortress still standing today. Over the centuries it has held French prisoners of war, guarded national treasures in wartime, and witnessed the darkest moments of justice. This is a place of cells and secrets, and of lives that ended on the gallows. In this series, we tell the stories of some of those who were executed within its walls.

CAST

Samuel Reyland - Guy Pass

Henry Dainton - Simon Criddle

Hannah Dainton - Sam Roberts

Charles Squires - Jon Locke

THIS PODCAST

This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England.

If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com

Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic, you’ll find lots of things to choose from.

So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other.

CONTACT ME

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @BackTrackerUK

Instagram: @backtrackeruk

Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK

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SOURCES

Shepton Mallet Journal - Friday 11 January 1889

Bath Herald - Tuesday 26 February 1889

Devon and Somerset News - Thursday 21 March 1889

Weymouth Telegram - Tuesday 15 August 1893

Langport & Somerton Herald - Saturday 12 August 1893

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Sound Effects by zapsplat.com

Intro music by The Model Folk

Back In The Day music by Freesoundmusic

© THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2026