Dark Histories  By  cover art

Dark Histories

By: Ben Cutmore
  • 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.
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Episodes
  • Story Time: Dark Rituals & Pagan Rites
    Apr 14 2024

    Hi everyone, something a little different this week, but I'll be back as usual with next episode. Thanks as always!

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    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.

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    55 mins
  • Counterfeiting, Undercover Agents & The Abduction of Abraham Lincoln
    Apr 2 2024

    The ingenuity of the criminal class has rarely been criticised for lacking in imagination. One of the finer examples of this concept was put on full display in America, on the eve of the presidential election in 1876, When a group of shady crooks, who took the American Dream of making money a little too literally, decided they needed to bust one of their own from prison. The affair that unfurled led to one of the strangest stories in criminal history, featuring a small bag of relatively useless tools, an undercover secret service informant and the remains of a dead president. SOURCES

    Stahlman Speer, Bonnie (1997) The Great Abraham Lincoln Hijack. Reliance Press, USA.

    Craughwell, Thomas J. (2009) Stealing Lincoln’s Body. Belknap Press, USA.

    Rhodes, Karl (2012) The Counterfeiting Weapon. Econ Focus, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, vol. 16(1Q), pages 34-37.

    Tarnoff, Ben (2011) Moneymakers: The Wicked Lives and Surprising Adventures of Three Notorious Counterfeiters. Penguin Press, London, UK.

    Power, John Carroll (1875) Abraham Lincoln: His Life, Public Services, Death & Great Funeral Cortege… Edwin A. Wilson & Co. Springfield, USA.

    Glaser, Lynn (1960) Counterfeiting In America. Clarkson N. Potter, USA

    The Rock Island Argus (1875) The Counterfeit Plates Found. The Rock Island Argus, Wed 3 Nov 1875, p2. Illinois, USA.

    Chicago Tribune (1876) Horrible - Dastardly Attempt To Despoil The Lincoln Monument. Chicago Tribune, Wed 8 Nov 1876, p5. Chicago, USA.

    Chicago Tribune (1876) Lincoln - The Violators Of His Tomb Arrested In This City. Chicago Tribune, Sat 18 Nov 1876, p1. Chicago, USA.

    Chicago Tribune (1876) Lincoln’s Remains. Chicago Tribune, Sun 19 Nov 1876, p8. Chicago, USA.

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    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.

    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 10 mins
  • The Mysterious Murder of Mary Jane Bennett
    Mar 19 2024

    In Victorian England, the press were never shy of calling a crime the “sensation of the century” or a murder, “the most astonishing the world had ever seen.” When the body of a young woman showed up on the beach of a popular seaside resort town, no-one would have imagined it would provoke just such proclamations. As the story unravelled, and the winding, and at times, explosive court case drew on, however, it became clear that not only would it provoke such headlines, but it would also be entirely worthy of many of them. SOURCES

    Majoribanks, Edward (1929) The Life of Sir Edward Marshall Hall. Victor Gollanz Ltd. London, UK.

    Donovan, Kim (2024) The Mysterious Mrs Hood. Seven Dials Publishing, London, UK.

    Hulme, Mike (2010) ‘Telling a different tale’ literary, historical and meteorological readings of a Norfolk heatwave. Climactic Change, UK.

    Dade, Richard (2007) Photographs and information about Great Yarmouth Rows. Retrieved March 12, 2024, from http://www.ourgreatyarmouth.org.uk/page_id__54.aspx

    Eastern evening News (1900) Terrible Crime At Yarmouth. Eastern Evening News, Mon 24 Sep, 1900. P3. Norfolk, UK.

    Eastern evening News (1900) Yarmouth Beach Tragedy. Eastern Evening News, Tues 25 Sep, 1900. P3. Norfolk, UK.

    Eastern evening News (1900) Yarmouth Beach Tragedy. Eastern Evening News, Wed 26 Sep, 1900. P3. Norfolk, UK.

    Eastern evening News (1900) Yarmouth Beach Tragedy. Eastern Evening News, Thurs 27 Sep, 1900. P3. Norfolk, UK.

    Eastern evening News (1900) The Tragedy On Yarmouth Sands. Eastern Evening News, Fri 28 Sep, 1900. P3. Norfolk, UK.

    East Anglian Times (1900) Funeral Of The Victim. East Anglian Times, Sat 29 Sep, 1900. P3. Norfolk, UK.

