Episodes

• 2021

• Piety and Heartwork in Covenanter Scotland

  Witch Hunt Podcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07rn38z/episodes/downloads Time Travels: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b094d4hl/episodes/downloads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
  March 25, 2021

  61 min
• 2020

• Wittenberg to Witches

  Ben Jacobs of Wittenberg to Westphalia and Sam Hume of the History of Witchcraft sat down for a chat about witch panics, memes, authority, and the importance of getting angry while also staying calm. Check out Ben's Podcast: https://wittenbergtowestphaliapodcast.weebly.com/ Music: Intro music is See These Bones by Nada Surf. Spective - Bridge Valley P.R. & ChillCat - Soul Child ai means love. - road trip Breezewax - Mother's Earth LZRDSK - flowers LeVirya & Broey. - Inertia Aphrow & Stuffed Tomato - Goodbye ningen - Take You Outside I Am Wolter - Morning Licks Foeniks - Take It Easy RINZ. - Lotus mr. hong & pastels - let's meet at the elevator Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  August 10, 2020

  36 min

• Early Modern English Witchcraft with Professor Darren Oldridge

  Prof. Oldridge joins me to talk about witchcraft and religion in early Stuart England, The recommended books, available from all good retailers, are: Strange Histories (2017) The Supernatural in Tudor and Stuart England (2016) The Witchcraft Reader (2019) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  February 16, 2020

  42 min
• 2019

• Sound Education Experience

  This is just a short catch up episode to share what I experienced at Sound Education 2019. I met so many great podcasters, many that I've listened to for years and many more that are now in my queue. www.SoundEducation.fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  October 17, 2019

  22 min

• What's it like to make a History Podcast (feat. Dead Ideas)

  In a special episode BT Newberg and I talk about the highs and lows of making a history podcast. What made us want to start a podcast? Why did we pick the subjects we did? When did I decide to change focus to Pax Britannica? What are the best and worst things about it? Peak behind the curtain! Go check out Dead Ideas: https://deadideas.net/ Check out the podcast website: http://thehistoryofwitchcraft.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/historyofwitchcraft/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistofWitch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  April 28, 2019

  45 min

• Introducing Pax Britannica

  A short introduction and clip from the first episode of Pax Britannica. Follow the links below to find my new show your favourite way! Show Page: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/ADL3707263633 Website: https://paxbritannica.info iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/pax-britannica/id1451859986?mt=2 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6FQwqzI4u8waYkEaEUiXut?si=n0GT5GBASzyyl1d1GK-j8w Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/samuel-hume-3/pax-britannica Google Podcasts: https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLm1lZ2FwaG9uZS5mbS9BREwzNzA3MjYzNjMz PlayerFM: https://player.fm/series/pax-britannica-2483186 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PodBritannica/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BritannicaPax Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  February 10, 2019

  9 min

• 043 - Salem, Massachusetts

  If anyone has heard of a particular witch trial, they will have heard of Salem. It's an infamous part of early American history, and everywhere in popular culture. Today's episode will be explaining the main theories as to why the small village of Salem, Massachusetts began the greatest witch panic in American history. This episode primarily made use of the following texts: - Anderson, Virginia Dejohn, 'New England in the Seventeenth Century', in The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume I: The Origins of Empire (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998) - Levack, Brian, ‘State-Building and Witch-Hunting’, in Oldridge, Darren (ed.), The Witchcraft Reader, (2002) - Godbeer, Richard, ‘Witchcraft in British America’, in Levack, Brian (ed.),The Oxford Handbook of Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America (2014)- Hansen, Chadwick, ‘Andover Witches and the Causes of the Salem Witchcraft Trials’, in Levack, Brian (ed.), Witchcraft in Colonial America, ed. - Le Beau, Bryan F. The Story of the Salem Witch Trials, (1998) Also included in today's episode is a brief announcement for a new podcast of mine, Pax Britannica, launching 10th February 2019. Keep up to date with the launch by following the social media pages below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PodBritannica/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BritannicaPax Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  January 27, 2019

