The Penny Dreadful Hour: A Feast of Early-Victorian Street Literature and Stories

SHOW NOTES — for — EPISODE 1 (Season 6)(May 10, 2026)This show cycles through four themes over a four-week cycle, one show per week. This is the GRAANUM GOTHIC theme show, featuring Varney the Vampyre and other Gothic drama. It will be followed by ...The “Twopenny Torrid” theme episode, coming next Sunday;The “Sixpenny Spooky” theme episode, coming two Sundays hence; and finally—The “Ha’penny Horrid” theme episode, coming two fortnights from today. For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠⁠ ———— IN TODAY'S "GRAANUM GOTHICS" EPISODE:03:00: ON THIS DREADFUL DAY (May 10, 1853): A terrible explosion tore through the Duffryn Pit in Glamorganshire, killing dozens of coal miners working in it. ALSO ON THIS DAY (May 10, 1709): The ghost of Broseley Road made her first of what believers in the legend say are many unsuccessful crossings of the River Severn. On this night, Hannah Phillips was on her way home from making preparations for her wedding the following day, and drowned in the river whilst trying to cross it. AND FINALLY (May 10, 1768): An overzealous justice ordered soldiers to fire upon a crowd of unruly protesters who were gathered at Newgate to protest the arrest of popular Mayor John Wilkes, converting an unruly crowd into a dangerous riot. Several innocent bystanders were killed.10:15: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 55-57: As the embers of Sir Francis Varney’s house start to cool, and the vampire-hunting mob starts straggling off home to bed, the Bannerworths are making ready for their removal from the hall. Soon the coach has come, conveyed them to a cozy little cottage that the Admiral has rented for them, and left Admiral Bell and Mr. Chillingworth alone in the house … waiting for the vampire. Is he coming? We think we can safely assure you, dear reader, that yes, he most certainly is. But … let’s just say complications will ensue.44:40: CATCHPENNY BROADSIDE: Just a short one, more interesting to look at than to read: a rather bad poem on the theme of “Heaven help me, I got the businessman blues,” followed by almost an appeal for charity. The poem is very religious, apparently to get the reader in the mood to practice charity!48:30: THE LIVES OF THE HIGHWAYMEN: A suspiciously black-and-white account of an early-1700s murder-for-hire scheme that bears at least a passing resemblance to the scheme of “Pamela Stone” from the 1995 Gus Van Zant movie, “To Die For.” Was Catherine Hayes guilty? Did she do it? We’ll never really know.1:02:40: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:DANDY-COCKS: A dandy of small stature (a dandy meant basically the same thing it means today, a sort of empty-headed man of fashion. Like what Bertie Wooster’s fierce gunpowder aunts take him to be.) EARWIGS: Cronies or close friends. GRAANUM: From the term “Graanum gold,” a Flash term for old hoarded money.KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. GRUNTER: A shilling. Probably a derivative of another slang term for a shilling, “hog.”GUNPOWDERS: Fierce, usually disapproving old ladies. SHOP LOBBERS: Powdered fops. NIPPERKIN: Half an Imperial pint, which is rather a big dose for eye-water! EYE-WATER: Cheap gin. PIKE OFF: Run away. RED WAISTCOAT: The traditional uniform of the Bow-Street Runners, London’s first real professional police force. THERE ARE MORE! But we're out of space here. Please see complete show notes at pennydread.com/discord!

SHOW NOTES — for — MINISODE 38 (Season 5)(May 7, 2026) ———— 00:40: THE TERRIFIC REGISTER: An account of a widow living in Rome who in 1774 became a prophetess, and predicted the deaths of the kings of Sardinia and France as well as the Pope himself. Her predictions came true.05:35: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, to-wit: LEIXLIP CASTLE, by CHARLES MATURIN: In which, we meet the family of Sir Redmond Blarey — the baronet and his daughter, Miss Anne. Miss Anne wants to know who she is destined to marry, as aristocratic girls often did back then; so she lets an old crone, a servant of the family named Collogue, cast a spell that will show him to her. —— The spell works, sort of; a demonic figure appears, casts a bloody dagger down at her feet, and tells her she will know her future husband by that; and disappears. —— Then a pale, corpse-like suitor comes to call at the family manse …35:45: A SHORT GHOST STORY from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax. In which: Lady Goring had a vivid dream of a man murdering an elderly lady, then staging the scene to look like a suicide, in a room of a house she’d never seen. A few months later, she was touring houses to rent, and recognized the house! The previous tenants had left it … after the wife’s mother shot herself, they said.39:25: A STREET BROADSIDE on the topic of ghosts, death, and ruin: “The Queer Little Man” (about a ghost, or so he thought) and “Stay a Little Longer” (a merry shopkeeper’s ditty).GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:ROMONERS: (from intro patter) Swindlers who pretend to have occult powers.OWLERS: (ibid) Smugglers, who move goods about by night when owls are out and about.KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: (ibid) Drunken fellows running amok in fields and ditches late at night, trying to stagger home. RAG: (From broadside ballad) Money. IT’S ALL MY EYE: (ibid) It’s all nonsense. DUN: (ibid) Bill-collector. NAILED: (ibid) Arrested. SHERRY OFF: (from outro patter) Run away. FLATS: Suckers. GET FLY TO THE FAKEMENT: (ibid) Get wise to the con. CORINTHIAN: (ibid) A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). MOABITES: (ibid) Bailiffs.PHILISTINES: (ibid) Another word for Moabites. CRAPING COVES: (ibid) Hangmen. “Crape” is a reference to the mourning worn by “hempen widows” after their husbands have been executed. YE OLD STONE PITCHER: (ibid) Newgate Prison. PADDINGTON FAIR: Execution day at Tyburn, which is in Paddington Parish. Paddington is also a pun, as “pad” was a flash word for “thief” or “robber.” Thank you for your support! Please, if you have a moment, rate us on your podcatcher network. If you’d like to do more, we do have a Patreon page; it’s here: https://patreon.com/pennydread

SHOW NOTES — for — MINISODE 37 (Season 5)(May 3, 2026) ———— 00:01: HANGED TODAY IN HISTORY (April 3): One of the most notorious men to ever serve as a public executioner in England got that way by engaging in a shocking murder himself … that would be John “Jack Ketch” Price, launched into eternity at Tyburn On This Day 308 years ago!08:45: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapters 101-102: The boat with Todd and Mrs. Lovett in the stern makes great headway down the Thames. When it gets to London Bridge — the old bridge, with the narrow abutments that choked the river down to a roaring cataract at ebb tides — both passengers insist on being ferried through rather than getting out on the upstream side. While they are shooting the rapid, Todd knocks Mrs. Lovett overboard with a heavy blow to the head. … is this curtains for Mrs. Lovett? Will Sweeney Todd get away with this? We shall see.37:00: HORRID BROADSIDE: “Account of the TRIAL AND EXECUTION of JOHN AUSTIN Convicted at the OLD BAILEY on Saturday, Nov. 1st, 1783, of a Cruel Highway Robbery on JOHN SPICER, a Poor Man.” (1850s) The headline about covers it — but Mr. Austin played an unusually long game in setting his mark up for this dreadful crime, which he executed with an accomplice and a cutlass.GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:SHARKS: Lawyers. TOPPING COVES: Hangmen. KNIGHTS OF THE WOODEN RUFF: Prisoners serving a sentence in the pillory. RUM BEAKS: Judges and magistrates who can be bought off.RESURRECTION MEN: Body snatchers — fellows who dig up fresh-buried corpses to sell for a few guineas at the nearest medical college as cadavers. TIP OUR RAGS A GALLOP: Run away as fast as we can.GRABS: Law enforcement personnel.TOUCH, or PUT THE TOUCH ON: To arrest.HELL CATS: Dangerous ladies who frequent the “hells” (gambling dens).BLACKLEGS: Professional gamblers who cheat to win.SPICE ISLANDERS: Swindlers. A double pun: Mace is a spice; a mace-man is a swindler; so a Spice Islander is, as it were, a resident of Swindle Island.SPEELING-CRIB: A “hell” (gambling den).COVENT GARDEN: London neighbourhood that was, in the Regency and early Victorian, famous as a place where bloods, bucks and choice spirits went to sport their blunt. Upscale gambling hells and brothels were conveniently close by the Royal Opera and Drury-lane Theatre.

SHOW NOTES — for — MINISODE 36 (Season 5)(April 30, 2026) ———— 01:30: STREET POETRY: From broadside ballad sheets: “Seventeen Come Sunday,” about a soldier who seduces a neighbourhood lass; “Lark in the Morning,” about the life of a country plough-boy (racy pun intended); and “Fanny Gray,” about love and jealousy. (1840s).07:30: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 68-70: Tom King settles in and tells his story. It turns out he actually is a man of some rank. But, a lifelong misunderstanding over how high a rank he occupied — involving the unexpected appearance of a previously unknown older half-brother — upended everything for him. Bitterly he went to London to lose himself in the crowds, and there became friends with — a man you don’t meet every day, let’s say, and leave it at that. — A few days later, a terrible storm comes in, and the smugglers put oilskins on and prepare to go out in it for some reason. By now, Dick and Tom suspect they know what that reason is, and it’s a very sinister one indeed ….37:45: INTRODUCING MISS PAGE: One of the “ladies of the evening” listed and described in Harris’s List of Covent-garden Ladies, a directory for bucks and bloods out on the town in the early 1800s. Miss Page is described as a zestful woman of 20 and very pretty except for her mouth, which is a bit too wide when she laughs, as she often does.42:00: A RATHER NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONG: "The Crab-fish” (about an unfortunate accident that befalls a lady when she tries to use the chamber-pot, only to find out the hard way that her husband has filled it with cold water and put a live crab in it, intending to cook it for breakfast.)45:00: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker" by Martin Merryman, Esq.GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:BON VIVANTS: (from intro) Happy-go-lucky partiers.HELL CATS: (ibid) Dangerous ladies who hang around in gambling “hells.”KNIGHTS OF THE ROAD: (ibid) Highway robbers.CORINTHIAN: (ibid) Sporting man of rank and fashion, most famously represented by Corinthian Tom from Pierce Egan’s “Life in London,” the story of the adventures of a wealthy Regency rake named Tom and his country cousin Jerry as they rampage through the streets of London on a continual spree.CYPRIANS: (From the introduction to our Ninepenny Naughties hostess) Ladies of easy virtue, a classical reference to the island of Cyprus, supposedly peopled with sexually frisky ladies. SPORTING THEIR BLUNT: (ibid) Throwing money around. BUMPER: (ibid) Liquor glass.BLUE DEADLY: (ibid) Gin.SLUICE YOUR TOMBSTONES: (ibid) Take a big drink.MORRIS OFF: (from outro) Run away at top speed.BEAKS ON THE NOSE: Police detectives or magistrates on an investigation. DIDDLE COVES: Bartender or landlord in a gin palace or dram shop. DAFFY DOXIES: Racy ladies who enjoy drinking daffy (gin). CAPTAIN LUSHINGTONS: Habitual drunks.BOOZING-KEN: Drinking den.SMITHFIELD: In the early 1800s a notoriously crowded and dangerous neighborhood in which a very unsanitary open-air livestock market was regularly held until the 1850s.

SHOW NOTES — for — EPISODE 35 (Season 5)(April 26, 2026) ———— Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of early-Victorian London! This show cycles through four segments over a two-week cycle, two shows per week. This is the main show, including the "Penny Dreadfuls" segment. It will be followed by ...The “Twopenny Torrids” minisode, coming this Thursday eve;The “Ha’penny Horrids” minisode, to be posted next Sunday (one week from today); and finally—The “Sixpenny Spookies” minisode, which posts two Thursdays hence. For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠⁠ ———— 01:40: ON THIS DREADFUL DAY (April 26, 1855): A woman drew a five-month prison stretch for swindling a man out of 5 shillings by pretending her baby had died.04:15: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 52-54: While Sir Francis Varney’s servants are battling to defend the house from the mob, a shout from upstairs lets everyone know that the townies have figured out another way in, and are inside the house. They soon find Varney himself. That worthy, with very provoking coolness, steps behind a curtain and vanishes. — A thorough search of the house for the vampire ensues, which is unsuccessful, although it does lead to the wine cellars. Then someone gets the bright idea of burning the vampire out ….32:32: “CATCHPENNY” BROADSIDE: A soldier arrested for playing cards in church has a very thorough explanation for how he uses a pack of standard gambling accoutrements as Bible, almanac and prayer book.41:55: THE LIVES OF THE HIGHWAYMEN: Being a sort of posthumous collaboration with Arthur Griffiths, the late inspector of Her Majesty’s prisons, to describe some of the more subtle and respectable highwaymen of the Georgian and Regency period — the government officials and aristocrats who shamelessly plundered the public cookie jar.54:00: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:MACE COVES: Well-dressed young pickpockets. PRATE ROASTS: Pretty, high-spirited young maidens. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. SHE-LION: A shilling. GUNPOWDERS: Imperious dowager ladies. FLOWERS OF SOCIETY: Slightly contemptuous reference to the rich and famous. CLANKER: A pewter drinking pot usually used for ale.HEAVY BROWN: Strong ale. PIKE OFF: Run away. RED WAISTCOAT: The traditional uniform of the Bow-Street Runners, London’s first real professional police force. GAMMONERS: Swindlers or gamblers who cheat. ROMONERS: Fake occultists and fortune tellers. SHARPS: Swindlers. OLD ST. GILES: The neighbourhood of St. Giles in the Fields parish, which in the early Victorian age was a notorious slum. RUM TE TUM WITH THE CHILL OFF: Most emphatically excellent. * The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.

