The Exploress

Season 3, Episode 12. This month, I'm pulling three bonus episodes from the Patreon vault to share with everyone. Happy holidays! I LOVE me some sequins. It’s hard to feel anything but celebratory when you’re sparkling like a mirror ball. The shiny plastic disc you’re picturing is a relatively new invention, but sequins have a surprisingly long and interesting history.  This episode is brought to you by my patrons. Patrons not only really help me keep the show going, but they also get access to exclusives bonuses like this one, as well as Q&As, sneak peeks, interviews with guests, early access to all episodes, cool contests, and more. To find out more, just go to my website.

Season 3, Episode 11. Between 1450 and 1750, some 100,000 Europeans were tried for witchcraft, and some of the most intense periods of witchy panic took place in Scotland and England. Most, but not all, of these so-called witches were women. During this special Halloween episode, we’ll be tracing the history of witch hunts, and talking about why King James VI was so fanatical about killing witches. We’ll learn about the Malleus Maleficarum (or the veritable Guide to Witch Hunting), and discover how to “spot” a witch. We’ll learn what types of women were in danger of being accused of witchcraft, why people thought women were especially susceptible to the Devil’s wily charms, and how the Church played a massive role in witch hunting. We’ll also discuss what happened when a supposed witch was caught – what torture techniques were used to extract confessions, what witch trials looked like, and what punishments awaited a guilty verdict. And we’ll try to answer the most important question of all… why were so many women viewed as such a threat to society that they had to be hunted down and killed? Please be advised that this episode has some dark themes, descriptions of torture, violence, and sexual acts. For show notes, suggested reading, a list of my sources and more, go to my website. To explore the treasure trove of bonus materials, check out The Exploress Patreon. The choral music in this episode comes courtesy of a choral group from New Zealand called The Tudor Consort.  

Season 3, Episode 10. This is one of my earliest Halloween-inspired bonus episodes, finessed and remastered, to get you warmed up for our Tudor-era Halloween special next week. It will take us from the ancient world into the Tudor and Victorian eras and beyond, exploring that age-old link between women and poison. It's a perfect companion to the spooky season! And it'll teach us some bizarre and fascinating things about the Tudor monarchs' paranoia about poison. For show notes, suggested reading, a list of my sources and more, go to my website. To explore the treasure trove of bonus materials, including more episodes about women and poison, check out The Exploress Patreon.

Explore Tudor dining culture with exotic dishes like cockatrice, table manners, and festive traditions. Discover entertainment options from blood sports to theater in Tudor England. Learn about lighting challenges and upcoming topics on courtship and marriage in future episodes.

Season 3, Episode 8. We've talked a lot about the kinds of work Tudor women were doing inside of the domestic sphere. But what about out in the wider world? Let's see what professions were open to the ladies, talk about their rights under the law, and what kinds of punishments they might have encountered if they colored outside of society's strictly drawn lines. For show notes, suggested reading, a list of my sources and more, go to my website. The era-appropriate guitar music in this episode comes courtesy of John Sayles. To find out more about our excellent guests: and Elizabeth Norton at her website and Ruth Goodman at hers. To hear my full interview with Ruth and Elizabeth, and other exclusive bonus goodies, check out The Exploress Patreon. If you'd like a beautiful (and accurate) timeline of ladycentric Tudor history, make sure to buy yourself one of my Ladycentric Tudor Timelines.

Season 3, Episode 7. In our last episode, we found out just how much work we ladies have to do in Tudor England. Now...well...we’re going to work some more. Grab your linen basket and a sturdy accounts ledger, and let's explore how Tudors are doing their laundry, tending to the sick in their households, and more. For show notes, suggested reading, a list of my sources and more, go to my website. The era-appropriate guitar music in this episode comes courtesy of John Sayles. To find out more about our excellent guest Ruth Goodman, check out her website. To hear all nine chapters of this series, as well as a complete interview with Ruth and other exclusive bonus goodies, check out The Exploress Patreon. If you'd like a beautiful (and accurate) timeline of ladycentric Tudor history, make sure to buy yourself one of my Ladycentric Tudor Timelines.

Season 3, Episode 6. Women in Tudor England had a LOT to do on the day to day. Let's dive into what kinds of tasks she would typically be getting into, from cleaning to dairying, and making two huge staples of our diet: bread and ale. For show notes, suggested reading, a list of my sources and more, go to my website. The era-appropriate guitar music in this episode comes courtesy of John Sayles. To find out more about our excellent guest Ruth Goodman, check out her website. To hear my full interview with Ruth and other exclusive bonus goodies, check out The Exploress Patreon. If you'd like a beautiful (and accurate) timeline of ladycentric Tudor history, make sure to buy yourself one of my Ladycentric Tudor Timelines.

Season 3, Episode 5. What the Tudor woman wears, and particularly what type of fabrics, will depend a lot on her level of wealth and social station, but they're all wearing the same basic layers. Let's explore those layers, as well as other clothes-related gems: why we design our clothing to come in many pieces, the origin of the word 'spinster', and why we have such a large number of straight pins. For show notes, suggested reading, a list of my sources and more, go to my website. The era-appropriate guitar music in this episode comes courtesy of John Sayles. To find out more about our guest Ruth Goodman, check out her website. To hear my full interview with Ruth and other exclusive bonus goodies, check out The Exploress Patreon. If you'd like a beautiful (and accurate) timeline of ladycentric Tudor history, make sure to buy yourself one of my Ladycentric Tudor Timelines.

Season 3, Episode 4. Before we get dressed in Tudor England, we've got some cleaning of our bodies to do. What DOES a Tudor lady smell like? Let's go traveling. For show notes, suggested reading, a list of my sources and more, go to my website. The era-appropriate guitar music in this episode comes courtesy of John Sayles. To find out more about Ruth Goodman and read all about her books, check out her website. To hear my full interview with Ruth and other exclusive bonus goodies, check out The Exploress Patreon. If you'd like a beautiful (and accurate) timeline of ladycentric Tudor history, make sure to buy yourself one of my Ladycentric Tudor Timelines.  

Season 3, Episode 3. In part 2, we got out of bed and explored our Tudor cottage a little. Now it's time to get right with God and find a place to have our morning pee. How are we going to the bathroom in Tudor England? And what're we doing about menstruation? Let's find out. For show notes, suggested reading, a list of my sources and more, go to my website. The era-appropriate guitar music in this episode comes courtesy of John Sayles, while the choral music comes from The Tudor Consort. To find out more about Ruth Goodman and read all about her books, check out her website. To hear my full interview with Ruth and other exclusive bonus goodies, check out The Exploress Patreon. If you'd like a beautiful (and accurate) timeline of ladycentric Tudor history, make sure to buy yourself one of my Ladycentric Tudor Timelines.