  36 min
• 2018

• Witchcraft in Russia with Prof. Valerie Kivelson

  I'm delighted to speak with Valerie Kivelson, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of History at the University of Michigan. Professor Kivelson graduated from Harvard University magna cum laude in 1980, and received her PhD from Stanford University in 1988. Since then Professor Kivelson has been a prolific author of books and papers covering topics as varied as Russian Cosmography, Siberian colonisation, cartography, and of course witchcraft. Recommended texts by Prof. Kivelson: - Desparate Magic: The Moral Economy of Witchcraft in Seventeenth-Century Russia (Available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Desperate-Magic-Economy-Witchcraft-Seventeenth-Century-ebook/dp/B00G6SD4JO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544309091&sr=8-1&keywords=desperate+magic) - 'Male Witches and Gendered Categories in Seventeenth-Century Russia', Comparative Studies in Society and History (Available from Cambridge University Press: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/comparative-studies-in-society-and-history/article/male-witches-and-gendered-categories-in-seventeenthcentury-russia/F9FA9F79E0576D4F0AC5EA29E3EFF59A/share/834641cd30309cda70c4c5ed8ee30e6054f43d51) Website: https://thehistoryofwitchcraft.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/historyofwitchcraft/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistofWitch Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HistoryofWitchcraft Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  December 9, 2018

  51 min

• 041 - Halloween - From Pagan, to Christian, to Party

  Today we cover the development of Halloween - its development from a Celtic harvest festival, which may or may not have involved the ritual slaughter of infant children, and its merger with the Christian holy days of All Saints and All Souls, emerging from the melting pot of American society as something new and old, traditional and commercial. Many thanks to Joe from the 80 Days - An Exploration Podcast for lending his voice to today's intro quote. Find his fantastic show on Facebook, Twitter, and 80dayspodcast.com Today's show primarily relies on the following works: Rogers, Nicholas, Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night, 2002 Santino, Jack (ed.) Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life, 1994 For a full bibliography, please see the website: https://thehistoryofwitchcraft.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/historyofwitchcraft/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistofWitch Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HistoryofWitchcraft The Recorded History Podcast Network: https://recordedhistory.net/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  October 27, 2018

  50 min

• 040 - The Pilgrims

  In this episode we cover the early history of English colonisation in the Americas, and the growth and expansion of New England in particular. This episode primarily makes use of the following texts: - Canny, N. 'The Origins of Empire: An Introduction', in The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume I: The Origins of Empire (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998 - Appleby J. C., 'War, Politics, and Colonization, 1558-1625', in The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume I: The Origins of Empire (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998) - Anderson, V. A., 'New England in the Seventeenth Century', in The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume I: The Origins of Empire (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998) - Elizabeth Mancke, 'The Languages of Liberty in British North America, 1607-1776', in Exclusionary Empire: English Liberty Overseas, 1600-1900 (2010). For a full bibliography, please see the website: https://thehistoryofwitchcraft.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/historyofwitchcraft/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistofWitch Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HistoryofWitchcraft The Recorded History Podcast Network: https://recordedhistory.net/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  October 7, 2018

  30 min

• 039 - A War of Words

  For a full bibliography, please see the website: https://thehistoryofwitchcraft.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/historyofwitchcraft/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistofWitch Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HistoryofWitchcraft The Recorded History Podcast Network: https://www.recordedhistory.net Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  September 3, 2018

  34 min

• 038 - The Wroth of Woden

  The transformation of Roman Britain with the arrival of the Germanic pagans led to its own odd synthesis of superstitions and rituals. The Christianisation of these pagan kingdoms further added to the mix, as did the subsequent arrival and conversion of the Danes and Norwegians. Today's episode is all about the treatment of magic-wielders in Anglo-Saxon society, how they were seen by the Church, and how individual rulers tried to clamp down on their subjects use of their services. For a full bibliography, please see the website: https://thehistoryofwitchcraft.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/historyofwitchcraft/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistofWitch Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HistoryofWitchcraft The Recorded History Podcast Network: https://www.recordedhistory.net Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  August 27, 2018