SHOW NOTES — for — MINISODE 34 (Season 5)(April 23, 2026) ———— 00:45: THE TERRIFIC REGISTER: An account of how a mysterious and persistent knocking turned out to be, mayhap, a ghostly notification of approaching death.05:20: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, to-wit: THE GHOST AND THE BONESETTER, by J.S. LeFanu: In this episode, a bonesetter — a countryman who has developed the knack for repositioning broken limbs so that they can heal — is called upon to watch his squire’s castle while the squire is away. He is very reluctant, because everyone knows the squire’s deceased father likes to descend from his portrait in the parlour in search of whiskey to drink. ... Sure enough, the old squire steps out of the painting as soon as it’s fairly dark. But he has a very unusual request to make of our narrator ….35:40: SHE DREAMED HER MOTHER'S MURDER: A short ghost story from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax: A lady had a vivid dream of a man murdering her mother in her bed. She was very unsettled, but when the same dream recurred the following night, she determined to go see her mother and make sure she was OK. When she arrived, the door was opened by her mother’s butler … who she recognized as the murderer in her dream ….40:45: SOME STREET POETRY on the topic of ghosts, death, and ruin. In this case, we have an early English translation of DER TOTENTANZ, by J.W. von Goethe, which the anonymous translator has titled “The Skeleton Dance.”GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:AUTEM DIVERS: Pickpockets who work the congregations at religious meetings.ANGELICS: Young maidens in their prime.KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows running amok in fields and ditches late at night, trying to stagger home. SHERRY OFF: Run away. From the nautical term, "Sheer off."FLATS: Suckers. GET FLY TO THE FAKEMENT: Get wise to the swindle. MOABITES: Bailiffs. PHILISTINES: Also means bailiffs.CRAPING COVES: Hangmen. YE OLD STONE PITCHER: Newgate Prison. PADDINGTON FAIR: Execution day at Tyburn, which is in Paddington Parish. Paddington is also a pun, as “pad” was a flash word for “thief” or “robber.” BRUSH OFF: Leave. Note this phrase means something slightly different today. Thank you for your support! Please, if you have a moment, rate us on your podcatcher network. If you’d like to do more, we do have a Patreon page; it’s here: https://patreon.com/pennydread

SHOW NOTES — for — MINISODE 33 (Season 5)(April 16, 2026) ———— 01:00: HANGED TODAY IN HISTORY (April 16): Meet James Hackman, creepy homicidal stalker who moved in on a Royal Opera soprano named Martha Ray and, when she would not have him, murdered her and tried unsuccessfully to kill himself. He was hanged for this crime on this day 247 years ago, April 16, 1779.Links: ExecutedToday blog entry Wikipedia article on James Hackman 12:30: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapters 98-100: We continue following the party Sir Richard Blunt is leading through the vaults beneath St. Dunstan’s. They come through the dark tunnel and into a great stone vault, obviously built for some great edifice that has since been torn down and built over; and there’s a locked door on the other side. Through that, there is another locked door, and then — a dead body. It’s Mrs. Lovett’s spy, poisoned by Todd and thrust through the hole in his parlour floor. Then they hear a footstep overhead, and Todd’s voice carries through the hole in the floor. Meanwhile, up in Todd’s shop, Mrs. Lovett is arriving for her appointment to collect her half of the blood money …46:25: HORRID BROADSIDE: “Verses on Daniel Good, Who was Executed This Morning May, ’42, for the Murder of Jane Jones.” (1842) A sort of ballad in a galloping amphibrach quadrimeter, telling of the crime and execution of a man who murdered and dismembered his common-law wife and was caught when police officers searching for stolen trousers found her torso in the stable.Links: Dr. Angela Platt's blog post on this story GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:CANARY BIRDS: Prisoners. CONVEYANCERS: Practitioners of larcenous enterprises, from theft to the fencing of stolen goods. KNIGHTS OF THE BLADE: Swaggering companions who are boastful of their prowess and may also claim a military rank — Captain, Major, Colonel — that they don’t really have a right to. TOPPING COVES: Executioners — specifically, hangmen, as “topped” is Flash-cant slang for “hanged” even though it sounds like it ought to refer to decapitation.KNIGHTS OF THE POST: Convicts being punished in the pillory. Also sometimes refers to perjurers who swear to falsehoods for a reward.TIP OUR RAGS A GALLOP: Run away as fast as we can.GRABS: Law enforcement personnel.TOUCH, or PUT THE TOUCH ON: To arrest.HELL CATS: Dangerous ladies who frequent the “hells” (gambling dens).BLACKLEGS: Professional gamblers who cheat to win.SPICE ISLANDERS: Swindlers. A double pun: Mace is a spice; a mace-man is a swindler; so a Spice Islander is, as it were, a resident of Swindle Island.SPEELING-CRIB: A “hell” (gambling den).COVENT GARDEN: London neighbourhood that was, in the Regency and early Victorian, famous as a place where bloods, bucks and choice spirits went to sport their blunt. Upscale gambling hells and brothels were conveniently close by the Royal Opera and Drury-lane Theatre.

SHOW NOTES — for — MINISODE 32 (Season 5)(April 16, 2026) ———— 01:35: STREET POETRY: From a broadside ballad: “The Old Oak Tree” and “The Old House at Home” — a song of a jilted lover-maid, and another song of longing for one’s childhood home.04:35: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 65-67: Following the signal lights, the two cutters meet up with the smuggling ship, the Snake, and start transferring packets of smuggled silk. Everyone is a little worried because the Snake is showing a signal light that means the Coast Guard is active tonight, but hope to get away clear without seeing them.Then this hope is suddenly, and explosively, dashed ….31:25: INTRODUCING MISS GODFREY: One of the “ladies of the evening” listed and described in Harris’s List of Covent-garden Ladies, a directory for bucks and bloods out on the town in the early 1800s. Miss Godfrey is described, somewhat paradoxically, as a tiny, lovely, petite pixie-gamine with the voice of a boatswain or drill sergeant, and an “excellent bed-fellow.”34:30: A RATHER NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONG: "THE MAIDEN’S SURPRISE; or, THE OLD HAT” (a dirty story in verse about a blooming maiden whose lust was stimulated by an unexpected glimpse of a local swain’s nether member. Cool story, bro, amirite?)37:20: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker" by Martin Merryman, Esq.GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:HELL HOUNDS: (from intro) Disreputable gamblers who frequent gambling “hells.”ACADEMICIANS: (ibid) Members of an “academy,” that is, a brothel. So academicians were brothel ladies.KNIGHTS OF THE ROAD: (ibid) Highway robbers.CORINTHIAN: (ibid) Sporting man of rank and fashion, most famously represented by Corinthian Tom from Pierce Egan’s “Life in London,” the story of the adventures of a wealthy Regency rake named Tom and his country cousin Jerry as they rampage through the streets of London on a continual spree.CYPRIANS: (From the introduction to Hostess Miss Godfrey) Ladies of easy virtue, a classical reference to the island of Cyprus, supposedly peopled with sexually frisky ladies. SPORTING THEIR BLUNT: (ibid) Throwing money around. FLICKER: (ibid) Liquor glass.JACKY: (ibid) Gin.SLUICE YOUR IVORIES: (ibid) Take a big drink.GAY: (from cock-and-hen-club song, “The Maiden’s Surprise”) Carelessly frolicksome — given to venery and dissipation. LEARY LANKY DOODLE: (ibid) Nonsense verse, but with a real flash word tucked into its midst: “Leary,” which means canny and crafty.IN AND OUT, ROUND ABOUT, DOODLE DOO: (ibid) More nonsense verse with “in and out,” a pretty obvious reference to sex, tucked into its midst.COCKATOO: Another nonsense word (not a reference to the bird) selected because (a) it rhymes with “Tomaroo,” the word in the song this is a parody of; and (b) it contains the ever-titillating word “cock.”MORRIS OFF: (from outro) Run away at top speed.BEAKS ON THE NOSE: Police detectives or magistrates on an investigation. DIDDLE COVES: Bartender or landlord in a gin palace or dram shop. DAFFY DOXIES: Racy ladies who enjoy drinking daffy (gin). CAPTAIN LUSHINGTONS: Habitual drunks.BOOZING-KEN: Drinking den.SMITHFIELD: In the early 1800s a notoriously crowded and dangerous neighborhood in which a very unsanitary open-air livestock market was regularly held until the 1850s.

SHOW NOTES — for — EPISODE 31 (Season 5)(April 12, 2026) ———— Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of early-Victorian London! This show cycles through four segments over a two-week cycle, two shows per week. This is the main show, including the "Penny Dreadfuls" segment. It will be followed by ...The “Twopenny Torrids” minisode, coming this Thursday eve;The “Ha’penny Horrids” minisode, to be posted next Sunday (one week from today); and finally—The “Sixpenny Spookies” minisode, which posts two Thursdays hence. ———— For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠⁠ ———— IN TODAY'S "PENNY DREADFULS" SEGMENT:01:55: ON THIS DREADFUL DAY (April 12, 1851): A tragic firearms accident backstage at the Royal theatre left a young man’s leg shattered by a pistol ball, and it happened while Queen Victoria herself was in the audience!03:15: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 49-51: The soldiers basically storm the hotel, and when they get into the room with the corpse they are horrified to find what the mob has done to it. They then clear the rest of the hotel, firing blank cartridges to frighten the rustics into giving up. Once they have a goodly batch of malefactors wearing darbies and on their way to the watchhouse, though, someone points out the red glow of a giant housefire in the distance to the south… the direction of Ratford Abbey….35:45: CATCHPENNY BROADSIDE: “Sale of a Wife” — a spot of street poetry describing the scene of a mason auctioning off his wife in the marketplace. Believe it or not, this was a thing, back in the day.41:00: THE LIVES OF THE HIGHWAYMEN: Bucks, bloods and choice spirits out roistering with swords on their hips had a disturbing tendency to whip them out and use them on unarmed, defenceless servants and court officials, back in the lawless golden age of highwaymen. We present a few stories of such men, some of whom got away, some of whom paid the ultimate price for their bloodthirstiness.53:20: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:NATTY LADS: Well-dressed young pickpockets. RUM ANGELICS: Pretty, high-spirited young maidens. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. HOG: A shilling. This is the probable origin of the term “whole hog.” HAMLETS: High constables. LAMBSKIN MEN: Judges and magistrates. QUARTERN: A quarter of an Imperial pint, or roughly five and a third ounces. KILL-DEVIL: Raw distillate, unaged and uncut. PIKE OFF: Run away. RED WAISTCOAT: The traditional uniform of the Bow-Street Runners, London’s first real professional police force. GAMMONERS: Swindlers or gamblers who cheat. ROMONERS: Fake occultists and fortune tellers. SHARPS: Swindlers. OLD ST. GILES: The neighbourhood of St. Giles in the Fields parish, which in the early Victorian age was a notorious slum. THE TIPPY: The very best. * The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.

SHOW NOTES — for — MINISODE 30 (Season 5)(April 9, 2026)00:45: THE TERRIFIC REGISTER: An account of how the murder of the Duke of Buckingham, in 1628, was foretold by His Grace’s long-dead father’s ghostly apparition!05:20: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, to-wit: THE STORY OF CLIFFORD HOUSE, by ANONYMOUS, Part 2 of 2 parts: Our narrator, Helen, has been having a thundering good time in the London party scene but just a few weeks into it, it’s rather worn her out. When an invitation to yet another dinner party comes, she begs off, and asks George to make her excuses, and settles in for what she thinks will be a quiet night by herself … but, of course, she’s very wrong about that!35:40: A SHORT GHOST STORY from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax: The Murderer’s Dream. In which: A convicted murderer dreamed they brought him to the hanging place, but the drop refused to work. Next day, they brought him to the hanging place, and … the drop refused to work!40:45: A STREET BROADSIDE on the topic of ghosts, death, and ruin: Messenger of Mortality; or, Life and Death Contrasted. A dialogue in iambic-pentameter couplets, Shakespeare style, between Death and a fair lady whom he is calling upon, to bear away into eternity.GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:AUTEM DIVERS: Pickpockets who work the congregations at religious meetings.ANGELICS: Young maidens in their prime.KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows running amok in fields and ditches late at night, trying to stagger home. MORRIS OFF: Run away. BEAKS ON THE NOSE: Police detectives or magistrates on an investigation. DIDDLE COVES: Bartender or landlord in a gin palace or dram shop. DAFFY DOXIES: Racy ladies who enjoy drinking daffy (gin). CAPTAIN LUSHINGTONS: Habitual drunks.BOOZING-KEN: Drinking den.SMITHFIELD: In the early 1800s a notoriously crowded and dangerous neighborhood in which a very unsanitary open-air livestock market was regularly held until the 1850s. RUM TE TUM WITH THE CHILL OFF: Most emphatically excellent.

SHOW NOTES — for — MINISODE 29 (Season 5)(April 5, 2026) ———— 01:00: HANGED TODAY IN HISTORY (April 5): Wealthy barrister Arundel Cooke coveted his wife’s family estate … but alas, she had a brother. So he hired John Woodburne to help him solve that problem … with a knife. Alas, the two of them were almost as incompetent at murder, as Mr. Cooke turned out to be as a lawyer (1722) … also, a devout father who murdered his children to save them from eternal hellfire after his wife started bringing them to the “wrong” church.08:10: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapter 96, 96, and 97: Todd seems inclined to take out his frustration on Johanna, but he settles down when a couple customers come in. The second customer tips her off discreetly that her father is across the street, so she goes right over as soon as she’s sent away for breakfast, and they reunite. Then Sir Richard gives her two pistols and tells her the plan: Two officers will be hiding in the shop. Meanwhile, he has some business he has to wrap up at St. Dunstan’s church … or, rather, underneath it. 43:40: HORRID BROADSIDE: “Trial, Sentence, and Execution of ROBERT BLAKESLEY, for the Wilful Murder of JAMES BURDON, in Eastcheap.” (1841) This murder was the sad result of a psychotic break by a mentally unwell man who, while raving and trying to reach his wife of three months with a knife, fatally stabbed his brother-in-law, who was trying to protect her from him.GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:CANARY BIRDS: Prisoners. CONVEYANCERS: Practitioners of larcenous enterprises, from theft to the fencing of stolen goods. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows running amok late at night in fields and ditches, trying to stagger home. TOPPING COVES: Executioners — specifically, hangmen, as “topped” is Flash-cant slang for “hanged” even though it sounds like it ought to refer to decapitation.KNIGHTS OF THE BLADE: Swaggering companions who are boastful of their prowess and may also claim a military rank — Captain, Major, Colonel — that they don’t really have a right to.

