The WW2 Witch Trial of Hellish Nell

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 4 January 2024

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What made a working class woman from Edinburgh become such a threat to British intelligence services during the Second World War, that they tried her as a witch?

In today's episode, we're telling you the story of Helen Duncan, aka Hellish Brown, a medium who lays claim to being the last woman in England to be tried as a witch, culminating in her trial in 1944 under the 1735 Witchcraft Act.

Joining us is Jess Marlton, manager of Bodmin Jail where all sorts of paranormal events take place.

What made Duncan's performances so memorable? Why did her trial capture the public's imagination? And how does the 1735 Witchcraft Act live on today?

Let's go Betwixt the Sheets to find out.

This podcast was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi folks, welcome to Dan Snow's History at.
0:03.0	One of our most recently launched podcast here, History is called Betwixt the Sheets.
0:07.0	It's rapidly overtaking mine in popularity.
0:10.0	But I'm fine with it because you know what, Kate listens a class act and she covers some extraordinary moments from our past.
0:16.0	This is the story of Hellish Brown, a medium who has the dubious distinction of being the last woman in England to be tried as a witch.
0:24.4	She was tried in 1944 under the 1735 witchcraft act.
0:30.9	Joining Kate is Jess Malton. She's the manner of Bodmin Jail where all sorts of paranormal events take place.
0:38.0	Or do they? What was it about Duncan's performances that landed her in the dock.
0:43.4	Enjoy.
0:44.4	Hello my loving my tricksters, it's me Kate Lister.
0:48.3	You know what's coming?
0:49.7	You know what we've got to do?
0:51.3	Are you braced?
0:52.4	Are you ready? are you fully on alert and
0:55.9	receptive to what is coming your way because this is the fair dues warning this is
1:02.2	an adult podcast spoken by adults to other adults about
1:04.6	adult things on a range of adult subjects and you should be an adult too.
1:09.7	Have you got that? Do you really because I'm not going through this again?
1:15.0	But if you're still here and if you still want to proceed with listening to this after that warning, well fair do's let's get on with it
1:26.4	it's the early 1940s and while a war is raging across the channel in Europe, something altogether more,
1:37.0	hmm, supernatural, is taking place on a gloomy night in Portsmouth.
1:42.0	While many take their seats in this dimly on a gloomy night in Portsmouth.
	...

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