Dark Histories
Fortnightly narratives on the unsolved and the unexplained, mysteries, historical true crime, touches of the paranormal and cultural peculiarities.
Episodes
51 minutes ago
51 minutes ago
56 min
In the years following the American Revolution, when the country was still uncertain of itself and the frontier was still a place of violence, two brothers carved out a story of fear across the wilderness. When their story was first published in 1824, many people thought it was so terrible it simply had to be fiction, and whilst the facts may have been a little blurred, it sadly had much more truth to it than people wanted to accept. Behind the legend lay a grim and disturbing story of violence and murder and even a twinge of mystery, that is still as troubling today as it ever was.SOURCES
Grandjean, Katherine (2026) Kingdom of Devils. Random House, NY, USA.
Coates, Robert (1930) Outlaw Years, The: The History of the Land Pirates of the Natchez Trace. Pelican Publishing Co. USA.
Hall, James (1833) The Harpe’s Head, a Legend of Kentucky. Key & Biddle, NY, USA.
The Poughkeepsie Eagle (1799) Domestic Intelligence. The Poughkeepsie Eagle, Tues, 26 Deb 1799, p3. USA.
Kentucky Gazette (1799) Lexington, April 18. Kentucky Gazette, Thurs 18 April 1799, p2, USA.
Kentucky Gazette (1799) Lexington, April 25. Kentucky Gazette, Thurs 18 April 1799, p2, USA.
The United States Gazette (1804) February 9. The United States Gazette, Tues 13 March 1804, p4. USA
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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com
Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories
The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories
Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9
Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast
Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories
& Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/
Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com
or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf
The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye
Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017
Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.
Aug 12, 2026
Aug 12, 2026
1 hr 4 min
In the winter of 1864, two ships met their fate on one of the most remote and unforgiving stretches of the Southern Ocean. The Grafton and the Invercauld were wrecked thousands of miles from civilization, leaving their survivors stranded on the desolate Auckland Islands. What followed was a remarkable test of endurance, struggling against the cold, hunger and isolation that would see feats of remarkable ingenuity and the lowest of humanity leading to two very different survival stories, separated by only a few miles of wilderness and a very, very tall cliff.
SOURCES
Musgrave, Thomas (1865) Castaway on the Auckland Isles: Narrative of the Wreck of the "Grafton". H. T. Dwight.Melbourne, Australia.
Raynal, Francois (1880). Wrecked on a Reef, or Twenty Months on the Auckland Islands. Thomas Nelson & Sons. Edinburgh, UK.
Druett, Joan (2007). Island of the Lost: An Extraordinary Story of Survival at the Edge of the World. Algonquin Books. NY, USA.
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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com
Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories
The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories
Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9
Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast
Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories
& Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/
Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com
or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf
The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye
Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017
Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.
Aug 3, 2026
Aug 3, 2026
1 hr 14 min
Hey Everyone! here is a little episode to tide us over til next week when I'll be back to the usual posting schedule. I took a short, mid-season break to sort some bits and pieces out and enjoy a bit of the summer weather, but I do love a good ghost story, so here's one for the time being! The Open Door, by Charlotte Riddell, originally published in 1882. I hope you enjoy it!
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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com
Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories
The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories
Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9
Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast
Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories
& Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/
Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com
or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf
The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye
Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017
Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.
Jul 14, 2026
Jul 14, 2026
1 hr 7 min
In the early twentieth century, Chicago was a city already familiar with violence and corruption, but in 1946, a new case hit the headlines that introduced a whole new level of shock and scandal to the hardened city residents. Savage murders, a message scrawled across the wall in lipstick at one of the scenes and the dismemberment of a young girl gave rise to a case that would in time become known as “The Lipstick Killer.” When seventeen-year-old William Heirens was arrested, authorities declared the mystery solved, but the reality was seemingly much, much different.SOURCES
Dolores Kennedy (1991) William Heirens: His Day in Court. Bonus Books, Chicago, IL, USA.
Freeman, Lucy (1977) Before I Kill More… . Pocket, London, UK.
Rosewood, Jack & Walker, Dwayne (2016) William Heirens: The True Story of The Lipstick Killer. Createspace Independent Publishing.
Foster Kennedy, Harry R. Hoffman, William H. Haines (1948) Psychiatric Study of William Heirens. 38 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 311 (1947-1948).
Chicago Tribune (1945) Widow Is Found Slain In Home, Suitor Quizzed. Chicago Tribune, Wed 6 June 1945, p7. Chicago, IL. USA.