SHOW NOTES — for —MINISODE 28 (Season 5)(April 2, 2026) ———— 01:50: STREET POETRY: From a broadside ballad: “The Lass of ___ Town” and “The Frolicsome Widow” — and if that last title sounds just a little bit spicy, well, it is! (1844).08:00: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 62-64: Our felonious friends are marched through the darkness to a well-lighted cavern and presented to the leader of the band of smugglers, whose goods they stumbled across. They decide not to let the smugglers know their identity, but rather to pretend to be young gentlemen. So they ask for a private meeting with the smuggler chief, who — as hoped — gives them an ultimatum: Join us, or die….38:00: INTRODUCING MISS DAVIS: One of the “ladies of the evening” listed and described in Harris’s List of Covent-garden Ladies, a directory for bucks and bloods out on the town in the early 1800s. Miss Davis is enthusiastically praised for her skill in putting on a “Great Big O Show” for her patrons.44:00: A RATHER NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONG: "THAT’S A WERY NAUGHTY NAME” (a paean of fulsome praise for “my flash Bett” and her “wery naughty” bits)44:30: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker" by Martin Merryman, Esq.GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:RUBBER: (from broadside ballad, “The Frolicsome Widow”): “Play me a rubber” means play a round of Bridge. It’s possible, but not likely, that this is a sly reference to a condom; the first rubber condoms came out in 1855, so the estimated date of this broadside would have to be off by a decade or two for that to be the case. Before that, they were made with animal intestines.CYPRIANS: (From the introduction to Hostess Miss Davis) Ladies of easy virtue, a classical reference to the island of Cyprus, supposedly peopled with sexually frisky ladies. SPORTING THEIR BLUNT: (ibid) Throwing money around. KIDDY: (from cock-and-hen-club song, “What’s a Wery Naughty Name”) Stylish, flash-talking fellow. PAIR OF CODS: (ibid) Our singer is clearly a fishmonger, so he would be likely to show a customer a literal pair of codfish; but “cod” was also slang for a testicle (as in “codpiece,” which is clearly being punned on here. NO NOSE: (from “The Joke-cracker”) Not an unusual sight back in the early 1800s, because syphilis could cause the cartilage in a person’s nose slough off.

SHOW NOTES — for —EPISODE 27 (Season 5)(March 29, 2026) ———— Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of early-Victorian London! This show cycles through four segments over a two-week cycle, two shows per week. This is the main show, including the "Penny Dreadfuls" segment. It will be followed by ...The “Twopenny Torrids” minisode, coming this Thursday eve;The “Ha’penny Horrids” minisode, to be posted next Sunday (one week from today); and finally—The “Sixpenny Spookies” minisode, which posts two Thursdays hence. For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠⁠ ———— IN TODAY'S "PENNY DREADFULS" SEGMENT:02:10: ON THIS DREADFUL DAY (March 29, 1850): Charles Dickens recounts a dreadful fire that struck and destroyed a beautiful old London church.04:15: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 47-48: The Bannerworths finally reach consensus to move out of Bannerworth Hall, leaving the Admiral to keep the depredations of Varney at bay. Meanwhile, Mr. Chillingworth brings back word of the riot in the nearby town, and it makes everyone all the more eager to get out. But, as we shall soon see, the riotous anti-vampire spirit is by no means gone from the village …34:10: THE LIVES OF THE HIGHWAYMEN: Prison Inspector Arthur Griffiths, writing in 1883, describes the culture of duels and drunken riotousness that was common in the age of highwaymen, including the duels fought by poet Richard Savage and ex-officer and professional gambler Major Oneby.45:15: CATCHPENNY BROADSIDE: The Full & True Particulars OF THE GREATEST OLD [woodcut illustration of a goat inserted here] IN THIS NEIGHBOURHOOD! (1850s).50:00: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:MILLERS: Prizefighters. NABOBS: Men who made their fortunes overseas before returning home to England to retire. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. TOWN TABBIES: A dowager dame of the “diamond squad” set. DIAMOND SQUAD: People of quality, or “big ‘uns.” COVES: Men. BUMPER: Liquor glass. RED TAPE: Brandy. JOLTER HEAD: Stupid country fellow, a yokel or bumpkin. DARBIES: Handcuffs or manacles. ———— * The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.

SHOW NOTES — for — MINISODE 26 (Season 5)(March 26, 2026) ———— 00:35: THE TERRIFIC REGISTER: ‘Twas midnight, and a fluttering bird entered the young Lord Lyttleton’s room by moonlight, and became the spectre of a maiden he had seduced and abandoned. She bade him repent, for he had but three days to live ….07:30: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, to-wit: THE STORY OF CLIFFORD HOUSE, by an anonymous but fabulous author; Part 1 of 2 parts: The story is told from the point of view of a deliciously witty and charming upper-class lady named Helen; we don’t learn her last name. She and her husband George have a beautiful country house, but she is bored there and has talked George into renting a town house for them. George immediately found a magnificent place, and best of all the rent was half what it should have been. But after they move in, they start to more than suspect that there is a reason they got the place so cheap …31:40: A SHORT GHOST STORY from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax: THE CORPSE DOWNSTAIRS. In which, a doctor from Madeira tells of a patient he had who dreamed someone brought a dead body into the house where he was staying … and yes, it turned out to be true, which is weird, but nothing shady was going on, so don’t get your hopes up for this one.37:20: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:GNOSTICS: Clever fellows, knowing kiddies.HIGH PADS: The highest rank of robbers who worked on foot, with no horse.VADE MECUM: Latin for "hand book."JOE MILLER: A player at Drury-lane, in the early 1700s, who was famous for a Leslie Nielsen style of stone-faced comedy. Mr. Miller was always so serious (and don’t call him Shirley) that he was hilarious on stage. When he died leaving some dependents uncared-for, the jestbook was created by Joe’s friends as a sort of inside joke, as a fundraiser to support his bereaved family.KIDDIES AND KIDDIESSES: Flash fellows — basically, early-1800s hep cats. SHERRY OFF: Run away. FLATS: Suckers. GET FLY TO THE FAKEMENT: Get wise to the swindle. BUMS: Bailiffs. CRAPPING COVES: (Pronounced “crape-ing” — a reference to the black crepe that was worn by widows in mourning) — Hangmen. YE OLD STONE PITCHER: Newgate Prison. PADDINGTON FAIR: Execution day at Tyburn, which is in Paddington Parish. Paddington is also a pun, as “pad” was a flash word for “thief” or “robber.” BRUSH OFF: Leave. Note this phrase means something slightly different today.

SHOW NOTES for MINISODE 25 (Season 5)(March 22, 2026) ———— 01:00: HANGED TODAY IN HISTORY (March 22): On March 22, 1819, 16-year-old Hannah Bocking was scragged for baking an arsenic-laced spice cake and giving it to a friend, with whom she was angry because she (the friend) had been given a job that Hannah had been rejected for. More details: https://www.executedtoday.com/2014/03/22/1819-hannah-bocking-16-year-old-poisoner/ Links to our runners-up: Thomas Hilliker, framed for arson: https://www.executedtoday.com/2010/03/22/1803-thomas-hilliker-machine-wrecking/ and Richard Overfield, loathsome baby-killer: https://www.executedtoday.com/2016/03/22/1824-richard-overfield-wicked-stepfather/ 08:40: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapter 92,93,94: Back at Todd’s place, Todd busies himself stuffing comestibles into various corners of his house, so that he will be able to set it nicely on fire when the time comes. Then he hears a thump at the door. It’s a man, hired by Mrs. Lovett to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t bolt the moon. Todd drags him inside, assures him all is right, offers him a drink… Meanwhile, Mr. Lupin carries off his big malicious reveal that Johanna is in boy’s togs, apparently for purposes of running away to sea, but it doesn’t turn out quite the way he’d hoped it would!45:25: HORRID BROADSIDE: Trial, sentence, confession, execution and a gallows ballad supposedly written by F.C. Courvoisier, a Swiss valet convicted of trying to murder his way out of a sticky situation after his boss, Lord William Russell, caught him stealing from him. (1840).GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:COUNT-CARDS: Good companions. DIMBER DAMBERS: High-ranking members of the Flash-talking criminal underworld or of “Gypsy” families. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home.

SHOW NOTES for MINISODE 24 (Season 5)(March 19, 2026) ———— EPISODE 24: The highwayman hears a ghostly voice in the deserted mansion! — How Georgian London loved to gamble and guzzle! — Plus a naughty song and dirty jokes! (Segment 2 — The “Twopenny Torrids.”)01:00: THE LIVES OF THE HIGHWAYMEN: Arthur Griffiths, one of Her Majesty’s prison inspectors, takes us on a tour of the state of the kingdom’s criminal-law art circa 1750. TL;DR: It was criminally lawless!14:45: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 59, 60, 61: When Dick gets back to Durley Chine, he is met at the door by Tom King, who urges him to silence. He has heard a voice, somewhere in the old abandoned house somewhere. They are not alone there…. Their explorations lead them into the cellar, which opens out into a rocky cavern facing the sea…40:30: STREET POETRY: From a broadside ballad: Mary of the Dale, The Pilot, and Jack and I Saw Them No More (1830).44:30: A RATHER NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONG: "Cock’s Head Broth; or, The Contented Cuckold” (about — well, take a guess!)48:00: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker" by Martin Merryman, Esq.GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:SPICY: A double pun. To “mace” meant to cheat or steal; Mace is a spice; so a “spicer” or “spice islander” was a “macer,” that is, a swindler or thief. Thus, “make the Romantic Age spicy” can mean either “make the Romantic Age zesty and interesting,” “make the Romantic Age swindley,” or both.ROARING BLADE: Loud, boisterous, boastful but probably cowardly man. HEEL TAPS: The liquor that remains in the glass after one has taken an inadequately large drink from it. HELLS: Gambling parlours. FLATS: Suckers. FLASH CAPTAIN: Basically a roaring blade, but more pretentiously dressed. CHARLIES: City watchmen. FUNKERS: The lowest grade of thief. HEDGE CREEPERS: Another term for funkers.

SHOW NOTES for EPISODE 23 (Season 5)(March 15, 2026) ———— Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of early-Victorian London! Each segment is in its own sub-episode. The "Penny Dreadfuls" segment is in this main episode, followed by ...The “Twopenny Torrids” minisode coming this Thursday evening;The “Ha’penny Horrids” minisode coming next Sunday ; and finally—The “Sixpenny Spookies” minisode coming next Thursday . ———— * The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠⁠ ———— IN TODAY'S "PENNY DREADFULS" SEGMENT:02:30: ON THIS DREADFUL DAY (March 15): The Victoria Pit Disaster of 1851 happened on this day, killing 61 men and boys who happened to be in the mine when it exploded.05:23: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 45-46: Just as the Rev. Mr. Leigh had got the crowd settled down and preparing to return home, Waggles the beadle recovered his senses and with a roar charged them, staff in hand. In the ensuing melee, the crowd rediscovered its enthusiasm for the job at hand, and started hunting for the graves of the recently inhumed….41:50: BROADSIDE BALLAD: Strange Warning to a Reprobate Publican! A “catchpenny,” that is, a phony story written to try and sell copies; in this case, it’s about a ghostly apparition that appeared to a debauched man and urged him to mend his evil ways. (1850s).GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:ADELPHI AND ADELPHAI: Brothers and sisters. These are the Greek terms, more used by fancy-toff Flash canters like Pierce Egan’s famous Tom and Jerry. CHICKSTER: A flame or a sweetheart, with the implication that she is a little edgy, possibly dangerous or disreputable. CAPTAIN LUSHINGTONS: Spirited fellows who have had too much to drink. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. WAPSTRAWS: Country bumpkins. TOWN TODDLERS: Easy marks, or suckers. SNICKER OF MAX: Glass of gin. WET YOUR OTHER EYE: Take another drink.

SHOW NOTES — for —MINISODE 22 (Season 5)(March 12, 2026)"THE SIXPENNY SPOOKIES"! ———— 00:30: THE TERRIFIC REGISTER: Five sworn witness descriptions of the haunting of the Portadown Bridge in Northern Ireland, the scene of a dreadful massacre of Protestant settlers by Catholic forces.06:45: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, to-wit: MISS JEROMETTE and the CLERGYMAN, by WILKIE COLLINS, Part 3 of 3 parts: Our clergyman’s sleazy pupil gets a surprise letter, and leaves abruptly for London, claiming he has “business” there. Afterward the maid finds a photograph in his room … of Miss Jeromette. So HE was the unnamed rival, years earlier! But what is he going to do? 26:00: A SHORT GHOST STORY from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax: “The Woman in White.” A short account of a small child who saw a spectral figure in white come into the garden at the same moment her father drowned, far away, while working in the river.31:30: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:VADE MECUM: Latin for "hand book."JOE MILLER: A player at Drury-lane, in the early 1700s, who was famous for a Leslie Nielsen style of stone-faced comedy. Mr. Miller was always so serious (and don’t call him Shirley) that he was hilarious on stage. When he died leaving some dependents uncared-for, the jestbook was created by Joe’s friends as a sort of inside joke, as a fundraiser to support his bereaved family.PIKE OFF: Run away.RED WAISTCOAT: Uniform apparel of the Bow-street Runners, an early London police force replaced by the New Model Police (who dressed in blue rather than red) in 1839.GAMMONERS: Swindlers or bullshitters.ROMONERS: Gammoners who pretend to have occult powers.SHARPS: Swindlers and confidence men, who prey upon the “flats” (marks). OLD ST. GILES: The most famous slum parish of London, also called "The Holy Land."

