Dark Histories

Since the 1960s California has always been a place associated with alternative beliefs, countercultural movements and alternative lifestyles. The hippy movement, with it’s summer of love, fueled by the west coast psychedelic music scene will always be a highlight from the era, but the truth is, the state of California’s links to alternative beliefs go back much further and manifested in much stranger ways than a bunch of long haired students having a good time. Labour movements, civil rights activism and the gold rush era can all be associated with California’s ties to alternative living, as can its long history with cult groups who have thrived in the area throughout history. With the boom of New Thought, Eastern Spirituality and alternative religions, countless groups have emerged to furnish the world with their peculiar beliefs and practices. One group known as The Divine Order of the Royal Arms of the Great Eleven, however, trumps many with its utterly nonsensical story of animal sacrifice, ritual worship, mysterious disappearances and elusive publications. SOURCES Fort, Samuel (2014) Cult of the Great Eleven. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. South Carolina, USA. The Los Angeles Times (1925) Angel Gabriel Girls Quizzed. The Los Angeles Times, Feb 7 1925, p17. LA, USA. The Los Angeles Times (1925) Cult Leaders Face Charges. The Los Angeles Times, Oct 4 1929, p8. LA, USA. The Los Angeles Times (1925) Police On Search At Venice Cottage For Secret Grave Of Young Cult Priestess. The Los Angeles Times, Oct 6 1929, p2. LA, USA. Stark, Rodney. Sims Bainbridge, William & Doyle, Daniel P. (1979) Cults of America: A Reconnaissance in Space and Time. Sociological Analysis, Vol. 40, No. 4, Sects, Cults and Religious Movements (Winter, 1979), pp. 347-359. Oxford University Press. Oxford, UK. Gordon Melton, J. (1993) Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America. Routledge, NY, USA. Barghusen, J. D. (1998) Cults. Lucent Books, CA, USA. ------------------ For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9 Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories & Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/ Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.         Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part two of this years Christmas Campfire is here! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and wishing you a very happy and healthy New Year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you so much for your kind support throughout the year, to wrap us up for Christmas, here is this years campfire stories episode. There were loads of great submissions again this year, certainly enough for two episodes, so here is the first part and the second shall follow on shortly! Cheers and Merry Christmas to you and yours xx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the final episode of this season, at least until the Christmas Campfire episode, here's a little extra from the Patreon bonus feed, originally recorded around Halloween. Thanks so much for all your support this season, here's to season eight (!!) starting in January. ------- This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, check out betterhelp.com/darkhistories to get 10% off your first month.   Also sponsored by Factor, America's No.1 Ready to eat meal delivery service. Check out factormeals.com/darkhistories50 for 50% off using code darkhistories50. ------- For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9 Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories & Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/ Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The tale of Gef the Talking Mongoose unfolds as psychical researchers grapple with skepticism about his existence. Visitors to the Isle of Man encounter the elusive creature but leave frustrated. The Irving family's bond with Gef highlights the emotional joys and absurdities of belief, serving as a coping mechanism amidst hardship. The podcast intricately weaves folklore and personal intrigue, inviting listeners to ponder the fine line between myth and reality while exploring the deeper significance of shared narratives.

