Dark Histories

By: Ben Cutmore
Listen for free

  • Summary

  • Fortnightly narratives on the unsolved and the unexplained, mysteries, historical true crime, touches of the paranormal and cultural peculiarities.
    Copyright © Ben Cutmore . All rights reserved.
    Show More Show Less
World
Show More Show Less
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2
Episodes
  • The Life and Hauntings of Violet Tweedale

    The Life and Hauntings of Violet Tweedale
    Dec 17 2024
    The life of Violet Tweedale was one of some fantasy and interest. A Victorian woman, powerful and wealthy in a time when women were not often such, she spent her days writing, socialising and hobnobbing with the elite. Described in some gushing, and highly dated terms as “a woman of many parts. She can paint a landscape and cook a dinner, she can write a book and make a shirt, she can etch a sporting scene and embroider the finest designs, she is a brilliant pianist, and has the reputation of being one of the best political speakers of the present day. With her regular features, white hair, commanding presence, and strong personal magnetism, she is an undoubted power on the public platform.” But this was not all Violet Tweedale was. She was also a keen ghost hunter, and from an early age, had been scouring old estates in the hopes of uncovering the other side, with some degree of success. SOURCES Tweedale, Violet (1919) Ghosts I Have Seen: And Other Psychic Experiences. Herbert Jenkins, London, UK. Chambers, William (1832) Chambers’ Edinburgh Journal. No. 1. Sat 4 Feb 1932. Edinburgh, Scotland. Western Mail (1915) Literature. Western mail, Fri 2 April 1915, p44. Perth, Australia. Prasil, Tim (2019) The Victorian Ghost Hunters Casebook. Brom Bones Books, UK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 16 mins
  • The Murderous Life of Dr Thomas Neill Cream (Part 2)

    The Murderous Life of Dr Thomas Neill Cream (Part 2)
    Dec 2 2024
    Dr. Thomas Neill Cream, a physician with a respectable facade, became one of the most notorious figures in Victorian London’s dark history. Under the guise of providing medical care, he secretly dispensed deadly doses of strychnine, preying on vulnerable women, using his sinister charm and cunning to both administer poison and run from the effects. For years Cream operated in the shadows, his victims spanning across countries, borders and seas, until his insatiable thirst for power and cruelty ultimately revealed the monster behind the doctor’s mask. PART 2 SOURCES Jobb, Dean (2021) The Case of the Murderous Dr Cream. Algonquin Books, NC, USA. Hodge, James H. (1994) Famous Trials v.5: Thomas Neill Cream, Neville Heath, John Watson Laurie, Dr.George Lamson, Rattenbury and Stoner. Penguin Crime, London, UK. Loudon, Irvine (1992) Death in Childbirth: An International Study of Maternal Care and Maternal Mortality 1800-1950. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Gloucester Citizen (1891) Painful Story. Gloucester Citizen, Fri 16 Oct 1891, p3. UK. North Devon Journal (1892) Further Charges Of Blackmailing. North Devon Journal, Thurs 23 June 1892, p6. UK. Reynolds’s Newspaper (1892) Strange Cases Of Poisoning. Reynolds’s Newspaper, Sun 17 April 1892, p5, London, UK. Illustrated Police News (1892) The Execution Of Cream. Illustrated Police News, Saturday 19 Nov 1892, p1. London, UK. ------- For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories or visit 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 24 mins
  • The Murderous Life of Dr Thomas Neill Cream (Part 1)

    The Murderous Life of Dr Thomas Neill Cream (Part 1)
    Nov 20 2024
    Dr. Thomas Neill Cream, a physician with a respectable facade, became one of the most notorious figures in Victorian London’s dark history. Under the guise of providing medical care, he secretly dispensed deadly doses of strychnine, preying on vulnerable women, using his sinister charm and cunning to both administer poison and run from the effects. For years Cream operated in the shadows, his victims spanning across countries, borders and seas, until his insatiable thirst for power and cruelty ultimately revealed the monster behind the doctor’s mask. PART 1 SOURCES Jobb, Dean (2021) The Case of the Murderous Dr Cream. Algonquin Books, NC, USA. Hodge, James H. (1994) Famous Trials v.5: Thomas Neill Cream, Neville Heath, John Watson Laurie, Dr.George Lamson, Rattenbury and Stoner. Penguin Crime, London, UK. Loudon, Irvine (1992) Death in Childbirth: An International Study of Maternal Care and Maternal Mortality 1800-1950. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. The Hamilton Spectator (1879) London. The Hamilton Spectator, Thurs 8 May 1879, p1. Ontario, Canada. Illustrated Police News (1892) The Lambeth Poisoning Case: Neill’s Career. Illustrated Police News, October 29, 1892, p1. London, UK. The Worthington Advance (1891) Record of Crime. The Worthington Advance, Thurs 4 Aug 1891, p1. MN, USA. ------- For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories or visit 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 7 mins

What listeners say about Dark Histories

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    14
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Kerry Howes

Love it!!

Really love this podcast. Ben is really engaging and all the stories are well researched. Great listening!

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Gemma

love this podcast

Great podcast, been listening for more than a year. Fascinating, creepy tales all told so well

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Vikki

Wonderfully researched

Ben is a first class researcher, always passionate and excited about the subjects he's covering. the detail in building the story and setting the scene is always very done and whilst some people might not appreciate this, I love that he provides context and background to the stories. To some that find the narration a little flat, I would say give it time. When the podcast started out the narration did seem a little unnatural to me but as with everything, you learn as you progress and Ben's narration grows with him as the years have progressed. A five star listen, with some weird and wonderful tales, some familiar to me, others brand new and very intriguing.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Chris Ryan

Really Enjoy this one.

Excellent podcast. Well written and researched. Interesting and creepy topics chosen each week most of which I have not heard of before and if the ones that I have heard of are presented in a fresh way. Really like the skeptic stance Ben takes so ot never falls into sully speculation.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for E Watson

I adore this podcast

I love these well-researched stories. Narrator clearly loves what he's doing and it shows.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for gregor

Love your work Ben.

I really like the way you spin the tale, and it shows that you've done your homework.
Me and the missus really appreciate your hard work mate.
All the best for your future episodes.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for karen voncripps

Wow, how have I never heard of this?

This is the best thing I've heard on audible. well researched, well delivered, I lost time listening to this story. A sleazy murder, illegal abortions, the press and cops in competition, and the police losing, under resourced and under funded. the press ruled and the headlines dominated as readership wars lost truth, but discovered clues.
if you can find a better pod cast, I'll be surprised.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Mizzle

Hooked!

A while ago I'd bookmarked a few history podcasts for a rainy day, and I'm glad I did!
Ben is a very passionate and personable storyteller, who meticulously researches all of his subjects. I enjoy all the dark, twisted and spooky stories and also the calmness of his voice. Keep up the great work, Ben!

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for steph

awesome

Absolutely love listening to the stories. Been looking for ages for a good dark history podcast.. with all mysteries supernatural and not. Thank you Ben!

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Anonymous User

Ugh

I struggled to understand this stutterring fella so much I quit after 2min.one big oof

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!