SHOW NOTES — for —MINISODE 21 (Season 5)(March 8, 2026)"THE HA’PENNY HORRIDS"! ———— 01:00: HANGED TODAY IN HISTORY (MARCH 8, 1734): Judith Dufour, convicted of murdering her 2-year-old daughter to sell her clothes for a quartern of gin. It’s a well-known cautionary tale about the evil influence of alcohol. But, is that all there is to the story? No. No, it is not. Let’s explore “The Rest of the Story” of this Lost Girl. (Art: See pennydread.com/discord)11:25: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapter 90-91: Todd reads the two letters. The first is Colonel Jeffery’s letter, saying he doesn’t find it convenient to prosecute just now, but if Todd ever comes around again, he will. The other letter is from the Hamburg ship line that he’s booked passage on. At Sir Richard’s request, they have sent a letter telling Todd that the ship has been delayed 24 hours. The two letters put Todd into a frightful rage, to Johanna’s great alarm. — Speaking of Johanna: It turns out she’s been recognized in Fleet-street … by Mr. Lupin, the hypocritical drunken Puritan preacher with designs on Johanna. (Art: See ⁠pennydread.com/discord⁠)39:15: HORRID BROADSIDE: The Committal of W. THOMPSON, to the County Gaol at Oxford for the MURDER OF HIS WIFE and THREE CHILDREN on the 12th Inst.! (1840s). A probably-made-up account of a super-heinous murder committed under the influence of Demon Rum (or, more likely, Demon Gin). (Art: See ⁠pennydread.com/discord⁠)GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE: (Just two this time.)SCRAGGED: Executed by hanging. QUARTERN: One quarter of an Imperial pint, that is, roughly 5 1/3 ounces. A common measurement of hard liquor.

SHOW NOTES — for —MINISODE 20 (Season 5)(MARCH 5, 2026) ———— EPISODE 5.20: The skeletons in the vault. — A golden age of highway robbery and crime! — A very naughty song about sailing on “The Open C—.” (Segment 2 — The “Twopenny Torrids.”)NOTE: The full show notes, including images and links, can be accessed at https://pennydread.com/discord01:20: THE LIVES OF THE HIGHWAYMEN: A little scene-setting of what life was like during the Golden Age of Britain’s criminal underworld, and some theories about what caused such a startling outbreak of violent crime.17:50: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 56-58: The ghostly mystery solved, the two highwaymen start exploring the house. They soon find a locked door that apparently is Sir Ernest’s room; it has a seal stamped over the lock hole with sealing-wax. Somebody really wanted to keep people out of that room … our friends have their work cut out for them, but by the end of the day, they’ve figured out why.46:45: STREET POETRY: From a broadside ballad: “Stock and Wall” and “Low-back’d Car.” (Early 1800s).51:40: TWO RATHER NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONGS: "The C—” (about naughtybits, of course) and “Oh, do it, dear charmer, again.” 54:40: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker" by Martin Merryman, Esq.GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:SWAG: Stolen property. BULLY: In this context, a brothel muscle-man there to protect the girls and make sure they get paid as agreed.FIDDLER: This word was used to mean a sixpence piece, a whip, a con artist, and sometimes a lady’s reproductive bits. FLASH CRIBS: A hospitality house of ill repute, often a brothel. FANCY GIRLS: Sporting ladies, provocatively dressed. KINCHIN: Child. LINK-BOY: A lad with a link or torch, hired to light the way.

SHOW NOTES — for —EPISODES 19-22 (Season 5)(March 1-14, 2026) ———— Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of early-Victorian London! Each segment is in its own sub-episode. The "Penny Dreadfuls" segment is in this main episode, followed by ...The “Twopenny Torrids” minisode coming Thursday evening, March 5;The “Ha’penny Horrids” minisode on next Sunday evening; March 8; and finally—The “Sixpenny Spookies” minisode, two Thursdays hence, on March 14. ———— THE "PENNY DREADFULS" SEGMENT:For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠⁠ ———— 02:20: ON THIS DREADFUL DAY (March 1): It must have seemed like a great idea to embezzle nearly 8,000 quid from a business partner; William Anderson got to feeling differently after his eight-year sentence was handed down. (1854)04:00: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 44: We cut back to the dungeon in which the prisoner is incarcerated. He hears someone running toward the dungeon, and then a tall gaunt man runs in and collapses beside him. He rises from his bed, grapples him by the throat, and cries, “Villain, monster, vampire! I have thee now!” Meanwhile, the mob of villagers, cheated of their prey, start thinking about seeking more vampyres in the graves of the recently deceased ….42:10: BROADSIDE BALLAD: Basically, an early-Victorian episode of Judge Judy, pitting a disgruntled customer against his tailor — who claimed the unwearable pair of “inexpressibles” (trousers) he made for the customer were a new fashion he’d seen Prince Albert wearing. (1840s).__________________GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:HIGH SPICERS: First-class highwaymen. LADYBIRDS: Sweethearts. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. NIPPERKIN: Half a pint. EYE-WATER: Gin. CABBAGE: Fabric used by a tailor to make clothing. KICKSIES: Trousers. ARTFUL CARD: Crafty character. TWIG: Recognize. To twig to something is to figure it out; to twig the prince is to recognize him on the street.KIDDY: Fashionable fellow. FARDEN: Phonetic spelling for the Cockney pronunciation of “farthing,” which was a quarter-penny.SPOOONEY: A silly, stupid fellow. MAG: A ha’penny. * The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.

SHOW NOTES — for —MINISODE 18 (Season 5)(February 25, 2026)"THE SIXPENNY SPOOKIES"!For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠ ———— IN TO-DAY'S "SIXPENNY SPOOKIES" EPISODE:00:45: THE TERRIFIC REGISTER: Screams awakened the traveler, and running to investigate he found the fingers of a corpse, shackled with chains, locked around the throat of his companion!05:15: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, to-wit: MISS JEROMETTE AND THE CLERGYMAN, by Wilkie Collins, Part 2 of 3 parts: After the narrator’s brother’s love affair with Miss Jeromette has been going on in secret for some time, his dying mother begs him to leave off the law and enter the church, and he promises he’ll do it. Obviously carrying on an extramarital with a secret French girl is one thing for a law student, but quite another for a divinity student. He goes to her house, sadly and regretfully, resigned to break it off….28:30: A SHORT GHOST STORY from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax: “Head of a Child.” Guests in the manor of Sutton Verney complained they’d wake up in the night with the feeling of a child nestled in bed with them. It got so nobody would stay in that room; finally, the owners demolished that wing … and thereby learned its secret.30:45: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:VADE MECUM: Latin for "hand book."JOE MILLER: A player at Drury-lane, in the early 1700s, who was famous for a Leslie Nielsen style of stone-faced comedy. Mr. Miller was always so serious (and don’t call him Shirley) that he was hilarious on stage. When he died leaving some dependents uncared-for, the jestbook was created by Joe’s friends as a sort of inside joke, as a fundraiser to support his bereaved family.KIDDIES AND KIDDIESSES: Flash fellows — basically, early-1800s hep cats. SHERRY OFF: Run away. FLATS: Suckers. GET FLY TO THE FAKEMENT: Get wise to the swindle. BUMS: Bailiffs. CRAPING COVES: Hangmen. YE OLD STONE PITCHER: Newgate Prison. PADDINGTON FAIR: Execution day at Tyburn, which is in Paddington Parish. Paddington is also a pun, as “pad” was a flash word for “thief” or “robber.” BRUSH OFF: Leave. Note this phrase means something slightly different today.

SHOW NOTES — for —MINISODE 17 (Season 5)(February 22-25, 2026)"THE HA'PENNY HORRIDS"!For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠pennydread.com/discord. ———— IN TODAY'S "HA'PENNY HORRIDS" EPISODE:00:45: HANGED TODAY IN HISTORY (February 24): A real downer, you might want to skip this one. But on Feb. 24, 1823, a 54-year-old closeted gay man named William North, outed by the discovery of some love letters, was hanged for “an unnatural crime.” 07:45: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapter 89: Todd has escaped through the neighbor’s house, terrifying them in the process. But now he has a problem — the heat is going to be on! And Sir Richard Blunt has a problem: He doesn’t want Todd to go dark quite yet, he’s working on a plan to catch him red-handed. How can he reassure Todd enough to keep him in England for another day — and make sure Johanna is safe in his shop?23:00: HORRID BROADSIDE: “Life, Trial, Confession & Execution of JAMES GREENACRE, for the EDGEWARE ROAD MURDER!” (1836). Truly a nasty crime, in which Mr. Greenacre killed and dismembered his fiancée on Christmas Eve, the night before their wedding.GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:SCRAGGED: Hanged. BULLY ROCKS: Swaggering braggadocios.

SHOW NOTES — for —MINISODE 16 (Season 5)(February 23, 2026)THE "TWOPENNY TORRIDS"!For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see pennydread.com/discord. ———— IN TODAY'S "TWOPENNY TORRID" MINISODE:01:00: THE LIVES OF THE HIGHWAYMEN: The short and merry life of one of history’s most gifted con artistes — Mary Carleton, a.k.a. The German Princess.12:15: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 54: Dick finishes telling the story of how he acquired his mare. By the time he’s done, morning has broken; so the two highwaymen set out to explore their new temporary digs. But just as they do, an unearthly scream rings out in their ears …24:45: STREET POETRY: From a yard-long collection of street ballads: “Henry’s Cottage Maid,” and “Single Life for Me!” (Early 1800s).28:00: A RATHER NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONG: "The Lady’s Wound” (about how Simple Simon learned on his wedding night that that, um, wasn’t a wound down there.)30:00: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker" by Martin Merryman, Esq.GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE — just two this time:ARCH DOXY: High-ranking female criminal or underworld figure. CUT AWAY: Fled.

(ART: The angry mob and Dr. Chillingworth, from this episode’s chapter of Varney the Vampyre.)SHOW NOTES — for —EPISODES 15-18 (Season 5)(February 22-25, 2026) ———— Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of early-Victorian London! Each segment is in its own sub-episode. The "Penny Dreadfuls" segment is in this main episode, followed by ...The “Twopenny Torrids” minisode coming Monday evening;The “Ha’penny Horrids” minisode on Tuesday evening; and finallyThe “Sixpenny Spookies” minisode on Wednesday. ———— THE "PENNY DREADFULS" SEGMENT:For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠ ———— IN TODAY'S "PENNY DREADFULS" SEGMENT:02:50: ON THIS DREADFUL DAY (February 22): Lord Bellamont, the “Hybernian Seducer,” took a pistol ball to the groin in a duel with Lord Townshend. (1773)04:10: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 40: The mob of angry villagers arrive at Sir Francis Varney’s house, with Dr. Chillingworth in front, importuning them to turn back the whole way. They form up in front of Ratford Abbey and thunderously demand admittance to the place. Upon getting in, they search it; Varney is not there. Then a shepherd tells them he saw Varney heading towards the duelling-spot, and they race thither, hot on the vampyre’s track … how do you suppose our bold, bad eldritch anti-hero will get out of this one?41:05: BROADSIDE BALLAD: “SECRETS for ladies during courtship! TEASING MADE EASY!” (Mid-1800s).GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:WOOD PECKERS: Jokers, with the implication that they favor dry humour. WATER PADS: Highway robbers of the river — freshwater pirates, basically. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. TARTARS: Stern and disapproving old ladies. AUTEM DIPPERS: Hard-shell Baptists. FLICKER: Drinking glass. BLUE JACKY: Gin. * The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.

SHOW NOTES — for —EPISODE 14(The fourth of four linked episodes aired February 15, 2026) ———— Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch, for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!* ———— "THE SIXPENNY SPOOKIES" segment (No. 4 of 4):00:30: THE TERRIFIC REGISTER: God’s judgement on a bishop who became cruel to his congregation.02:05: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, to-wit: MISS JEROMETTE AND THE CLERGYMAN, by WILKIE COLLINS, Part 1 of 3 parts: We open on our narrator’s brother reading a book about famous criminal trials, when his brother, a clergyman, sees the one he’s reading about. The defendant was acquitted in the trial — but the brother knows with absolute certainty that the man was guilty of the charge. How so, the narrator asks? Instead of answering, the brother asks if the narrator believes in ghosts … and then agrees to tell his story if the brother will promise to let the story be revealed only after his death.On his deathbed, then, he beckons to the narrator and tells him he may now share his strange tale ….19:15: A SHORT GHOST STORY from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax: “Here I am again!” — a story of a most persistent, if rather ineffectual, haunt.25:25: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:VADE MECUM: Latin for "hand book."JOE MILLER: A player at Drury-lane, in the early 1700s, who was famous for a Leslie Nielsen style of stone-faced comedy. Mr. Miller was always so serious (and don’t call him Shirley) that he was hilarious on stage. When he died leaving some dependents uncared-for, the jestbook was created by Joe’s friends as a sort of inside joke, as a fundraiser to support his bereaved family.TIP YOUR RAGS A GALLOP: Run away as fast as you can.GRABS: Police and magistrates.THE TOUCH: Getting arrested.HELL CATS: Dangerous ladies who frequent the “hells” (gambling dens).BLACKLEGS: Professional gamblers who cheat to win.SPEELING-CRIB: A gambling den. RUM TE TUM WITH THE CHILL OFF: Most emphatically excellent.————* The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.

SHOW NOTES — for —EPISODES 11-14(The third of four episodes aired February 15, 2026) ———— Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London! ———— "THE HA'PENNY HORRIDS" (Segment 3 of 4):00:30: HANGED TODAY IN HISTORY (February 15, 1688): On this day, Philip Stansfield was hanged for murdering his father. And yeah, he probably did it — there was a lot of circumstantial evidence — but the clincher was an account of how, when the body was found and Philip helped retrieve it, it bled on him. Which, the prosecutor said, “he must ascribe to the wonderful Providence of God, who in this manner discovers murder.” Divine forensics!04:55: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapter 88: Todd, stuck on the roof, jumps across to the next house and makes his way out through it. As he leaves, he overhears Colonel Jeffery giving a letter to his footman to carry to Sir Richard Blunt … Todd follows him, wondering what’s in that letter … and making plans to find out!19:25: HORRID BROADSIDE: The confession and execution of William Corder, who murdered his onetime sweetheart Maria Martin (1828).GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:PADDINGTON FAIR: Hanging day at the old Tyburn Tree gallows, which was located in Paddington Parish. Many of the convicts hanged there were “pads,” that is, thieves. ————*The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.

