The Hangwoman of 18th Century Ireland

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

History Hit

Society, Sex, Scandal, Education, History

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 6 May 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Imagine an executioner. Are they big, strong, cloaked and masked? Are they male? Probably - because most executioners in history have been. Today, though, we're meeting a woman who broke the mould.

Journalist and writer Clodagh Finn joins Kate to explore the life of Lady Betty, the Irish executioner of the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as some other Irish women who have defied the boundaries of their gender for obscure reasons.

Clodagh writes ‘An Irish Woman’s Diary’ for the Irish Examiner and has authored a number of books including ‘Through Her Eyes: A New History of Ireland in 21 Women’.

This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm your host, Kate Lister.
0:02.4	If you would like betwixt the sheets, add free and get early access, sign up to History Hit.
0:08.7	With a History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of original documentaries with top history presenters.
0:16.0	And enjoy a new release every single week.
0:19.8	Sign up now by visiting history hit.com forward slash subscribe.
0:24.7	Hello, my lovely betwixters.
0:26.4	It's me, Kate Lister.
0:27.7	You are listening to Bertwix the sheets.
0:30.1	But before we can continue together, I know what's coming, you know what's coming, the lawyers know what's coming.
0:35.4	It is the fair do's warning and here it is.
0:37.7	This is an adult podcast spoken by adults to other adults about adulty things in an
0:40.6	adulty way covering a range of adults and objects and you should be an adult too. Oh, I'm so glad
0:43.9	we got that out of the way. I feel less triggered. Do you feel less triggered? Right, on with
0:47.5	the show.
1:01.9	Ross Common is busy today. Of course it is. It's execution day. A big day out for all the family.
1:08.7	A crowd has gathered in front of the old jail in the main square of the town. Hawkers are selling their wares.
1:11.2	Children are atop of their parents' shoulders just struggling to get a glimpse of the third floor window outside of which a wooden gallows is built.
1:18.6	This is a particularly long drop, but that is not the most unusual thing about this particular
1:24.8	execution site. The crowd draws breath as the executioner
1:28.7	appears, unmasked, undisguised, and very much a woman. A woman known as Lady Betty.
1:43.4	What do you look for a man?
1:45.0	Oh, money, of course.
	...

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