The Haunted Duchess

Episode 7: What Hath Dunnit? This true crime series closes in a tour of the Restoration poison cabinet. What deadly substance was concealed in Lady Denham’s drinking chocolate? Poisons were everywhere: hemlock grew in gardens, mercury flew off apothecaries’ shelves, and lead was commonly used as make-up. But which venomous ingredient decided our victim’s fate? History may have forgotten this case, but we have not! In the season finale of our true crime series we hone in on our murderer and the murder weapon to finally discover who - and what - hath dunnit.

Episode 6: Mortal Chocolate. Margaret Denham was so convinced her hot chocolate was being poisoned that she requested an autopsy, an innovation in Renaissance science. Our true crime series gets forensic, exploring what a seventeenth century autopsy could - or could not - reveal, and what we can learn from our victim’s autopsy. Finally, we consider one last suspect, Margaret Denham’s politically unstable uncle, the Earl of Bristol. Did he poison his niece to further his own machinations?

Episode 5: Jilted John. A man with a motive but did he have the means? We bring history and true crime together as we turn to Lady Denham’s jealous husband. Silver fox, celebrated poet, noted wit, trusted member of Charles II’s court, and… murderer? We delve into the Renaissance obsession with cuckoldry to help us decide if it was John Denham, jealous husband and profligate gambler, who poisoned his young wife with a cup of hot chocolate.

Episode 4: The course of true crime never doth run smooth. We discover another Lady Rochester, Henrietta Hyde, hidden in the pages of history. Another powerful Restoration woman, famed for her dazzling skin and beautiful feet, did this savvy social climber have a darker side? Join us to investigate our newest suspect and find out about the seventeenth-century curly girl method, how the Great Fire of London affected Margaret Denham, and get one step further to solving this 400-year-old cold case.

Episode 3: Seventeenth century gossip strongly suspected a woman called Lady Rochester of being Lady Denham’s murderer, bringing Elizabeth Malet, Lady Rochester, into our investigation. Newly married to the ultimate bad-boy, the Earl of Rochester, Elizabeth Malet is an exciting and intriguing suspect. Abducted by Rochester aged fourteen, she wrote poetry and enjoyed cross-dressing, but what evidence is there for her part in Lady Denham’s death? In this episode history and true crime collide, with a cameo appearance from Signor Dildo, as we get closer to discovering who hath dunnit.

Episode 2: Welcome back to the swinging sixties of seventeenth century London. The prime suspect for the shocking murder of Lady Margaret Denham was Anne Hyde, Duchess of York. Her father was the Lord Chancellor, while her husband was James, both the future King of England and the man having an affair with our muder victim. Did jealousy lead Anne Hyde to poison her rival? Was she really haunted by Lady Denham’s ghost? What else can we uncover about the fascinating Duchess’ rise from commoner to queen in this historical true crime podcast?

Lady Denham: the name on everyone's lips. Courtier, mistress, socialite, wit. At only 24 years old, the life of this seventeenth-century beauty was brought to an abrupt end with a cup of poisoned hot chocolate. Her death was the subject of scurrilous Restoration gossip but the murderer’s identity remains a mystery. Suspects abound as we delve into a world of prostitution, political intrigue and even the invention of the condom for the first episode of this historical true crime series.