The Cornish Bird

In this episode I take you to one of my favourite places on the Cornish coast, a place of beauty and legend and many mysterious tales.

In 1721 the Royal Anne set sail for the Caribbean loaded with wealthy passengers and crew. Sadly however on 10th November she was wrecked near Lizard Point and in the days that followed hundreds of bodies washed up on the coast near Pistil Cove. Since that time dark tales of the events that followed have kept local people away from the spot. But just how true are these macabre tales? . . .

Near the little village of Crowan is Hangman's Barrow, in this episode I uncover how this prehistoric monument came by this unusual name. But be warning it's a dark tale of murder and the cruel consequences of crime!

In this episode I take a look at what it was like travelling in Cornwall in the past and discover the stories of some local footpads and highwaymen and women! The tale of how Bessie Beneath came by its name is unmissable!!

In June 1734 Henry Rogers took unlawful possession of a house at Skewis, a tiny hamlet near Camborne. It had been his ancestral family home and he barricaded himself and his family inside and despite the efforts of the authorities refused to leave. This event became known as the Siege of Skewis, and in this podcast I detail how and why it came about, the terrible consequences that unfolded and the sad outcome that followed.

There is a beautiful beach in Cornwall known as Mother Ivey's Bay but this idyllic stretch of coast hides a dark secret, the story of a witch and a powerful, ancient curse. And strangely the power of this curse was still being felt up until the 1990s . . .

In the summer of 1837 this seemingly peaceful rural Cornish village erupted into riot, the unrest lasted several days, discover what caused this unusual event.

When Samuel Hockin is found fatally injured in the road near his home in St Mabyn the whole village believes they know who is guilty. But this story will surprise you again and again with the unexpectedly scandalous behaviour of those involved and the outcome of the trial!

This really is one of the strangest and most unusual stories that I have come across in my research. The details are like the plot of a Dickensian novel but everything I tell you in this episode is completely true. Discover the twists and turns of the remarkable life of Sarah Jane Mitchell, a foundling.

Emma Vincent was born into a large family in St Mawes in 1833 but by 1901 she had been committed to Bodmin Asylum as a lunatic, discover why her story has been bothering me for years and what she had hidden under her bed.