    Weekly Dispatch (1900) Yarmouth Murder Mystery. Weekly Dispatch, Sun 30 Sep, 1900. P11. London, UK.

    Evening Star (1900) Yarmouth Denes Murder. Evening Star, Thurs 8 Nov, 1900. P2. London, UK.

    Sleaford Gazette (1900) The Yarmouth Tragedy. Sleaford Gazette, Sat 24 Nov, 1900. P7. UK.

    Echo (1900) Yarmouth Mystery. Echo, Sat 10 Nov 1900, P2. London, UK.

    Liverpool Echo (1901) The Yarmouth Murder. Mon 25 Feb, 1901, P3. Liverpool, UK.

    Echo (1901) Bennett Trial. Echo, Tues 26 Feb 1901, P3. London, UK.

    Echo (1901) Bennett On Trial. Echo, Fri 1 Mar 1901, P3. London, UK.

    Echo (1901) Bennett’s Sentence. Echo, Mon 4 Mar 1901, P2. London, UK.

    Norfolk News (1901) Bennett At The Old Bailey. Norfolk News, Sat 2 Mar, 1901, P6. Norfolk, UK.

    Norfolk News (1901) The Convict Bennett. Norfolk News, Sat 9 Mar, 1901, P13. Norfolk, 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.

    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 17 mins

Featured Article: The Best History Podcasts of All Time


If you’re a history buff looking for a new podcast to check out, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the array of options available. There are literally thousands of podcasts focusing on every corner of history. To help you know where to start, we’ve waded through nearly everything out there and selected just a few of the best of the best in history podcasts. And we've divided them by categories and interests. You’re sure to find your next favorite listen in our list.

What listeners say about Dark Histories

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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best podcast voice hands down

Not much for podcasts for several reasons, but mostly because so many feel rushed with too many irritating voices that aren't made for radio, much less a podcast. Ben's narration and style is hands down the best I've ever heard on radio or any podcast. He crafts fun, interesting, scary and sometimes macabre stories filled with rich detail that paints a truly vivid picture for some of history's odd yet fascinating tales. His style hearkens back to radio before television, which was long before my time; however I've seen and heard enough about those times to understand the importance of telling a good story. The comfort derived in those days by families and friends gathered around the radio to hear good storytelling is something of a lost art. Podcasting has attempted to bring this back through a different medium, but sadly most fail to deliver anything compelling. And even when it's compelling the person's narrative style or not made for radio or podcasting voice ruins the experience. Obviously Ben has a passion for the subject matter and moreover, telling a good story. He deserves to have an immensely popular podcast given the quality of both content and style. I rarely, if ever, write reviews, but felt I should here, given how much I enjoy it. Since I started following about two months ago, I believe I've listened to almost all of the episodes. Until finding this podcast I've avoided most and had nearly zero interest. Keep up the good work Ben! And although I know it's quite the common phrase in the UK, you should make "let's crack on" your signature line.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Awesome

Really Love this Podcast…Very interesting and easy to listen to and learn. Podcaster seems real..not as awkward and stiff as some…I feel like I’m listening to my friend tell me a story that I can rely on to be well researched. Awesome podcast Ben Cutmore!!

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This voice now narrates my dream...

I LOVE this podcast and listen to episode after episode while I work at the point his voice is my internal narrator. Excellent stories!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Just Right!

Deeply researched, richly presented, intellectual, dark enough for my black heart with wrapups diffusing grimness.

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Great podcast

Always an interesting story here. Interesting also to find how history does seem to repeat itself. Just good stories. Some are just plain creepy.

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Great podcast!

I've been following Ben since the spring of this year. He really does an excellent podcast. There's so much research that he puts into each episode. I think he writes about 10k words each episode, and the quality is excellent. Please give him a listen, you won't regret it!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Favorite podcast

Every episode is well researched, fascinating, and enjoyable. I never get tired of listening and always look forward to new episodes and the production quality is excellent.

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Great work listen

Love the stories and Ben. He does a great job giving all known information without boring you to death.

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Great research and presentation

Ben offers such detail and delivers in a cadence that is hypnotic. I love this podcast!

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I really enjoy this podcast.

I've listened to each episode many many times. The stories are interesting and are left open for interpretation, no conclusion is forced upon you.. Plus his voice puts me to sleep sometimes, which is a complement.

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