SHOW NOTES — for —EPISODES 12(The second of four aired on February 15, 2026) ———— Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London! ———— "THE TWOPENNY TORRIDS" SEGMENT:00:40: THE LIVES OF THE HIGHWAYMEN: The affair of Count Koenigsmark, a feisty Swedish nobleman who in 1682 tried to murder his way into the good graces of a 13-year-old heiress, and barely got out of the country unhanged ….12:13: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 54: Turpin continues the story of his first heist. After it was over, he tried to go back to honest work; but he found nobody would hire him, so back he went upon the road! Also, Dick tells how he became the owner of his amazing mare, Black Bess.24:20: STREET POETRY: From a broadside ballad: The Young Woman’s ABC (a delightfully flirty bit of fun in the vein of Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5”) on the same page as a deeply moving ballad of a Maryland man whose (free) Black wife was kidnapped by a gang of “fugitive slave catchers.” (1860).30:45: A RATHER NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONG: "The Metal Spoon-makers” (about sex, of course; what else?)33:00: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker" by Martin Merryman, Esq.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:KNIGHT OF THE BLADE: A swaggering braggadocio. BLUNT: Money, with the implication that there is a lot of it. RHINO: Same as “blunt.” BULLY ROCKS: Cheap muscle, usually a reference to “protection” men in a whorehouse. BOLT THE MOON: Fly by night. * The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.

SHOW NOTES — for —EPISODE 11(One of four aired on February 15, 2026) ———— Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London! ———— * The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.————SEGMENT 1 of 4: “THE TWO-BOB BLOOD-AND-THUNDERS.”02:10: ON THIS DREADFUL DAY: The story of a man garrotted and robbed at Leeds; but he survived to identify his attackers! (Feb. 15, 1853)03:45: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 39: It’s dueling time! But only Henry fires his pistol. It’s a clean miss, apparently. Varney raises his pistol … and fires at the sky. Henry demands another fire, as Marchdale and the Admiral urge him to call it good. But just then Mr. Chillingworth arrives … with a mob of villagers equipped with torches and pitchforks, chanting “Down with the vampire!”31:00: BROADSIDE STREET BALLAD: Opening the Exhibition! A fantastic example of street-poet John Morgan writing about the exhibition at the Crystal Palace in 1854. It was the event of the century!GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:CONVEYANCERS: Highway robbers and thieves. CAPER MERCHANTS: Dancing instructors. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. HENS: Married ladies, usually of middle age. JET AUTEMS: Preachers and parsons. WHITE TAPE: Gin. SLUICE YOUR GOB: Take a big drink.

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!———PART I: “THE HA’PENNY HORRIDS”: 01:44: HANGED TODAY IN HISTORY: On Feb. 8, 1804, 23-year-old Miss Ann Hurle was launched into eternity for a forgery/counterfeiting con so audacious that it’s hard to believe she worked it alone. (https://capitalpunishmentuk.org/ann-hurle-hanged-for-forgery-in-1804/)08:15: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapter 85-87: Once Mrs. Lovett is gone, Todd sits down to think. He decides the next day’s dawn must find him on his way, and his shop in flames. He makes himself a little to-do list: First, go find and murder Tobias; then, pack all his things off to the wharf to be shipped to Hamburg; third, arrange combustibles to fire the building; fourth, murder “Charley Green”; and fifth, post a letter to Sir Richard Blunt accusing Mrs. Lovett….48:39: HORRID BROADSIDE: A double-sided summary of the crime, trial, and execution of the “London Burkers of 1831” — John Bishop, Thos. Williams and James May, who in that year murdered an “Italian Boy” and cashed him in at the nearest medical college! This broadside was selected because J. Draper just released a fantastic London History Show episode on resurrection-men. Here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXyUCPek6EYPART II: "THE TWOPENNY TORRIDS":1:00:30: LIVES OF THE HIGHWAYMEN: In the “golden age of highway robbery” in England, money wasn’t the only thing bold bad men were after. Well, actually it was; but, some of them thought they could acquire it by kidnapping and forcibly marrying wealthy heiresses. 1:07:00: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 51-53: Tom King tells Dick Turpin the story of the mansion. It was owned by a debauched old baronet named Sir Ernest Dane, who at his death was nearly 60, and four years into a marriage that had been forced upon the beautiful daughter of a neighbor, a 17-year-old maiden named Kate Enderby. Kate had already been betrothed to a sailor named Ralph Anderdon; but her father insisted, and she was forced to the altar with this old roue instead….1:37:15: STREET POETRY: From a broadside ballad: “The Very Pretty Maid and the Amorous ‘Squire”! (Circa 1860).1:39:45: A RATHER NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONG: “The Landlady’s ‘Count” (about a little risque confusion engendered by a gentleman’s thick French accent).1:43:30: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker" by Martin Merryman, Esq.*The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:CROWDSMAN: xxx. GIN SPINNER: xxx. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. MACE GIRL: Female swindler or con artiste. SHERRY OFF: Run away.There are more! But we’re out of space here. A full glossary of all the flash-cant terms used in this episode is at ⁠https://pennydread.com/discord⁠ in the "#season-5-episodes" thread.

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!PART I: “THE PENNY DREADFULS”: 04:15: ON THIS DREADFUL DAY (FEB. 1): Two young men were playing at fencing with real swords … when one of them slipped. (1855)05:45: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 38: Dr. Chillingworth, who is Henry’s second for the duel, and Jack Pringle, who is the admiral’s, both arrive at Ratford Abbey at the same time. The arrangements are duly made, although they are a little odd. On the way home, they meet Marchdale, who offers to step in as Henry’s second so that Dr. Chillingworth will not suffer the various sanctions that would fall to him, as a professional man, if he were found to have been directly involved in a duel. Everything is building to a showdown …43:16: BROADSIDE BALLAD: The Lord Mayor’s Day in old London-town! (1850).PART II: "THE SIXPENNY SPOOKIES":48:15: TERRIFIC REGISTER ARTICLE: A freak lightning-strike that left the dead looking uncommonly alive … and a child born with three eyes.50:15: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, TO-WIT: Shadow of a Shade, by Tom Hood, Part 2 of 2 parts: One has to admire the creation of Vincent Grieve, as a villain. He is sketched with a deft hand, kind of just shy of unbelievable reprehensibleness. There can be little doubt in anyone’s mind but that he murdered George to get to Lettie, and no one will be the least surprised when, in this concluding segment, he starts showing up and trying to renew his unwelcome and repellant effort to court her. But, there’s something not quite right, and it soon becomes clear that there are powerful supernatural forces at work on the case … forces that cast, behind Grieve, a second shadow.1:07:21: A SHORT GHOST STORY from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax: The Telephone at the Oratory. Ghosts usually don’t use the telephone, but apparently this one did!1:16:30: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."*The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:OWLERS: Smugglers. MALTY COVES: Beer drinkers. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. GENTRY COVES: Gentlemen. LAWFUL BLANKETS: Wives. NIPPERKIN: Half a pint. OLD TOM: Top-shelf gin. BADGE COVES: Poor men who are being subsidized by the parish for charity. CROSS-COVES: Swindlers and other criminals. SHEEP’S JEMMIES: Roasted sheep’s head. SPOONEY: Foolish fellow. MORRIS OFF: Run away. BEAKS ON THE NOSE: Police detectives or magistrates on an investigation. HELL CATS: Racy ladies who haunt gambling-hells. BLACKLEGS: Card-sharpers and other professional gamblers who cheat. SPICE ISLANDERS: Swindlers. SPEELING-CRIB: Gambling den.RUM TE TUM WITH THE CHILL OFF: Most emphatically excellent.

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!PART I: "THE HA’PENNY HORRIDS”:01:20: HANGED TODAY IN HISTORY: The story of a colonial governor hanged in 1803 for murder after he had seven employees whipped so severely that three of them died. If you’re into schadenfreude, this is your week.06:50: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapter 83-84: The two ladies, Mrs. Ragg and her friend (Martha Jones), bustle back to the Temple and set themselves up in the office of Martha’s employer, an attorney named Mr. Juggas, and starts plying Mrs. Ragg with Mr. Juggas’ old ale. Todd follows them up the stairs, listens at each door till he finds the right one, and overhears some very interesting news ….35:00: BROADSIDE BALLAD: A sad account of a pair of convicts sacrificed to the old English “bloody code” on the scaffold, one for burglary and one for arson. Reading this one, I had to wonder if the spectacle the arsonist made in struggling for his life helped turn public opinion against this barbarity.PART II: "THE TWOPENNY TORRIDS”:43:50: THE LIVES OF THE HIGHWAYMEN: Meet William “Swift Nick” Nevison, one of the northlands’ most notorious high spicers. The tale is that he was friends with King Charles II himself.50:30: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 49-50: Dick picks the lock on the front gate and the two bandits make their way through the park and up to the front door of the house. There they find it’s very secure; heavy shutters cover all the windows, the door is fast as a rock. But, of course, no place is burglar-proof to a sufficiently resourceful burglar, right?1:19:00: SOME STREET POETRY from an 1830s “broadside”: "The Bonny Blue Handkerchief” and “The Jolly Rover.”1:23:00: A SUBTLY NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONG: "Cowslip and the Gardener’s Leek.” (about a little misunderstanding of what was meant by “prithee sow your seed in my bed, kind sir.”)1:27:00: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker."*The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a wood west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:• COUNT CARDS: Fine fellows. • FAMILY COVES: Members of the “family” of thieves and other cross-men (criminals). • KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. • CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). • CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. • HIGH SPICERS: Well-mounted highwaymen. • SHERRY OFF: To run away at top speed. Adopted from the nautical term "to sheer off."• FLATS: Suckers. • FLY TO: Wised-up about, aware of.• FAKEMENT: Plot or scheme.• BUMS: Bailiffs.• CRAPPING COVES: Pronounced "crêpe-ing," it means hangmen, who cause the widows of the criminals they execute to wear crêpe in mourning.• THE OLD STONE JUG: Newgate Prison, or prisons in general.• PADDINGTON FAIR: Execution day at Tyburn Tree gallows, which was in Paddington parish; during the years when the “Bloody Code” was in effect, and one could get “scragged” for stealing less than 10 modern dollars’ worth of goods, it was also a blackly humourous pun, as “pad” was Flash slang for “thief” or “robber.”

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!PART I: “THE PENNY DREADFULS”: 02:50: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 37: As soon as he can get away, Henry goes next door and challenges Varney to a duel, following a very unsatisfactory conversation about the disposition of Charles Holland, which Varney claims ignorance of, but Henry frankly accuses him of lying. No sooner is Henry home than Admiral Bell sallies forth on a similar errand….36:15: SPORTY STREET BROADSIDE: “Landlord fill a flowing bowl,” a zesty drinking song, presented alongside “The Fire King,” a poem in praise of stage magician and fire-eater J.X. Chabert.42:45: TERRIFIC REGISTER ARTICLE: A wicked archbishop who called his parishioners vermin was, according to this legend, chased down and devoured by a horde of rats.PART II: “THE SIXPENNY SPOOKIES”:45:45: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, TO-WIT: SHADOW OF A SHADE, by Tom Hood, Part 1 OF 2: We are introduced to Lettie, the narrator’s sister, and her fiancé, George Mason, a merchant-marine officer who is about to set out on an expedition to find Sir John Franklin’s missing North Pole expedition. A younger brother has painted a portrait of George, which Lettie really likes, and has it hung in the living room to remind her of her loved one. George’s fellow officer, Vincent Grieve, comes to dinner before the expedition began, and all but follows Lettie around with his tongue hanging out — seeming to be trying to cut in on her. On his last visit, he tells Lettie he was in love with her, and should she ever break it off with George, he hopes she’ll have him instead. Outraged, Lettie orders him out of the house.The ship sails. Then, some weeks later, a chill arctic wind seemed to blow through the room, despite it being summer; and when our narrator looks at the painting of George, it looks like the head has become a skull! Upon approaching, the illusion passed; but our narrator very much fears it was an omen …1:03:00: A SHORT GHOST STORY from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax: The tale of a ghostly butler who still walks the halls of an ancient hall in Yorkshire.1:11:15: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."*The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:BLACKLEGS: Crooked gamblers. CAPTAIN TOBERS: Top-tier highwaymen. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. TARTARS: Feisty old ladies. AUTEM DIPPERS: Preachers from Protestant denominations that emphasize baptism by immersion.NOGGEN OF LIGHTNING: Quartern of gin. SUGAR-CANE JUICE: Rum. MORRIS OFF: Flee or run away. BEAKS ON THE NOSE: Magistrates or police detectives on an active investigation.DIDDLE COVES: Bartenders at a dram shop or gin palace.DAFFY DOXIES: Spicy ladies who drink gin (daffy is gin).CAPTAIN LUSHINGTONS: Drunken fellows.There are more! But we’re out of space here. A full glossary of all the flash-cant terms used in this episode is at ⁠https://pennydread.com/discord⁠ in the "#season-5-episodes" thread.

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!PART I: "THE HA’PENNY HORRIDS":01:10: HANGED TODAY IN HISTORY: Convicted of murder, George Foster was hanged 223 years ago today … and then handed over to the Regency equivalent of Herbert West, Reanimator. (More info from executedtoday.com) (With art, posted on Discord.)09:50: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapter 81-82: Upon hearing that Sweeney Todd has withdrawn all the money, Mrs. Lovett, of course, flies into a rage, and Mr. Brown narrowly escapes getting beaned with a heavy inkstand. Then she storms out of the building, into the hackney-coach (which she almost forgot she’d hired) and has the jarvey bring her to Fleet-street. Full of rage, she storms into Sweeney Todd’s shop ready for a fight … how do you think Sweeney Todd will handle this? (Art on ⁠Discord⁠.)36:30: BROADSIDE BALLAD: A lament from a maiden in love with a young man who’s decided to enter the priesthood, and the ballad of a maid betrayed and her disconsolate lover joining her in the grave. (Art on ⁠Discord⁠.)42:15: LIVES OF THE HIGHWAYMEN: Stories of the men and women who made the Romantic Age spicy! Meet Claude DuVal, the original sharp-dressed “gentleman robber of the high road.” (More info from stand-and-deliver.com.org.uk) (Art on ⁠Discord⁠.)PART II: "THE TWOPENNY TORRIDS":51:30: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 48: Turpin and King make their way south through the woods, hoping to reach the sea, from which, if things are too hot, they hope to slip away to the Continent to lie low. After a lengthy bushwhack, they emerge on a hillside overlooking the Channel and drink in the beauty of the scene. The centerpiece of it is a great Gothic mansion alone on a promontory surrounded by chestnut trees. Tom knows there’s a story about that mansion — a sinister mystery connected with it … 1:09:25: SOME STREET POETRY from an 1830s “broadside”: What happens when a gifted Romantic-Age poet comes across a love letter from a sailor’s lass to her briny beau? High art, that’s what! (Art on ⁠Discord⁠.)1:14:25: A RATHER NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONG: "Jack Junk On Board of Molly Brown” — it’s actually not what you probably think from that title!1:19:40: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker."GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:CROSS-COVES: Swindlers and con artists. HELL CATS: Dangerous ladies who hang out in gambling hells. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. BEAKS: Magistrates. LAMBSKIN MEN: Judges. CULLS: Contemptible men. TRAINOR: Member of a trainband. TRAINBAND: A home-guard neighborhood militia of the 1600s and 1700s. HALF-PAY: Navy officers got put on half-pay when the Navy was not using their services. It was well known that most officers on half-pay were low-quality men who for social reasons could not be fired; so the idea of a captain on half-pay having “ships at sea” was a joke contemporary readers would have understood. PINS: Legs, here being punned on “bowling pins” given that bowling balls and cannonballs are rather similar in form and weight. PIKE OFF: To run away at top speed. FLATS: Suckers. SPOONEYS: Slow, stupid fellows. FLY TO: Wised-up about, aware of.FAKEMENT: Plot or scheme.MAUNDERS: Beggars. NIMMERS: Thieves of the lowest order. THE HOLY LAND: St. Giles Parish. The joke is that St. Giles was the Patron Saint of Thieves because if so, his parish was thoroughly infested with his acolytes. There are more! But we’re out of space here. A full glossary of all the flash-cant terms used in this episode is at ⁠https://pennydread.com/discord⁠ in the "#season-5-episodes" thread.