Chicago Tribune (1945) Ex-WAVE Slain, Plea Written In Red On Wall. Chicago Tribune, Tues 11 Dec 1945, p1. Chicago, IL. USA.
Chicago Tribune (1946) Child Stolen From Her Bed During Night. Chicago Tribune, Tues 8 Jan 1946, p1. Chicago, IL. USA.
Chicago Tribune (1946) Degnan Child Slaying Unsolved After Four Month Enquiry. Chicago Tribune, Tues 7 May 1946, p16. Chicago, IL. USA.
Chicago Tribune (1946) Student Seized In Fight After Revolver Fails. Chicago Tribune, Thurs 27 June 1946, p7. Chicago, IL. USA.
Chicago Tribune (1946) FBI Reports Palm Print Matches Ransom Notes’. Chicago Tribune, Tues 2 July 1946, p7. Chicago, IL. USA.
Chicago Tribune (1946) How Heirens Slew 3. Chicago Tribune, Tues 16 July 1946, p1. Chicago, IL. USA.
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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com
Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories
The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories
Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9
Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast
Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories
& Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/
Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com
or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf
The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye
Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017
Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.
Jun 30, 2026
Jun 30, 2026
1 hr 6 min
In an era when medicine was still finding its footing, John Romulous Brinkley built an empire on impossible cures, relentless ambition, and astonishing lack of a moral compass. In a shocking display of charm and manipulation, he managed to sell his patients on a cure for diseases they didn’t even know they had, frequently involving the surgical insertion of a goats testicle into their body. His rise to fame was inspired, and for a while, his power was almost unstoppable, until one man on a crusade took it upon himself to prove otherwise
SOURCES
Brock, Pope (2008) Charlatan: The Fraudulent Life of John Brinkley. Orion Publishing, London, UK.
Griffenhagen, George B. & Young, James (1959) Old English Patent Medicines in America. Contributions from The Museum of History and Technology: Paper 10. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., USA.
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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com
Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories
The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories
Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9
Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast
Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories
& Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/
Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com
or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf
The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye
Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017
Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.
Jun 15, 2026
Jun 15, 2026
47 min
The early modern period was a rocky time for religion across Europe, fundamental pinnings of everyday life were being questioned and changing, as the reformation shifted authority away from the church. Thoughts on death and the afterlife were turned upside down, and in villages across England, restless spirits were making a comeback. To confront these supernatural intruders, communities turned to their local clergy to carry out the practice of ghost-laying, an exorcism ritual that sought to bind and banish the dead. At least, that’s what Victorian authors would have liked to believe. Part religion, part folklore, and part fear, the subject of ghost-laying is fairly well complicated, and defining just how much of it is actually true, even more so.
SOURCES
Walsh, Brendan C. (2023) ‘He Could Raise and Lay Ghosts at His Will’: Victorian Folklorists and the Creation of Early Modern Clerical Ghost-Laying. Folklore, 134:3, 281-303, DOI: 10.1080/0015587X.2023.2187157
Bottrell, William (1870) Traditions & Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall. Beare & Son, Penzance, UK.
Hawker, Robert Steven (1870) Footprints of Former Men in Far Cornwall. James C. Commin, Exeter, UK.
Andrews, William (1898) The Church Treasury of History, Custom, Folk-Lore, etc. London, UK.
Bond, Thomas (1823) Topographical and Historical Sketches of the Boroughs of East and West Looe, in the County of Cornwall. J. Nichols & Son, London, UK.
Hunt, Robert (1865) Popular Romances of the West of England, Or, The Drolls, Traditions and Superstitions of Old Cornwall. John Camden Hotten, London, UK.
Courtney, Margaret Anne (1973) Cornish Feasts & Folklore. EP Publishing Ltd. UK.
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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com
Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories
The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories
Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9
Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast
Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories
& Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/
Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com
or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf
The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye
Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017
Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.