  37 min

• 037 - Suffer Not a Witch to Live

  This episode primarily makes use of the following texts: - Dickie, M. W., Magic and Magicians in the Greco-Roman World (2003) - Ogden, D., Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Sourcebook (Oxford, 2002) For a full bibliography, please see the website: https://thehistoryofwitchcraft.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/historyofwitchcraft/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistofWitch Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HistoryofWitchcraft The Recorded History Podcast Network: www.recordedhistory.net Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  August 19, 2018

  28 min

• 036 - Burn to Ashes

  The Witchfinder General faces humiliation on multiple fronts. His critics are uniting, his prosecutions are falling, and the ruinous cost of hiring him suddenly seems less worthwhile. This episode primarily makes use of the following texts: - Gaskill, Malcolm, Witchfinders: A Seventeenth Century English Tragedy, (2005) - Levack, Brian, ‘State-Building and Witch-Hunting’, in Oldridge, Darren (ed.), The Witchcraft Reader, 2002 - Purkiss, DIane, The English Civil War: A People's History, (2007) - Jackson, Louise, ‘Witches, Wives and Mothers: Witchcraft Persecution and Women’s Confessions in Seventeenth-Century England’, in Oldridge, Darren (ed.), The Witchcraft Reader, 2002 - Peter Elmer, Witchcraft, Witch-Hunting, and Politics in Early Modern England, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016) - Gaskill, Malcolm, ‘Witchcraft Trials in England’, in Levack, Brian (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America, (2016) For a full bibliography, please see the website: https://thehistoryofwitchcraft.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/historyofwitchcraft/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistofWitch Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HistoryofWitchcraft The Recorded History Podcast Network: www.recordedhistory.net Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  August 13, 2018

  36 min

• 035 - A Magazine of Scandal

  This week's episode continues the trials of East Anglia, as we see the result of the Witchfinder General's efforts in the summer assizes of Chelmsford and Bury St. Edmunds. One was headed by the Earl of Warwick, a noble with little in the way of legal training, and the other by a triumvirate of two priests and a lawyer. One goes exceptionally well for the witchfinders, and the other... not so much. This episode primarily makes use of the following texts: - Gaskill, Malcolm, Witchfinders: A Seventeenth Century English Tragedy, (2005) - Levack, Brian, ‘State-Building and Witch-Hunting’, in Oldridge, Darren (ed.), The Witchcraft Reader, 2002 - Purkiss, DIane, The English Civil War: A People's History, (2007) - Jackson, Louise, ‘Witches, Wives and Mothers: Witchcraft Persecution and Women’s Confessions in Seventeenth-Century England’, in Oldridge, Darren (ed.), The Witchcraft Reader, 2002 For a full bibliography, please see the website: https://thehistoryofwitchcraft.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/historyofwitchcraft/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistofWitch Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HistoryofWitchcraft The Recorded History Podcast Network: www.recordedhistory.net The History of Witchcraft is up for an award! Go here to vote: http://podcastawards.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  July 29, 2018

  28 min

• 034 - The Witchfinder General

  This episode primarily makes use of the following texts: - Gaskill, Malcolm, Witchfinders: A Seventeenth Century English Tragedy, (2005) - Levack, Brian, ‘State-Building and Witch-Hunting’, in Oldridge, Darren (ed.), The Witchcraft Reader, 2002 - Purkiss, DIane, The English Civil War: A People's History, (2007) - Jackson, Louise, ‘Witches, Wives and Mothers: Witchcraft Persecution and Women’s Confessions in Seventeenth-Century England’, in Oldridge, Darren (ed.), The Witchcraft Reader, 2002 For a full bibliography, please see the website: https://thehistoryofwitchcraft.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/historyofwitchcraft/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistofWitch Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HistoryofWitchcraft The Recorded History Podcast Network: www.recordedhistory.net The History of Witchcraft is up for an award! Go here to vote: http://podcastawards.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  July 22, 2018

