The Revenge of The Tally Sticks

The Revenge of The Tally Sticks

Author: Simone Whitlow November 13, 2022 Duration: 25:40
Warning: The following is a long, shaggy dog tale about money, Anglo-Saxon England, things manufactured and things callously discarded. Mostly it’s about Tally Sticks, willow trees and revenge. It’s not me taking a new direction with the show so much as trying to write a ten minute ‘firebreak’ episode to get my second wind for the last couple of episodes and, oh boy did this one take off on me… Just like the ‘great fire of 1834’ did, by the way. Apologies for that I thought this one would run to about 10 minutes… it tripled on me when putting pen to paper.  We’ll be back to regular programming in two weeks’ time, if this worries you.. If there is something a little quirky you like in this episode, a reminder the Patreon tends to be a little quirkier than the main show in a similar way.           Sources this week include: Tim Harford’s ‘Fifty Inventions That Helped Shape the Modern Economy’Jacob Goldstein’s ‘Money; The True Story of a Made up Thing’Marc Morris’ ‘The Anglo Saxons’ This British government website article on the great fire of 1834A British Library article on Tally SticksProf Richard Murphy’s blog post on Charles II’s questionable financial behaviour in 1672, at Tax Research UKAnd this one from some company called Glint.  The blog post of the episode is here.   Support the show on Patreon for just $2 US a month and get access to exclusive content. I’m currently revamping, and will be dropping re-recorded bonus content weekly for the next two months. December 1 I’ll be dropping the equally unusual tale of the Enfundu.     Please leave a like and review wherever you listen. The best way you can help support the show is to share an episode with a friend - Creative works grow best by word of mouth. I post episodes fortnightly, Wednesdays. Tales of History and Imagination is on Facebook, Twitter (for now), Pinterest and Instagram. The show has a YouTube Channel, largely for Audiogram advertisements.          Music, writing, narration, mixing normally all yours truly. In this episode I use my own take on Ella Fitzgerald’s Lullaby of the Leaves (Bernice Petkere & Joe Young). I also use excerpts from NZ hard rock band Ishtar’s ‘Secret Love’ and ‘South of Sanity’ (S. Whitlow, D. Cannon, M. Wright). The rest of the music is all mine.    For more information on Simone click here.   

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
Beyond the Archway [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:43
This week my (New Zealand) Government announced New Zealand schools would be teaching New Zealand History to all children. This IS actually quite an accomplishment - a lot of younger kids get little to no history at all,…
Njinga of Ndongo [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:21
Happy International Woman’s Day! This week I’m looking at one lesser known badass warrior Queen - Njinga, Queen (then later King) of Ndongo. The blog post of the episode is here. Support the show on Patreon for just $2 a…
The Phantom Airships [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:39
From November 1896 through 1897, the skies over America - if Tales are to be believed - were full of magnificent flying machines. Some possibly from another planet, most were believed by the populace to be the work of pi…
Doctor Sweet’s Defence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:37
Content Warning: This week’s Tale deals with several ugly topics including lynching, false arrests death by consumption, suicide and racism in general. Discretion advised. Set in Detroit Michigan in and around 1925 today…
The Pendle Witches (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:08
This is part two of a two part series on England’s Pendle Witch trials of 1612. Last episode we looked at the lead in to the witch hunts in England and Scotland- Today we look at the Demdikes and the Chattoxes. I’ve spli…
The Pendle Witches (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:18
In 1612 Lancaster, England was abuzz with several reports of witchcraft - the new moral panic to have just hit England after a certain King of Scotland got a promotion and brought some strange ideas south with him. The f…
The Campden Wonder - The ‘Murder’ of William Harrison [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:23
This week we’re in the town of Campden, Gloucestershire. The date August 16th, 1660. William Harrison, the ageing rent collector - disappears while on a two mile walk to Charringworth. A local man is arrested, and a dist…
Willie The Wimp (and His Cadillac Coffin) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:59
South Side Chicago Still think of him often… so today we’re talking bout Willie ‘Wimp’ Stokes and his Cadillac Coffin. This week’s Patreon only episode is on Idi Amin and the Enfundu. For just $2 US a month you can suppo…
eden ahbez - Nature Boy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:29
There was a boy, a very strange, enchanted boy - both his prototypical hippie lifestyle, long before the summer of love - and the ethereal song he left us in 1947 have fascinated me endlessly since first reading his Tale…

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