Jun 2, 2026
Jun 2, 2026
46 min
In the fall of 1909, a strange fear settled over the hills and farms of Maryland. Newspapers carried reports of a monstrous winged creature said to stalk the countryside with a host of bizarre descriptions pouring out from witnesses, including glowing eyes, huge claws, and boiling brimstone dripping from its snout. The creature became known as the Snallygaster, and for a time, its legend gripped entire communities until its rapid demise. More than twenty years later, in 1932, the panic returned, proving that some stories refuse to stay buried. But was everything as it seemed? Or were there far uglier things at play than flying monsters?SOURCES
Boyton, Patrick (2011) Snallygaster: The Lost Legend of Frederick County. Self Published
Bridgeton Evening News (1909) The Devil Runs Rampant. Bridgeton Evening News, Fri 22 Jan, p3. NJ, USA
Sheperdstown Register (1909) After The Colored People. Shepherdstown Register, Thu 4 Feb, p3. WV, USA.
The Tennesseasn (1887) The Devil Of Leeds. The Tennessean, Sun 16 Oct, p12. TN, USA.
Chicago Tribune (1909) Devil Which Alarms Jersey Likely To Be Captured Soon. Chicago Tribune, Fri 22 Jan 1909, p5. IL, USA.
The Evening Sun (1932) Bovalopus Snallygaster Swoops Down On Village. The Evening Sun, Fri 25 Nov 1932, p50. MD, USA.
The Evening Sun (1932) John Barleycorn Ends Career Of Snallygaster. The Evening Sun, Thurs 1 Dec 1932, p3. MD, USA.
The News (1932) Snallygaster Captured: Huge Owl Is Shot Down. The News, Thurs 1 Dec 1932, p1. MD, USA.
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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com
Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories
The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories
Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9
Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast
Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories
& Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/
Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com
or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf
The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye
Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017
Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.
May 19, 2026
May 19, 2026
1 hr 3 min
In 1890, the murders of Phoebe Hogg and her infant daughter in Hampstead became one of the most widely reported criminal cases of the Victorian period. The investigation quickly centred on Mary Pearcey, whilst the public eyed Phoebe’s husband with suspicion. Evidence found at Mary’s home, along with witness testimony, seemed to point to a simple investigation, but persistent rumours of an accomplice left lingering questions that persist until today. SOURCES
Hopton, Sarah Beth (2017) Woman at the Devil's Door: The Incredible True Story of Mary Pearcey & The Hampstead Murders. Mango Books, London, UK.
Portsmouth Evening News (1890) Appalling Crime In Hampstead. Portsmouth Evening News, Sat 25 Oct 1890, p3. Portsmouth, UK.
Thanet Advertiser (1890) Execution of Mrs Pearcy. Thanet Advertsier, Sat 27 Dec 1890, p5. Kent, UK.
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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com
Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories
The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories
Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9
Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast
Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories
& Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/
Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com
or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf
The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye
Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017
Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.
May 4, 2026
May 4, 2026
57 min
In 1945, the end of the second world war was approaching, atom bombs were on the way, and science fiction felt more like speculative prophecies than adventure stories. In the pages of pulp magazine, claims that ancient civilizations lived beneath the surface of the earth, armed with forgotten technologies, and mutated into something monstrous and cruel. To some, it was pulp fantasy. To others, a terrifying revelation. Blurring the line between imagination and belief, the Shaver Mystery presented a surreal reality that was anything but ordinary.
SOURCES
Toronto, Richard (2013) War Over Lemuria: Richard Shaver, Ray Palmer & The Strangest Chapter of 1940’s Science Fiction. McFarland & Co. NC, USA.
Palmer, Ray (1945) The Observatory. Amazing Stories, Vol 18, No.3, May 1944. USA
Shaver, Richard (1945) I Remember Lemuria. Amazing Stories, Vol 19, No.1, March 1945. USA
Palmer, Ray (1945) Mantong, The Language of Lemuria. Amazing Stories, Vol 19, No.1, March 1945. USA
Shaver, Richard (1945) Open Letter to the World. Amazing Stories, Vol 19, No.2, June 1945. USA
Shaver, Richard (1945) Thought Records of Lemuria. Amazing Stories, Vol 19, No.2, June 1945. USA
Shaver, Richard (1945) Cave City of Hel. Amazing Stories, Vol 19, No.3, September 1945. USA
Palmer, Ray (1945) Report From the Forgotten Past? Amazing Stories, Vol 19, No.3, September 1945. USA
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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com
Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories
The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories
Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9
Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast
Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories
& Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/
Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com
or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf
The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye
Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017
Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.
Apr 19, 2026
Apr 19, 2026
1 hr 10 min
Hey everyone! Here is there first of the bonus episodes I have lined up to go along with the 10 year anniversary of Dark Histories! Thanks so much if you asked a question, and I hope you find something interesting enough in the answers! Cheers!