NOTICE/APOLOGY: There are a couple fairly egregious editing errors in this episode caused by my ill-advised attempt at multitasking. I haven't time to re-compile it, but please accept my assurances that I will be more careful in future! — The CORINTHIAN.Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!PART I: “THE PENNY DREADFULS”: 01:50: DICKENS’ DREADFUL ALMANAC for today: An attorney who took to the road and became a highwayman Bonnie-and-Clyde style was hanged with his highwaywoman sweetheart, 288 years ago today.04:50: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 35-36: The other men of the household also emerge from the house, and run about trying to figure out where Varney ran off to. After they’re gone, he coolly steps back into the summer house to resume his conversation with Flora. He assures her that after they leave the hall, she will be reunited with Charles; and then he buggers off. They don’t catch him, of course, and next day the whole family gets together to try and figure out what to do next ….33:58: BROADSIDE BALLAD: A couple jolly drinking songs: Bacchus and Time and Heigh-ho Says Thimble!38:24: TERRIFIC REGISTER ARTICLE: They accused her of theft — but learned, after it was too late, who the real thief was: A magpie!PART II: "THE SIXPENNY SPOOKIES": 41:10: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, TO-WIT: No Living Voice, by Thomas Street Millington: Stuck in a boring border town while he waits for his passport to be fixed, an English travler named Mr. Brown takes to exploring the scenery and ruins of the picturesque Neopolitan countryside. One day, darkness catches him still far from town. But a passing shepherd guides him to a rustic country inn, where he can get a good meal and a bed, saving him from the discomfort of being stuck outside all night. A lucky break for Mr. Brown — or is it? Because there’s something about that country inn that’s not quite right ….1:05:30: A SHORT GHOST STORY from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax: The family had no end of trouble from ghostly manifestations in a particular room in the house… then, when they demolished that room to expand the staircase, they found a coffin under the floorboards.1:15:30: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:CONVEYANCERS: Burglars or thieves. CHICKSTERS: Prostitutes. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. GUNPOWDER: Proper old lady. IRON DOUBLET: Fire-and-brimstone preacher. BRUSHER: Large glass. STRIKE-ME-DEAD: New gin, hot off the still, also known as kill-devil. HEDGE BIRDS: Scoundrels. CAKES: Soft-headed fellows. SLIPPERY BLADE: A crafty gentleman. JARVEY: Hackney-coach driver. VADE MECUM: Latin for "hand book."JOE MILLER: A player at Drury-lane, in the early 1700s, who was famous for a Leslie Nielsen style of stone-faced comedy. Mr. Miller was always so serious (and don’t call him Shirley) that he was hilarious on stage. When he died leaving some dependents uncared-for, the jestbook was created by Joe’s friends as a sort of inside joke, as a fundraiser to support his bereaved family.EXIT PURSUED BY A BEAR: The most famous stage direction in all of Shakespeare’s work. Appears seemingly out of the blue in The Winter’s Tale.There are more! But we’re out of space here. A full glossary of all the flash-cant terms used in this episode is at ⁠https://pennydread.com/discord⁠ in the "#season-5-episodes" thread.

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!PART I: "THE HA’PENNY HORRIDS," 0:00 — 39:30:01:20: DICKENS' DREADFUL ALMANAC for today: A desperate butler tried to save his job by pretending to have been jumped by robbers … it didn’t work.03:20: HANGED TODAY IN HISTORY: On January 16, 1813, 14 Luddites were scragged in a dreadful mass hanging, their punishment for having allegedly broken some machinery on purpose. It was the high-water mark of the “Bloody Code” under which one could be hanged for stealing a quartern loaf of bread! For more about this mass execution: https://ludditebicentenary.blogspot.com/2013/01/16th-january-1813-14-convicted-luddites.html and https://www.executedtoday.com/2013/01/16/1813-14-luddites-at-york/09:30: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapter 80: Mrs. Lovett now decides the best policy is to flee the country at once. So she decides she is going to visit the stockbroker with whom her joint resources with Todd are deposited, withdraw them all (including Todd’s half, of course!) and, without returning to the pie shop or making any other delay, go straight from there to a seaport and quit the country before Todd even knows she’s gone. But when she gets to the stockbroker’s place, there is a nasty surprise awaiting her …26:45: BROADSIDE BALLAD: An account, and long poem, about Ann Williams, a young maiden who in 1823 was murdered by her so-called sweetheart, William Jones, after that worthy learned he had gotten her pregnant.31:30: THE LIVES OF THE HIGHWAYMEN: Jack “Mul-Sac” Cottington was the only highway robber to have cried “Stand and Deliver” to Oliver Cromwell himself! His was a short life and a merry one; but not as short as you might expect.PART II: "THE TWOPENNY TORRIDS," 40:30 — 1:18:00:42:00: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 46-47: Turpin and King turn at bay under the shelter of the fallen oak tree. It’s the best possible place they could have found to fend off attack; but it’s eight to two, and one of the two can barely walk. Is this curtains for our felonious friends?1:04:30: SOME STREET POETRY from an 1830s “broadside”: "The Bloom is on the Rye” and “The Cheerless Soul.”1:07:45: A MILDLY NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONG: “Cobbing a Stiff-un.”1:12:00: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker."*The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a wood west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:HIGH SPICERS: Highway robbers. ACK PIRATES: Thieves who operate on the river. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. SCRAGGED: Hanged. BEAKS: Judges and magistrates. BIRDS OF PREY: Lawyers and prosecutors. JARVEYS: Hackney-coach drivers. GRAVEL TAX: The contribution levied at pistol-point by a highwayman. BRUSH OFF: Leave quickly. DARBIES: Handcuffs or manacles. BUMMED: Arrested (a “bum” is a gaoler/jailer or turnkey). IN DURANCE VILE: In prison or gaol. CHARLEYS: Watchmen. SCREWS: Gaolers or turnkeys. BOARDING-SCHOOL: Prison. There are more! But we’re out of space here. A full glossary of all the flash-cant terms used in this episode is at ⁠https://pennydread.com/discord⁠ in the "#season-5-episodes" thread.

APOLOGIES — the wrong Dreadful was cued up for this episode when it was first posted. It has now been fixed! You may need to re-download to get the new one.PART I: “THE PENNY DREADFULS”: 0:00 — 32:00:01:46: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 34: Varney wakes Flora up. “The vampire!” she shrieks. “Yes,” he replies, “the vampire.” He then tells Flora that he can only be un-vampired if a lovely maiden such as Flora will consent to love him. She, of course, cannot. He makes a bit show of demanding more blood; and once he’s got her really terrified, he tells her she has but one chance: Flight. Leave Bannerworth Hall…. And, as we know but Flora does not, its hidden treasure!19:00: STREET BROADSIDE: A moralizing cautionary “catchpenny” about what (allegedly) happened to a farmer when he casually uttered some blasphemies.28:25: TERRIFIC REGISTER ARTICLE: Two short ones — one about a nobleman taming a lion, and another about a brave French officer forced to wrestle for his life with an angry wolf.PART II: "THE SIXPENNY SPOOKIES," 32:30 — 1:10:00:32:55: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, TO-WIT: COUNT MAGNUS, by M.R. James; Part 2 of 2 parts: Mr. Wraxall gets to see inside the tomb, and finds the metallic sound he heard when he called a greeting to Count Magnus was the sound of one of three padlocks dropping off his sarcophagus. On a later visit the second one falls away. Mr. Wraxall finds himself behaving strangely, chanting greetings to Count Magnus; what is happening to him? And what will happen when the third padlock falls away, leaving the sarcophagus free to be opened and entered … or, dare we say, emerged from?53:10: A SHORT GHOST STORY from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax: A gentleman is surprised to see his cousin’s governess on the streets of a faraway city. But when he turns to greet her, he finds she’s vanished! 1:08:15: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."*The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham, Massachusetts Colony. Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:AUTEM GOGGLERS: Conjurers or fortune-tellers. ANGELICS: Pretty maidens. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. BODY-SNATCHERS: Magistrates, thief-takers and police officers. FLOWERS OF SOCIETY: VIPs, big-‘uns, fancy people. CLAP OF THUNDER: Glass of brandy. FLASH OF LIGHTNING: Glass of gin. VADE MECUM: Latin for "hand book."JOE MILLER: A player at Drury-lane, in the early 1700s, who was famous for a Leslie Nielsen style of stone-faced comedy. Mr. Miller was always so serious (and don’t call him Shirley) that he was hilarious on stage. When he died leaving some dependents uncared-for, the jestbook was created by Joe’s friends as a sort of inside joke, as a fundraiser to support his bereaved family.LEG BAIL: Running away to avoid being caught and imprisoned. UNBOILED LOBSTERS: New Model Police officers (post-1829) so named for their blue uniforms; unboiled lobsters being blue-ish. Boiled lobsters, which are red, furnished a Flash slang term for Royal Army soldiers. PUT THE TOUCH ON: Arrest. MACERS: Swindlers. STARGAZERS: Prostitutes. BUZ-NAPPERS: Pickpockets. COLLEGE: Prison, in this case Fleet Prison and King’s Bench Prison. RUM TE TUM WITH THE CHILL OFF: Most emphatically excellent.

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!PART I: "THE HA’PENNY HORRIDS," 0:00 — 49:00:01:10: TODAY’S TERRIBLE TIDBIT — Jan. 8, 1851: A little chimney-sweeper boy who suffocated in the factory chimney he was cleaning, because the proprietor did not let it cool completely before sending him in, on Jan. 8, 1851. From Dickens’ Dreadful Almanac, a book by Cate Ludlow, 2010.02:50: HANGED TODAY — Jan. 8, 1813: A new Ha’penny Horrid feature! January 8, 1813, three Luddites were hanged for murder after allegedly ambushing and killing industrialist William Horsfall on the high road at Crosland Moor. More details: https://www.executedtoday.com/2013/01/08/1813-yorkshire-luddites-william-horsfall/ . 05:20: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapter 78-79: You’re going to think we’ve gotten our Horrids and Torrids mixed up. In Chapter 78, Arabella pours her heart out to Big Ben regarding her feelings of guilt and shame for having put Johanna up to the secret-agent-in-Todd’s-shop wheeze. He, unfortunately, misinterprets her statement as a confession that she has gotten pregnant somehow, and we get some much-needed laughs out of that! And then in Chapter 79, Colonel Jeffery gives us all a fantastic demonstration of how to screw up a confession of love, when he tries to get Arabella to take him on as a boyfriend.36:00: BROADSIDE BALLAD: A “catchpenny” account of an entitled squire who lusted after a maiden who belonged to another, and, finding himself alone with her in a quiet place, escalated his suit to violence, then double-murdered his way out of the ensuing difficulty when her beau came on the scene. From Curiosities of Street Literature, a book by Charles Hindley, 1871.40:15: HIGHWAYMAN CULTURE (THE NEWGATE CHRONICLES): In the 1600s and 1700s, the roads of England were plagued with banditti, and the most surprising people, from shopkeepers to members of the King’s Guard, chose a life of violent crime. James Whitney (hanged in 1694) is a great example. (Image: Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, via romantic-circles.org, a peer-reviewed scholarly Website devoted to Romantic-period literature and culture. More on highwayman Whitney: https://romantic-circles.org/gallery/image/trwe-effigies-james-whitney-notorious-highwayman . PART II: "THE TWOPENNY TORRIDS," 50:00 — 1:28:30:50:20: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 45: Dick and Tom flee, hotly pursued by the officers, who chase them all day. They just make it to a forest, which they plunge into. Unable to shake their pursuers, they turn at bay behind a great fallen tree and draw their swords. But Tom has been hit and has lost a lot of blood. Things are looking bleak for our heroes!1:11:00: SOME STREET POETRY from an 1830s “broadside”: "The Blooming Lady,” a ballad of a fancy toff’s bride, worth £500,000 on her own, who ran off with a handsome servant … and her £500k.1:14:30: ONE OR TWO VERY NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONGS: "Noses to Faces and Tails to Arses” (about a frustrated farmer who finds his village parson is taking too great an interest in “prayer services” with his pretty wife)1:18:50: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker."*The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a wood west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham.FLASH TERMS:A full glossary of the flash-cant terms used in this episode at https://pennydread.com/discord .

