After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

How long could you stand living in a house haunted by a vengeful poltergeist?

That's the situation a Scottish family found themselves in in the late 17th century. As members of the local community gathered to try investigate, a terrifying mystery unfolded... What was the cause behind the haunting? And why was it so determined to torment its inhabitants?

Our guest today is Dr. Martha McGill, historian of supernatural beliefs in early modern Britain. Martha is the author of ‘Ghosts in Enlightenment Scotland’.

Edited by Aliza Dams. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

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What’s better than a witch story on Halloween? Today, we’ve got a special episode from Cautionary Tales’ Tim Harford to share. Back in 1612 Lancashire, a chance roadside argument between a peddler and a teenage girl spirals into England's most notorious witch trial, after the peddler is struck down by a mysterious force. Hundreds of years later, there’s now a campaign to posthumously pardon the people condemned as the Pendle Witches. If you’re looking for more spooky listens, check out Cautionary Tales, where they’ve spent the month telling stories about vampires, crop circles, ghosts and more. Find Cautionary Tales wherever you list to podcasts.

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

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We're celebrating Maddy's new documentary all about London's most famous ghost - the ghost of Cock Lane! It's out today on History Hit - https://www.historyhit.com/

This is a rerun of our episode from earlier this year promoting Maddy's new book 'Hoax: Truth & Lies In The Age Of Enlightenment' where the Cock Lane ghost story is covered in great depth. The haunting of Cock Lane is the most iconic ghost story in London's long history, taking place in the year 1762. Was it a hoax?

Edited by Tim Arstall. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a shocking story that saw families digging up their dead relatives, believing them to be vampires.

What makes it all the more shocking, is that it was as recent as 1892.

Join Anthony and Maddy to find out what was really going on in this sleepy town in New England, where the fear of what the dead might do caused local people to do barbaric things to their own family.

Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Stuart Beckwith. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener surveyhere.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

Built in 1862, Borley Rectory became known as England's most haunted house. From ghostly nuns and unexplained disturbances to paranormal investigator Harry Price's controversial investigations, discover the history behind one of Britain's most famous haunting legends.

Was Borley Rectory truly haunted, or was its reputation shaped by folklore, sensationalist journalism and questionable evidence? Join After Dark as we separate historical fact from supernatural fiction.

This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Tomos Delargy and McKenna Fernandez. Edited by Anna Brant. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the sixteenth-century, down the winding cobbled streets of Prague, there once lived a towering supernatural being: the Golem. Legend has it that it was conjured to life through mystic rituals, and acted as the protector of the city’s Jewish inhabitants. But what are the origins of this myth? And how has its legend shaped Prague in the centuries since?

To help take us through this story is History Hit's very own Eleanor Janega! Listeners can catch her along with co-host Matt Lewis on our sister podcast, Gone Medieval.

Edited by Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener surveyhere.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

The story goes that in 1895 Bridget Cleary was burned to death by her husband who believed she was a 'changeling' fairy.

In today's episode, Anthony and Maddy interrogate the stories we've been told about this murder in rural Ireland and if an interesting story of supernatural belief has gotten in the way of the brutal truth.

Was there a genuine belief in fairies by Bridget Cleary's husband? Is this ultimately a story of domestic abuse? And how much of this is a colonialist projection by the British?

Edited by Anna Brant. Produced by Stuart Beckwith and McKenna Fernandez. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener surveyhere.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Halloween just around the corner, it's the perfect time to really get to know the familiar figure of Dracula.

What vampires came before him? What fears were the Victorians projecting onto him? And perhaps most importantly, who played the best version of him?

Joining Anthony and Maddy today is Dr Kaja Franck of the University of Hertfordshire, who is a master of all things Gothic.

This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener surveyhere.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

You've heard of the witch trials, but have you heard of the werewolf trials?!

This fascinating history takes us to back to the 16th and 17th centuries, when panic spread through villages in mainland Europe leading to a number of people being tried and executed as werewolves.

What evidence did they have? How did they believe you turned into a werewolf? And why did one man in 1691 claim to be a werewolf fighting evil?

This episode was edited by Anna Brant. Produced by Stuart Beckwith and McKenna Fernandez. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener surveyhere.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the studious, unassuming brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm left home for university, little did they know their fairy-tale collections would take Europe by storm.

We've all heard of Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Rapunzel. But how well do we really know them?

From severed limbs, blinded lovers, and some good old-fashioned cannibalism, these deliciously dark tales continue to entrance and horrify audiences today.