In the 1930s a peculiar story began filtering out from the towns and villages surrounding a small farm on the western coast of the Isle of Man. Reports of a talking animal, a local spook that could sing the Manx national anthem, engross itself in the local gossip and hunt rabbits better than any of the local poachers, had made their rounds locally and shot out into the wilder world, confounding anyone who gave the story the time of day. If only those interested in the affair had been as smart as the spook itself, who had cheerfully told the owner of the farm one evening, “If you knew what I know, you’d know a hell of a lot!” For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9 Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories & Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/ Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.         Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For over a century, 19th century criminal history has been dominated by a single name. With his murders so violent, his acts so senseless, his victims so vulnerable and his legacy so profound, Jack the Ripper is as synonymous with Victorian London as the Queen herself. But whilst Jack was busy ripping, there was another series of murders being carried out that were equally as gruesome, executed by a killer equally as mysterious and whose story shared all the same traits of the Ripper, though despite it all, it is a story that has forever remained in the shadow of Jack, whose reign of terror consumed everything in its path, relegating all other mysteries to the back pages, for well over a hundred years. SOURCES Hebbert, Charles A. (1889) An Exercise in Forensic Medicine.  Trow, M. J. (2011) The Thames Torso Murders. Pen & Sword Books, LTD. Yorkshire, UK. Stubley, Peter (2012) 1888: London Murders in the Year of the Ripper. The History Press, Gloucestershire, UK. The London Evening Standard (1887) To-Days Telegrams. The London Evening Standard, Wed 11 May 1887, p4. London, UK. Bradford Daily Telegraph (1887) The Rainham Mystery. Bradford Daily Telegraph, Mon 16 May 1887, p3. Bradford, UK. Essex Newsman (1887) Horrible Discovery At Rainham. Essex Newsman, Sat 21 May 1887, London, UK. Essex Standard (1887) The Rainham Mystery. Essex Newsman, Sat 13 Aug 1887, London, UK. Tavistock Gazette (1888) A Thames Mystery. Tavistock Gazette, Fri 14 Sep 1888, Tavistock, UK. Daily Telegraph & Courier (1888) The Whitehall Murder. Daily Telegraph & Courier, Wed 3 Oct 1888, London, UK. Newcastle Daily Chronicle (1888) More Remains Discovered. Newcastle Daily Chronicle, Sat 6 Oct 1888, Newcastle, UK. Birmingham Mail (1888) The Whitehall Mystery. Birmingham Mail, Tues 9 Oct 1888, Birmingham, UK. Tamworth Herald (1888) The Whitehall Mystery. Tamworth Herald, Sat 27 Oct 1888, Tamworth, UK. Dundee Courier (1889) The Victim Identified. Dundee Courier, Wed 26 June 1889, Dundee, UK. Derbyshire Courier (1889) The Battersea Mystery. Derbyshire Courier, Sat 29 June 1889, Dundee, UK. Illustrated Police News (1889) The Latest Thames Horror. Illustrated Police News, Sat 15 June 1889, London, UK. Northern Daily Telegraph (1889) The Inquest. Northern Daily Telegraph, Wed 11 Sep 1889, Lancashire, UK. Glasgow Evening Post (1889) Whitechapel In Panic. Glasgow Evening Post, Tues 10 Sep 1889, Glasgow, UK. Shields Daily Gazette (1889) The Pinchin Street Mystery. Shields Daily Gazette, Tues 24 Sep 1889, London, UK. ------- This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, check out betterhelp.com/darkhistories to get 10% off your first month. -------   For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9 Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories & Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/ Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.         Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Follow MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge the first 8 episodes, early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. The human body is a miracle. But when it’s not working, it can be the stuff of nightmares. On this new series from master storyteller MrBallen, we’re sharing medical horror stories and diagnostic mysteries that are surgically calibrated to make your blood run cold. From bizarre, unheard-of diseases and miraculous recoveries to strange medical mishaps and unexplainable deaths — you’ll never hear the phrase “heart-stopping” in the same way again. MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries is a first of its kind collaboration between MrBallen and Wondery, the award-winning company behind Dr. Death. Listen Now: Wondery.fm/MBMM_DH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1811, a series of shocking murders on the Ratcliffe Highway sent London into a panic, exposing societal fears and the deficiencies of policing. The aftermath brought public outcry and calls for reform as the community grappled with uncertainty and blame. The investigation was chaotic, rife with unreliable evidence and theories of criminal gangs. This dark tale also reflects the evolving landscape of justice and media in the 19th century, showing how these brutal events shaped societal attitudes towards crime.

In 1600s Britain, the clash between old traditions and the Protestant reform led to a clandestine market for charms and conjurers. Nicholas Starkie's encounter with demonic entities and the controversial exorcist who helped him. The exorcism of Cleworth Hall and the possession of a young musician named William Summers. The story of Darryl and the Lancashire 7, questioning the role of witchcraft. 16th-century men's beliefs surrounding possession and contrasting approaches to exorcism. The political background of Nottingham and its connection to the events.