Speaking with Shadows

The early 20th century saw a craze for historic pageants – huge theatrical events with casts of thousands. Gwen Lally called herself England’s first female pageant master, and in 1932 she arrived at Battle Abbey in Sussex with great ambitions for her latest show. It was unusual for a woman to wield such power, but even more unusual was her decision to wear masculine clothes. This was a woman who pushed the boundaries...

When France declared war on Britain in 1793 their overseas colonies were also drawn into the ensuing conflict. Black prisoners of war captured from the French Republic in the eastern Caribbean were among the thousands brought to Portchester Castle and imprisoned there. Arriving in Portsmouth Harbour after months of sailing across the Atlantic, the prisoners were faced with a new life in an unfamiliar landscape...

In our last episode (2) we traced the story of the black prisoners of war who were imprisoned at Portchester Castle during the Napoleonic wars. In this bonus episode we learn more about the prisoners’ stories through the French prisoner of war theatre that took place at Portchester, and a new audio artwork recently installed in the castle keep.  

Visit our episode page to learn more about the Caribbean prisoners of Portchester Castle...

In 1190 one of the darkest events in York’s history took place at the site of Clifford's Tower. Trapped by an angry and violent mob, the city's entire Jewish community, who were taking refuge inside York Castle’s tower, were confronted with the impossible decision of either taking their own lives or facing the mob outside, and certain death at their hands...

Beside Richmond Castle’s imposing Norman keep lies an unassuming military cell block with an extraordinary secret. Its fragile walls are inscribed with thousands of graffiti, many of them left by conscientious objectors detained there during the First World War. These were men from all walks of life, united by one belief: that war was wrong...

Our last episode uncovered the stories of some of the conscientious objectors who were imprisoned at Richmond Castle during the First World War. In this bonus episode Ruth Ecuyer tells the full story of how John Brocklesby, one of the conscientious objectors, came to write a wedding march for her. We also hear extended extracts from the march itself.  

Visit our episode page to learn more about the conscientious objectors held at Richmond Castle...

It's the winter of 1420 and Joan of Navarre, Queen of England has been imprisoned by her stepson King Henry V. A rich widow and an influential political figure, Joan has been accused of witchcraft and plotting to kill the king and now awaits her fate imprisoned in the keep of Pevensey Castle...

In this bonus episode you’ll hear the extended interview with Professor Diane Purkiss from episode 5 of the podcast. In her discussion, Diane explores the origins of witchcraft beliefs and how the figure of the witch was born.

This episode contains content that may not be suitable for younger listeners.

Visit our episode page to learn more about Joan of Navarre's accusation of witchcraft and imprisonment at Pevensey Castle...

Set on a spectacular ridgeline in the Cumbrian hills, Birdoswald Roman Fort on Hadrian’s Wall was once a meeting place for communities from across the Roman Empire. Men, women and children travelled from as far afield as Spain and Syria in order to serve at the empire’s north-western frontier. At Birdoswald, inscriptions and symbols reveal that the Dacians, from modern-day Romania, built a community here over many hundreds of years...

That's it for our first series of Speaking with Shadows! We hope you enjoyed it. To help us plan our next series, please take a few minutes to complete our very short survey about the podcast. As a thank you we'll enter you into a draw to win a £50 M&S voucher. See you next year for series 2!