The Shropshire Witches Podcast

A short, haunting tale of Marion de la Bruyere at Ludlow Castle. Alix reads the story of a life cut short and the ghost said to linger, a quiet reminder of history’s darker side.

The Devil’s Chair is one of Shropshire’s most enduring legends, a stone seat shrouded in mystery and superstition. Local folklore warns of anyone who dares to sit upon it after dark risks more than a fright – the dead walking when the veil between worlds is thinnest. In this narration, I take you to that solitary chair, exploring its history and its spirits.

This episode welcomes historian and broadcaster Matt Lewis to explore how the Middle Ages imagined monsters. From dragons and demons to mysterious beasts said to haunt the edge of the known world, we look at what these creatures reveal about medieval fears, faith and storytelling. Where did these strange beings come from and why did people believe in them so strongly? Matt unpacks the sources, symbolism and surprising truths behind the monsters that stalked the medieval imagination.

In this bonus content Alix Chidley-Uttley reads chapter one of that most spooky tale, The Woman in Black.

What do our funerals say about us? In this episode of The Shropshire Witches, we explore the rituals, superstitions, and customs that surround death from the practical to the profound. We look at how people have marked the passage from life to death. Some practices linger, others have vanished but the urge to ritualise grief remains.Expect folklore, history, and a few unexpected truths about how the dead were once honoured and what we’ve chosen to forget.

In this episode of Shropshire Witches, we descend into the shadowy world of Victorian murder. Why were the Victorians so fascinated with death? From lurid newspaper headlines to penny dreadfuls and courtroom spectacles, we explore how murder became a national pastime in the 19th century. With a real-life Victorian murder case at the heart of our story, we unravel the cultural obsession with crime, punishment and the darker corners of polite society. Lock your doors, draw the curtains this one's a killer.

What was considered attractive in the past? The answer is rarely what we’d expect.In this episode of the Shropshire Witches the girls look at the history of sex appeal not through the lens of scandal or seduction. We’ll trace the changes in what made people appealing physically, socially, and emotionally from medieval England to the present day.Why is Robin Hood considered a bit of a dish? Why was William the Conqueror a bit of alright? What did a 'fit' person look, smell, or sound like in the 11th century?This isn’t about modern standards projected onto the past it’s a curious, often surprising look at how ideals of desirability evolved, and what that tells us about people, class, and culture.

From the rum-soaked decks of the Caribbean to the storm-lashed coasts of Britain, pirates have loomed large in our collective imagination—peg legs, eye patches, treasure maps and all. But how much of it is truth, and how much is tall tale?In this episode, we hoist the black flag and dive into the murky waters of pirate history and folklore. We’ll explore the real Golden Age of Piracy, from the brutal tactics of Blackbeard and Anne Bonny to the surprising codes of conduct that governed pirate crews. Alongside the hard history, we unpick the legends: buried treasure, sea curses, ghost ships, and the myth of “walking the plank.”Why do pirates still capture our imagination centuries later? What do their stories tell us about freedom, rebellion, and fear on the open sea?Join Alix & Amy as we set sail through fact and fable, myth and mutiny.

In this evocative episode Alix & Amy are joined by graveyard expert and wit, Jono Namara. From Victorian graveyards to the eerie train that once carried the dead to their final resting place. Join us as we discuss weird and wonderful graves, famous resting places, being buried alive and Oscar Wilde. Informed and funny, Jono is your go to for all things posthumous and peculiar. Find him on Instagram @jononamara and TikTok @cemeterysafari

In this episode, Historian and author Gemma Hollman peels back the veil on the lives of medieval women- from the crowned Queens wielding influence in turbulent courts, to the solitary anchoresses bricked into walls in pursuit of divine communion, and the women who walked the liminal path between healer and heretic: the so-called witches. Join Alix Chidley-Uttley & Amy Boucher with guest Gemma Hollman as they explore how these women shape- and were shaped by their world, reclaiming voices too often silenced or sensationalised. Expect folklore, faith, power, and the strange beauty of lives lived on the edge of history.