Join Anthony and Maddy for a very After Dark-coded story time, as they explore and dissect the origins of these disturbing 'children's' stories.

This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Hannah Feodorov. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener surveyhere.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1845 two Royal Navy ships, HMS Terror & HMS Erebus, departed Britain on an expedition into the Arctic. Along their ill-fated icy expedition, they disappeared almost completely, becoming one of history's greatest maritime mysteries…

In this episode, Anthony and Maddy follow the trail of clues left behind by the crew of this doomed voyage and uncover what really happened to them...

Edited by Anna Brant. Produced by Tomos Delargy and McKenna Fernandez. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener surveyhere.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a story that's been around for a good 800 years, but is there any evidence that Robin Hood actually existed?

Find out what really went on inside Sherwood Forest, how medieval outlaws lived, and why the Sheriff of Nottingham was a hated figure in the time.

Delving into the historical records with us is medieval expert and co-host of our sister podcast, Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis.

This episode was edited by Hanna Feodorov. Produced by Stuart Beckwith and McKenna Fernandez. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener surveyhere.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the Romans left Britain in the 5th century, what happened next?

The following centuries saw a messy and bloody struggle for power that left us with some gruesome royal murders.

Taking us through the bloody details is medieval expert and co-host of our sister podcast, Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis.

This episode was edited by Anna Brant. Produced by Stuart Beckwith and McKenna Fernandez. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener surveyhere.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we're revisiting an episode which explores one of the most infamous trials in American history. Lizzie Borden's story is breathtaking even today.

In 1893 she was accused of using an axe to murder her father and step-mother.

The case obsessed America and despite evidence against her, Lizzie was let off. Was that justice? Maddy Pelling tells Anthony Delaney the story today.

Edited by Tomos Delargy. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener surveyhere.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've spent a lot of time in of Victorian London on this podcast- a world of cobbled streets, grimy buildings and crowded homes. But how accurate is this- what was it really like to live in the slums of Victorian London?

Our guest today is Dr. Jackie Riding! Jackie is a specialist in the history of the 18th and 19th centuries, and her most recent book, ‘Hard Streets: Working-Class Lives in Charlie Chaplin’s London’ was published earlier this year. Jackie, welcome to After Dark!

This episode was edited by Anna Brant. Produced by Tomos Delargy and McKenna Fernandez. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener surveyhere.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1675, a planned uprising by the enslaved people of Barbados was crushed before it had a chance to come to fruition. For three years, the conspirators' lives revolved around secrecy. But the discovery of their plan resulted in brutal reprisals by the British, and the deaths of over forty people.

In this episode, Anthony and Maddy are joined by Dr Misha Ewen from the University of Sussex to discuss the uprising and how the violence of Barbados' became the blueprint for across Britain's plantation colonies in Jamaica and the American South.

This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Hannah Feodorov and McKenna Fernandez. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener surveyhere.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1381, thousands of ordinary people rose up against the Crown, marched on London, and came close to bringing England’s political establishment to its knees... In this episode, Anthony and Maddy are joined by our very own Matt Lewis to discuss the Peasants’ Revolt: why it happened, who led it, and what this extraordinary uprising tells us about life in medieval England.

This episode was edited by Anna Brant. Produced by Tomos Delargy and McKenna Fernandez. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.

UK listeners: voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards! Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener surveyhere.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is it about a ‘bad boy’ that we love? That’s as true today as it was in the 18th century. In this episode of After Dark, Anthony and Maddy unravel the extraordinary rise, daring escapes, and final end of Jack Sheppard- the thief who became history's first celebrity criminal...

This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Tomos Delargy and McKenna Fernandez. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.

UK listeners: voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards! Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener surveyhere.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

Benedict Arnold was celebrated as a war hero of the American Revolution before he betrayed George Washington and the Continental Army by joining the British.

In today's episode Anthony and Maddy take you through his rise and infamous plot to hand over West Point, cementing his name as history's ultimate symbol of treachery.

This episode was edited by Anna Brant. Produced by Tomos Delargy and McKenna Fernandez. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.

UK listeners: voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards! Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener surveyhere.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're revisiting a favourite episode set in New York at the end of the 20th century.

The year is 1897, and this murder case has it all: a villain, an incredibly useless police force, and a duck who saves the day.

The incredible Dr Cat Byers (@heymorguegirl) joins Maddy and Anthony to tell this story.

Edited by Tomos Delargy. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

After Dark is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa

Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.