  36 min

• 033 - Satan's Kingdom Divided

  In today's episode, the infamous Witch-Finder General begins his campaign through south-eastern England, as we discuss the opening accusations of the greatest and deadliest witch hunt in English history. This episode primarily makes use of the following texts: - Gaskill, Malcolm, Witchfinders: A Seventeenth Century English Tragedy, (2005) - Levack, Brian, ‘State-Building and Witch-Hunting’, in Oldridge, Darren (ed.), The Witchcraft Reader, 2002 - Purkiss, DIane, The English Civil War: A People's History, (2007) - Jackson, Louise, ‘Witches, Wives and Mothers: Witchcraft Persecution and Women’s Confessions in Seventeenth-Century England’, in Oldridge, Darren (ed.), The Witchcraft Reader, 2002 For a full bibliography, please see the website: https://thehistoryofwitchcraft.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/historyofwitchcraft/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistofWitch Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HistoryofWitchcraft The Recorded History Podcast Network: www.recordedhistory.net Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  June 25, 2018

  40 min

• 032 - Never a Cross Left

  The Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins, did not exist in a vacuum. How could this man, who had no formal authority, tour South-East England and not only execute hundreds of 'witches', but find cheering crowds and grateful magistrates waiting for him? Today's episode will examine the possible reasons why the Hopkins witch craze was so exceptional in its scale and brutality. This episode primarily made use of the following texts: - Gaskill, Malcolm, ‘Witchcraft Trials in England’, in Levack, B. P. (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America (Oxford, 2013) - Levack, Brian, ‘State-Building and Witch-Hunting’, in Oldridge, Darren (ed.), The Witchcraft Reader, 2002 - Elmer, Peter,Witchcraft, Witch-Hunting, and Politics in Early Modern England, (Oxford, 2016) - Jackson, Louise, ‘Witches, Wives and Mothers: Witchcraft Persecution and Women’s Confessions in Seventeenth-Century England’, in Oldridge, Darren (ed.), The Witchcraft Reader, 2002 For a full bibliography, please see the website: www.thehistoryofwitchcraft.co.uk The Recorded History Podcast Network: www.recordedhistory.net Friends of the show, Pontifacts: https://pontifacts.podbean.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  June 9, 2018

  37 min

• 031 - It's Treason, then.

  Today's episode covers the escalating conflict between Charles I and Parliament, as harsh words led to outright war. We also look at the simmering discontent among elements of the English population to the limited prosecutions of witches, spearheaded by the Stuart court. This episode primarily makes use of the following sources: Gaskill, Malcolm, ‘Witchcraft Trials in England’, in Levack, Brian (ed.) The Oxford HandbookHolmes, R., Witchcraft in British History (1974)MacFarlane, A., Witchcraft in Tudor and Stuart England (London, 1970)Levack, B., 'State-Building and Witch Hunting', in Darren Oldridge (ed.), The Witchcraft Reader (London, 2002)Poole, R., (ed.), The Lancashire Witches: Histories and Stories (2002)A full bibliography can be found on the website. Website: http://thehistoryofwitchcraft.co.uk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/historyofwitchcraft/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistofWitch Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HistoryofWitchcraft Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  May 27, 2018

  32 min

• 030 - The Lynching of John Lambe

  This week, we have a shorter episode while I brush up on my Civil War knowledge. Doctor John Lambe was the personal magician of the Duke of Buckingham, a favourite of James and an ally of Charles. Yet, the reputation of Dr Lambe was so poor that even these lofty connections couldn't save him... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  April 21, 2018

  20 min