The Miser of Marcham Park - Revisited

The Miser of Marcham Park - Revisited

Author: Simone Whitlow December 19, 2025 Duration: 15:05
This week on Tales we enter the vaults to revisit - and re-record - one of the five early episodes still on here that was recorded on my cheap, starter microphone. (We’ll knock the other four off next year in mid-season breaks.)  With Christmas just around the corner this seems as good a time as any to follow a young Charles Dickens around Canongate Graveyard in Edinburgh Scotland looking for ghosts… And we meet the man who - most likely - influenced one of his most famous characters - John Elwes, The Miser of Marcham Park. Apologies for the break between parts one and two of The Tichborne Claimant. I’m hoping to get that out in the last week of December.  Sources this week include:  Sorry all I never took down any of my sources for this at the time of the original. In revamping the piece though I referred to  This BBC Article.This Mercat Tours blog postThis Edinburgh Enquirer article by David ForsythThis BBC piece on Robert FergussonAnd this piece on Fergusson from Roderick Watson at Scottish Poetry LibraryThis piece from the Royal College of Physicians on Dr Andrew DuncanVery rare for me, I referred to Wikipedia for more on Dr Andrew DuncanThis piece on Giusto Fernando TenducciAnd this piece on Tenducci by Aoife Barry in The JournalAnd John Elwes: The Miser Who Inspired Dickens by Kaushik Patowary   Support the show on Patreon for $2 US a month and get access to exclusive content, or Try our 7 Day Free Trial.  Please leave Tales a like and a review wherever you listen. The best way you can support us is to share an episode with a friend - Creative works grow best by word of mouth. I post episodes fortnightly - (give or take… sorry all it’s been a rough year… Back to fortnightly Wednesdays in 2026?).   Tales of History and Imagination is on  | Facebook | TikTok | Threads | Instagram | YouTube | 

Simone Whitlow hosts Tales of History and Imagination, a podcast dedicated to unearthing those peculiar, overlooked stories that conventional history books often skip. Each episode feels like a conversation about a fascinating secret, whether it's delving into the life of an obscure figure who tried to alter our very concept of time or examining the panic caused by a legendary beast in eighteenth-century France. You'll encounter the clever pranksters and the enigmatic side characters-the individuals who played brief but unforgettable cameo roles on the world's stage. Rather than re-treading well-worn narratives, this show seeks out perspectives rarely considered, finding the extraordinary within the ordinary march of events. Listening to this podcast is an exercise in curiosity, where major historical moments are often reframed through a surprising, human lens. It’s for anyone who suspects the past is far weirder and more wonderful than they were taught, blending rigorous research with a storyteller's sense of wonder. The result is a consistently engaging mix that sits at the crossroads of history, culture, and sheer human imagination.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Tales of History and Imagination
Podcast Episodes
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The Batavia: Part Two - The Heretic [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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The Batavia: Part One - The Shipwreck [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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The American actress Ilda Orme knew a thing or two about being cancelled, a long, long time before social media put the cancel button in the hands of the public at large. Her cancellers, she suspected were two hateful fo…
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Duration: 28:04
On, or around 11th June 323 BC Alexander the Great died in Babylon. While there are mysteries surrounding his passing - did an Indian holy man prophesy his passing a year prior while self immolating in Alexander’s presen…
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Duration: 36:51
On May 18th 1926 the evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson took a trip to Santa Monica Beach, California to work, seek inspiration and have a little fun in the sun. However, the day would end in tragedy when Aimee disappeare…