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch, for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!PART I: “The HALF-CROWN CAMPIES” segment: 0:00 — 33:20:01:27: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 33: Varney quits Ratford Abbey and walks to Bannerworth Hall; although the moon has not yet risen, he shows great familiarity with the grounds and is able to make his way almost blind. By listening to him muttering, we gather that the quest he is on is one which he hopes will furnish him with sufficient money to make his final £1000 payment early, and thus be spared the dread of the stranger’s last visit. But soft: is that a footstep on the garden path? Someone else is also walking abroad in the garden on this pitch-dark night. Who could it be?24:35: BROADSIDE CATCHPENNY: An account of a couple of titled Regency roysterers on a spree, in which one bets the other £5,000 (about £600,000 today — $800,000 to $1.2 million in USD, CAD, AUD or NZD) that he can carry him on his shoulders nine times around St. James’s Square … with a twist.28:50: TERRIFIC REGISTER ARTICLE: A “Tiger King” moment for the Regency era: A lioness escapes from a private zoo and attacked the Exeter Mail coach, severely wounding a horse and killing a brave dog and frightening the passengers half to death.PART II: "THE SIXPENNY SPOOKIES," 33:47 — 1:04:30:34:12: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, TO-WIT: Count Magnus, by M.R. James; Part 1 of 2 parts: A tour-guide writer named Mr. Wraxall comes to a town called Roebeck, family seat of an aristocratic family called De La Gardie. One of the De La Gardies, a man so cruel, brutal, and sinister that his reputation lingers even 300 years later, was a character named Count Magnus. Mr. Wraxall is fascinated by Count Magnus, and as he prosecutes his research he starts to see that Count Magnus has been on something called the “Black Pilgrimmage.” But no one will tell him what that is …50:43: A SHORT GHOST STORY from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax: Staying up late in the library of an old manor house to study some rare books in its library, our correspondent finds he is not alone ….1:02:00: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:BLOODS, BUCKS AND CHOICE SPIRITS: Disorderly young roisterers on a spree. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. LACED WOMEN: Virtuous women. GENTRY COVES: Gentlemen of high social standing. SNICKER: Small tumbler. BLUE RUIN: Gin, with the implication that it’s a cheaper grade. BITE YOUR NAME IN IT: Take a very big drink. JOE MILLER: A player at Drury-lane, in the early 1700s, who was famous for a Leslie Nielsen style of stone-faced comedy. Mr. Miller was always so serious (and don’t call him Shirley) that he was hilarious on stage. When he died leaving some dependents uncared-for, the jestbook was created by Joe’s friends as a sort of inside joke, as a fundraiser to support his bereaved family.RED WAISTCOAT: Uniform apparel of the Bow-street Runners, an early London police force replaced by the New Model Police (who dressed in blue rather than red) in 1839.GAMMONERS: Swindlers or bullshitters.ROMONERS: Gammoners who pretend to have occult powers.NEW DANCING-ACADEMY: The treadmill at Brixton Prison. There are more! But we’re out of space here. A full glossary of all the flash-cant terms used in this episode is at ⁠https://pennydread.com/discord⁠ in the "#season-4-episodes" thread.

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!PART I: "THE HA’PENNY HORRIDS," 0:00 — 41:25:01:20: DICKENS' DREADFUL ALMANAC for today: Three years before, she walked in on a murder that had just been committed …03:35: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapter 76-77: We now cut away to Mrs. Lovett’s pie shop. It is thronged with eager customers and doing a land-office trade. But Mrs. Lovett is nervous. Her captive cook has suddenly started being super punctual and cheerful, which makes her suspicious. She decides she’s going to disappear from the scene; but she’s a little worried about that cook. If he pulls whatever stunt he’s scheming about too soon, it could ruin everything …33:00: STREET BROADSIDE: A “catchpenny” broadside about a gang of highway robbers who murder a newlywed couple, and then one by one fall victim to deadly accidents.36:35: TERRIFIC REGISTER ARTICLE: An account of an evil servant of a linen bleacher who murdered a neighbor kid to cover up his theft. In the 1820s, chlorine having not yet been invented, linen was still bleached by boiling it in lye and then laying it out on grass for seven days.PART II: "THE TWOPENNY TORRIDS," 42:00 — 1:19:45:42:30: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 43-44: After our boys have a night’s rest courtesy of a family of gypsies — a noble and honorable people provided one respects their customs — the lads push on, keeping a sharp eye out for any chance to “do some business.” They soon come upon what looks like a wedding party! Who doesn’t want to be robbed at pistol-point on his wedding-night? The groom, that’s who! Who does? His newly-wedded bride, it seems. Sounds ridiculous, right? You’ll soon see.1:02:20: SOME STREET POETRY from an 1830s “broadside”: "The Blooming Goddess” and “18s.-A-Week.”1:07:20: ONE OR TWO VERY NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONGS: "The bug destroyers” (about some exterminators called to purge the bedbugs from a whorehouse) and “Up the Flue; or, The Knowing Clergyman,” about a frisky chimney-sweep.1:13:10: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:SPICE ISLANDERS: A punning reference to swindlers. A mace is a swindle, but mace is also a spice.SMASHERS: Counterfeit-coin makers.KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. BAWDY DAME: A brothel madam.BUGGER: Then as now, a reference to sodomy.KNOWING CLERGYMAN: A rakish chimney sweep. (Like clergymen, chimney sweeps were always dressed in black.)CHUMMY: A chimney sweep’s boy helper sent to crawl into chimneys to clean them. These kids had a hard life, and often a short one.BLOW HIS BAGS OUT: Give him a really good feed.TO BE BURNT: To be infected with an STD.SHERRY OFF: To run away at top speed. Adopted from the nautical term "to sheer off."FLATS: Suckers. FLY TO: Wised-up about, aware of.FAKEMENT: Plot or scheme.TOPPING COVE: Hangman.THE OLD STONE JUG: Newgate Prison, or prisons in general.PADDINGTON FAIR: Execution day at Tyburn Tree gallows, which was in Paddington parish; during the years when the “Bloody Code” was in effect, and one could get “scragged” for stealing less than 10 modern dollars’ worth of goods, it was also a blackly humourous pun, as “pad” was Flash slang for “thief” or “robber.”

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!This is our main one-hour Sunday-night episode. Including, after the break, the "Sixpenny Spookies" segment. PART I: “The HALF-CROWN CAMPIES” segment: 0:00 — 31:00:01:20: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 32: Varney’s visitor at last arrives. Spurs clank as he walks into the room; he’s clearly come on horseback. Varney tells his visitor he dreads the visit because of the memory it evokes each year — a memory of something not spelled out, but we do learn that Varney was dead and now is alive once again. We also gather that the visitor holds some kind of awful power over Varney still. What could it be?20:20: BROADSIDE BALLAD: A possibly-true account of a young shepherd who, shortly before he was struck by lightning and killed, had some strange and spooky dreams.26:50: TERRIFIC REGISTER ARTICLE: A strange chapel in Bremen, where centuries-old corpses are preternaturally preserved.PART II: "THE SIXPENNY SPOOKIES," 31:20 — 1:15:00:31:40: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, TO-WIT: Wake Not the Dead, by Ernst Raupach; final part: Walter finds the sorcerer waiting for him. But the course he offers Walter as his last hope, is almost as horrible as being sucked to death by the vampire. Will he have the courage to do it? Will it even matter if he does?55:00: A SHORT GHOST STORY from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax: If you’re familiar with “The Invalid’s Story,” by Mark Twain, think that story, but with less stinky cheese and a more vocal corpse. Also, it’s a dog train rather than a railroad train. And … all right, all right, it’s a completely different story, but almost as much fun to read.1:12:45: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."*The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:COLLEGIATES: Prisoners in quod (gaol or prison). Not to be confused with ACADEMICIANS, which are brothel girls. BIRDS OF PREY: Lawyers. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. YARD OF WHITE TAPE: Large glass of white tape (gin). GOB-SLUICING DROPS: Beverage — your gob is your mouth. CAKES: Easy, stupid fellows. TOWN TABBIES: Dowagers of quality. RED WAISTCOAT: Uniform apparel of the Bow-street Runners, an early London police force replaced by the New Model Police (who dressed in blue rather than red) in 1839.GAMMONERS: Swindlers or bullshitters.ROMONERS: Gammoners who pretend to have occult powers.OLD ST. GILES: The most famous slum parish of London, also called "The Holy Land."RUM TE TUM WITH THE CHILL OFF: Most emphatically excellent.

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!This is our hour-long Ha'penny Horrid 'Hursday episode, the second of our two weekly shows. It comes in two parts, to-wit:PART I: "THE HA’PENNY HORRIDS," 0:00 — 37:30:01:10: DICKENS' DREADFUL ALMANAC for today: A Horrid (but mercifully short) account of a London coachman who received a particularly unpleasant, and fatal, Christmas present from his cher-amie...02:50: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapter 74-75: Left alone in the shop, Johanna does a little light snooping. The parlour door she finds locked, of course. In a cupboard she finds a great assortment of sticks and umbrellas, along with a very fine sailor’s jacket, with what looks like a bloodstain around the breast. She nearly gets lost in maudlin lamentations over it, thinking it might be Mark’s. Then someone tries to enter the shop. She opens the door. It’s a messenger boy. He gives her a letter. …30:40: EXECUTION-DAY BROADSIDE: The Trial and Execution of MARTIN CLINCH & SAMUEL MACKLEY, for the Wicked Murder of Mr. Fryer, in Islington Fields, in 1797..34:45: TERRIFIC REGISTER ARTICLE: Another story of a woman unsuccessfully hanged for stealing from a housemate, who had framed her for it after she refused to sleep with him … who woke up on the dissecting table. In this case, the surgeon did not re-murder her, though!PART II: "THE TWOPENNY TORRIDS," 38:00 — 1:15:00:38:40: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 41-42: The highwaymen watch as the miser’s murderer makes his appearance. It turns out to be a servant of the miser who had earlier stolen his gold, but now, overhearing his master’s curses and pledge to hunt down and kill whoever stole his gold, decided he’d rather have a murder on his conscience than a Nemesis on his track, and let the old man have it right in the chest. Outraged, Turpin and King pounce upon him. Dick makes a noose, and they fit it under his armpits and hang him up under a tree for someone to find, and they head off back toward their horses. Then, abruptly, the murderer’s screams stop, as if silenced by the hand of death … what could have happened?1:01:20: A STREET-LIT STORY from an 1830s “broadside”: "The Female Sleep-walker,” a “catchpenny” story with a subtly sexual subtext.1:07:50: A RATHER NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONG: "The Frisky Country Lass,” which is one of those songs in which you figure out the dirty words by seeing what they rhyme with.1:11:55: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker."*The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a wood west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:CAPTAIN LUSHINGTON: One who has alcoholically overindulged. OUT-AND-OUTER: A tip-topper or first-rater. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. BLUNT: Money, with the implication that there is a large amount of it. BOLT THE MOON: Fly by night. MOABITES: Bailiffs. PHILISTINES: Another word for Moabites. NUBBING COVES: Hangmen. There are more! But we’re out of space here. A full glossary of all the flash-cant terms used in this episode is at ⁠https://pennydread.com/discord⁠ in the "#season-4-episodes" thread.

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!PART I: “The HALF-CROWN CAMPIES” segment: 0:00 — 32:00:01:20: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 31: We open the scene on Sir Francis Varney is in his home. He is awaiting a visitor, whom he dreads. We learn from his nervous mutterings that this visit occurs once a year, at which the visitor exacts a price which Varney must pay “for that existence, which but for him had been long since terminated.” Who can this visitor be, who fills the fearsome and dreadful Varney the Vampyre with such terror and loathing?26:02: BROADSIDE BALLAD: A jocose street song about a silly prophecy that London would be hit with a tremendous earthquake.30:15: TERRIFIC REGISTER ARTICLE: The story of a noble lion who, after running amok in Venice, treated a dropped baby with great care.PART II: "THE SIXPENNY SPOOKIES," 32:45 — 1:09:45:33:00: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, TO-WIT: Wake Not the Dead, by Ernst Raupach, Part 3 of 4: In which:: Walter’s castle daily grows more empty and desolate, as everyone with children takes them away to save them from the vampire’s curse. All that remains are old people, whose tired blood Brunhilda considers unsuitable; and, of course, Walter’s two children. Walter, enthralled by her spell, doesn’t even notice. Brunhilda is like a magic sex robot — loving and passionate with him, cold and distant to everything else, but fueled by young blood, which she obtains by making herself charming to her victim before lulling him or her to sleep and draining from his or her young bosom the purple tide of life. She now sets out to charm and slake herself with Walter’s children….54:00: A SHORT GHOST STORY from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax: The story of a traveler who, murdered for the cash with which he was traveling, appeared in ghost form the following week to bring his murderer to justice.1:00:30: A BONUS GHOST STORY from the Terrific Register (1825): A legend of a ghostly character that appeared to Napoleon Bonaparte and foretold his fall.1:07:45: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."*The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:NATTY LADS: Young well-dressed pickpockets. LIVELY KIDDIES: Funny fellows. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. CLANKERS: Pewter drinking pots. ENGLISH BURGUNDY: Strong ale or barleywine. AUTEM BAWLERS: Preachers. BABES OF GRACE: Puritanical sanctimonious-looking persons, especially if they are drunk. Think of Mr. Lupin from Sweeney Todd. VADE MECUM: Latin for "hand book."There are more! But we’re out of space here. A full glossary of all the flash-cant terms used in this episode is at ⁠https://pennydread.com/discord⁠ in the "#season-4-episodes" thread.

This is our hour-long Ha'penny Horrid 'Hursday episode, the second of our two weekly shows. It comes in two parts, to-wit:PART I: "THE HA’PENNY HORRIDS," 0:00 — 44:30:01:00: DICKENS' DREADFUL ALMANAC for today: A dentist pounced upon and nearly choked to death by a gang of thieves.03:15: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapter 72-73: We look in on Arabella to see how she is handling her feelings of responsibility for Johanna’s recklessness. And the verdict is – not well. She can’t figure out what to do. She can’t leave her there, for she’ll get killed; she can’t tell Mr. Oakley; or talk to her friends. What to do? She decides — surprisingly, for her decisionmaking so far has been pretty bad — to do something really very smart and sensible: Lay the whole mess out before Sir Richard Blunt. Meanwhile, Johanna is getting the full import of what it is to be Sweeney Todd’s apprentice boy … how is she holding up? Better than you might have expected! But will it be good enough? We shall see …33:30: CRIME BROADSIDE: The final hours of six petty criminals sacrificed to the brutal bloodlust of a barbaric age in Britain.42:00: TERRIFIC REGISTER ARTICLE: A man who murdered his wife for insurance money faced his execution with total sang-froid.PART II: "THE TWOPENNY TORRIDS," 00:00 — 00:00:45:15: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 40: Dick Turpin and Tom King press on into the New Forest, hoping to find a place of refuge for the night. Just as they are about to give up and settle in for an uncomfortable night under a tree, King spots a light, deep in the forest. The highwaymen follow the light, hoping it will lead to a warm place to rest … instead, it leads them to a dark, silent hollow, at the bottom of which they see a gaunt figure, digging what looks like a shallow grave ….1:08:30: SOME STREET POETRY from an 1830s “broadside”: "The Bloody Gardener’s Lament.”1:15:45: A RATHER NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONG: "Pity the Sorrows of a Poor Old Mot” (about a prostitute contemplating the approach of retirement age)1:21:30: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker."Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London, every Sunday and Thursday evening at 5:37 p.m. London time! * The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a wood west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:GAMMONERS: Gamesters, gamblers, or confidence men. HIGH FLYERS: Tip-toppers, first-raters. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. MOT: Whore or lady of easy virtue.PAD IT: In context of today’s bawdy song, to walk the street soliciting for a “john.”TOGGERY: Clothing.COUTER: A sovereign — a coin worth £1.KID: In the context of today’s bawdy song, a lover or playmate.There are more! But we’re out of space here. A full glossary of all the flash-cant terms used in this episode is at ⁠https://pennydread.com/discord⁠ in the "#season-4-episodes" thread.

This is our main one-hour Sunday-night episode. Including, after the break, the "Sixpenny Spookies" segment.PART I: “The HALF-CROWN CAMPIES” segment: 0:00 — 37:40:01:10: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 29-30: Now we cut to a new scene, in a ruined abbey near Bannerworth Hall, in a dungeon-cell beneath which there is a man locked up, battered and dazed and bearing the marks of a desperate struggle. He is not identified, but it seems nearly certain that it’s Charles Holland. His two captors have come to his cell with a scroll and a pen, and they’re trying to get him to sign the scroll, but he’s still too dazed and concussed to do it. They give up for the time being and leave. — So … what’s the scroll? Who are the two captors? And is this Charles, imprisoned in the cell?(Here is a link to London pop historian Jenny Draper’s 40-minute YouTube video on the Dissolution of the Monasteries)30:20: BROADSIDE BALLAD: Another fictional cautionary tale for young Victorian women, warning them not to patronize fortune-tellers, or THIS could happen to YOU!34:10: TERRIFIC REGISTER ARTICLE: What do you do when your doppleganger turns out to have committed a capital crime? If you’re smart, and you live in pre-Victorian Britain under the “bloody code,” you run. If you’re not smart, well, you do what this guy did ...PART II: "THE SIXPENNY SPOOKIES," 38:00 — 1:20:30:38:30: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, TO-WIT: WAKE NOT THE DEAD, Part 2 of 4: Walter brings Brunhilda to the castle to accustom her to the the daylight. When finally she is ready, though, Walter reaches for her and she rebuffs him: She won’t be his concubine, she tells him; he must first get rid of his new wife. Well, of course, he does; and after that, can there be any barrier to Walter’s happiness? Well, yes … because now that Brunhilda is back at his side, the youths of his domain suddenly start wasting away, almost as if some night-stalking monster was sucking their blood from them …59:00: A SHORT GHOST STORY from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax: We finish the story of the many hauntings of Hinton Ampner, a great English country-house in Hampshire; recounted by a lady who lived there for seven years.1:18:10: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!*The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:• FAULKNERS: Acrobats. • DIMBER DAMBERS: Leaders of the canting crew. • KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. • CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). • CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. • OLD TOM: Top-shelf gin. • DANDIES: Fops, high-class airheads; Bertie Wooster types. • RATTLING GLOAKS: Simple-minded, easygoing fellows who like to talk. There are more! But we’re out of space here. A full glossary of all the flash-cant terms used in this episode is at ⁠https://pennydread.com/discord⁠ in the "#season-4-episodes" thread.

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!This is our Ha'penny Horrid 'Hursday episode, the second of our two weekly shows. It comes in two parts, to-wit:PART I: "THE HA’PENNY HORRIDS," 0:00 — 45:30:01:00: DICKENS' DREADFUL ALMANAC for today: A priest is prosecuted for clobbering a parishioner with his umbrella after she converted to Protestantism (Dec. 11, 1852).03:10: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapter 70-71: Sir Richard leads the party to the captive cook’s bakehouse-prison so that they can witness his captivity, and also to exchange letters with him. The letters are orders for him to carry out in the role he is to play in bringing Mrs. Lovett to justice. Then Sir Richard tells the others there is something else he must show them … something, he adds, “more horrible than all the horrors your imagination can suggest.” … He's not kidding. 31:10: GRIM/DARK BROADSIDE: “Horrible Murder at Nantwich!” A brief story, and a lengthy poetical lament, about a drunken domestic quarrel that ended in murder.35:40: TERRIFIC REGISTER ARTICLE: (With Illustration) A grisly account of the 25-year run of the “Monster of Scotland,” a highway robber and serial murderer who, with his equally criminal wife, moved into a secret cave on the remote coast of Scotland and lived on the flesh of the travellers they robbed. PART II: "THE TWOPENNY TORRIDS," 46:00 — 1:21:30:46:30: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 38-39: Tom and Dick pass through the door, re-lock it, and bar it on the other side. Then they look around. It’s a strange room … and in the center of it, they find a piece of equipment that explains a good deal about why Mr. Waghorn didn’t want the officers to follow them into the basement … but for Dick and Tom, the more important question is, is there a way out? We shall see …1:07:05: SOME STREET POETRY from an 1830s “broadside”: “The Beggar-Girl” and “The Rose of Britain’s Isle.”1:11:30: A VERY NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONG: "Beating an Attack; or, The Drummer in Arms in the Park” (about a young lady who conceived a passion for a well-dressed Army drummer, and their subsequent frolic in a secluded part of the park).1:16:50: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker."* The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a wood west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:PRIME COVES: Sporting men of the first order. FLY DOXIES: Dashing, possibly dangerous women. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. TO SPEND: To ejaculate. SWADDY: A soldier.SHERRY OFF: To run away at top speed. Adopted from the nautical term "to sheer off."FLATS: Suckers. FLY TO: Wised-up about, aware of.FAKEMENT: Plot or scheme.BUMS: Bailiffs.There are more! But we’re out of space here. A full glossary of all the flash-cant terms used in this episode is at ⁠https://pennydread.com/discord⁠ in the "#season-4-episodes" thread.

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!This is our main one-hour Sunday-night episode. Including, after the break, the "Sixpenny Spookies" segment. COMING OUT A DAY EARLY!PART I: “The HALF-CROWN CAMPIES” segment: 0:00 — 32:00:02:50: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 28: Henry, the admiral and Mr. Marchdale follow the trail the Admiral saw Charles Holland follow when leaving the house, and on the other side of the fence there are the signs of a mighty struggle. Even Marchdale has to admit it’s clear Charles got waylaid. So, what is to be done?25:10: BROADSIDE CATCHPENNY: A little street humour: Milord came home and found milady in tears. Oh no! What could be the matter? If only he would stop wailing, gnashing his teeth, and long-windedly demanding to know what was wrong long enough for her to explain …29:00: TERRIFIC REGISTER ARTICLE: He woke up from a terrible dream, that his cook was dead. Hurrying downstairs, he found her in the same clothes from his dream — a wedding dress! Meanwhile, outside, her boyfriend, the gardener, was digging a shallow grave in the petunia bed ….PART II: "THE SIXPENNY SPOOKIES," 32:30 — 1:15:45:32:45: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, TO-WIT: Wake Not the Dead, by Ernst Raupach, Part 1 of 4: The story opens on the scene of Walter, a powerful lord in Burgundy, sobbing over the grave of his first wife, the beautiful black-haired Brunhilda. Obviously delusional, he keeps begging her to wake up and “clasp him to her bosom,” if you know what he means. He does this night after night, until a sorcerer comes and tells him he can magically restore Brunhilda to life … but urges Walter not to do it. “Lasst die Todten ruhen,” he warns ominously. But Walter, of course, is in no condition to listen to reason …56:25: A SHORT GHOST STORY from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax: The many hauntings of Hinton Ampner, a great English country-house in Hampshire; recounted by a lady who lived there for seven years.1:11:15: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."*The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:• ACK PIRATES: Riverboat robbers. • BLACKLEGS: Fast-and-loose gambling men. • KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. • CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). • CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. • NIPPERKIN: Half-pint measure (two quarterns). Please note that I was just kidding, please do not drink a whole pint of gin while listening to the show today! • STARK NAKED: Strong gin, of the dry (non-cordial) type, taken neat. • RUM BEAKS: Bribe-able magistrates and law-enforcement officers. • LAMBSKIN COVES: Judges. • VADE MECUM: Latin for "hand book."There are more! But we’re out of space here. A full glossary of all the flash-cant terms used in this episode is at ⁠https://pennydread.com/discord⁠ in the "#season-4-episodes" thread.

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!PART I: "THE HA’PENNY HORRIDS," 0:00 — 42:00:00:55: DICKENS' DREADFUL ALMANAC for today: The account of a murderous attack made on a landlord’s steward made 174 years ago today.03:00: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapter 68-69: Late that evening, at St. Dunstan’s Church, four gentlemen arrive and let themselves in with a key. They are Sir Richard Blunt, with the senior churchwarden, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary’s assistant. They are soon joined by the Lord Mayor of London. They are there on an official visit to the vaults below St. Dunstan’s. Sir Richard has something he wants to show the others….28:45: A TRUE-CRIME BROADSIDE: “HORRID MURDER Committed by a Young Man on a Young Woman.” A “catchpenny” — that is, an article that claims to be true but probably isn’t.32:10: TERRIFIC REGISTER ARTICLE: The story of the crime, sentencing and execution of the Earl of Ferrers for murdering a servant in cold blood in 1769.PART II: "THE TWOPENNY TORRIDS," 42:30 — 1:23:45:43:00: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 36-37: Tom and Dick pass through the door, re-lock it, and bar it on the other side. Then they look around. It’s a strange room … and in the center of it, they find a piece of equipment that explains a good deal about why Mr. Waghorn didn’t want the officers to follow them into the basement … but for Dick and Tom, the more important question is, is there a way out? We shall see …1:08:45: SOME STREET POETRY from an 1830s “broadside.”1:12:55: TWO VERY NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONGS: "The Pensioner” (about a gent whose ladyfriend brings home the bacon in the Oldest Professional way) and “The Upright” (“upright” was slang for “erection”).1:19:50: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker."*The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a wood west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:• BOBTAIL: A naughty lady. • BON VIVANT: A choice spirit. • KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. • CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). • CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. • PENSIONER: A man who lives off the earnings of a prostitute.• DONE BROWN: Done to perfection, finished off very neatly.• BLOWEN: A prostitute, or at least a lady of very easy virtue.• BLUNT: Money, with the implication that there is plenty of it.• MEAT: Generic slang for naughtybits, especially ladies’. Also MUTTON.• ROOT: Penis.• TREE: Word-playing reference to a very large “root.”• COVES: Informal reference to men, like “dudes” in modern slang.• COME IT FLASH: Cut a flashy figure on the scene. • FANCY GAL: A hot, sexy-dressing blowen.• GAY: Sporty, possibly naughty.• SHERRY OFF: To run away at top speed. Adopted from the nautical term "to sheer off."• FLATS: Suckers. There are more! But we’re out of space here. A full glossary of all the flash-cant terms used in this episode is at ⁠https://pennydread.com/discord⁠ in the "#season-4-episodes" thread.

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!PART I: “The HALF-CROWN CAMPIES” segment: 0:00 — 35:00:01:05: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 27: Henry, the admiral and Mr. Marchdale present the three letters to Flora, anticipating she will be offended and angry with Charles for treating her so. Instead, they are surprised when she cries, “Where did you get these disgraceful forgeries? What has happened to Charles? Has someone waylaid him and murdered him?” … It’s a pretty good question, isn’t it?24:05: STREET BROADSIDE : A “catchpenny” broadside telling the story of the experiences of a man of the cloth who awakened in his coffin just before burial, with what you might call a “hellacious” story of his out-of-body adventures while dead.30:55: TERRIFIC REGISTER ARTICLE: Tells of the almost miraculous rescue of a starving sailor stranded on his disabled ship.PART II: "THE SIXPENNY SPOOKIES," 35:30 — 1:14:00:35:50: EARLY VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, TO-WIT: Carmilla by J.S. Le Fanu, Part 9 of 9: An extraordinary-looking gnome-like man now makes an appearance. This is BARON VORDENBURG, who has committed his life to research of vampires in general and Countess Mircalla in particular. He traces a map in the chapel with the general, and they end up identifying a spot in the wall, where a tablet is uncovered with “Mircalla Countess Karnstein” carved upon it. The general is delighted, and says the Inquisition will be held the following morning. … It is done. Laura’s life is thereby saved. So … why does it feel so much like a bereavement to her?57:25: A SHORT GHOST STORY from the scrapbook of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax: An account by Mrs. Alured Brooke of her experience when, staying in Wrotham House near Maidstone in Kent, she was visited three times by a ghostly man in a grey suit who sucked all the heat from the room. 1:10:25: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."A new episode of the show is released every Sunday and Thursday evening at 5:37 p.m. London time!* The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:• ACADEMICIANS: Bordello ladies. • AUTEM DIVERS: Pickpockets who work the crowd at religious gatherings. Also used to refer to churchwardens and overseers of the parish poorhouse. • KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. • CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). • CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. • YARD OF OLD TOM: Large serving of top-shelf gin. • FLICKER OF KILL-DEVIL: Glass of coarse, cheap gin or other spirit served raw and unaged, fresh from the still. • YELPERS: People who lament piteously over trifles. • CAKES: Silly fellows — cakes being made like them, of soft dough not over-well baked. There are more! But we’re out of space here. A full glossary of all the flash-cant terms used in this episode is at ⁠https://pennydread.com/discord⁠ in the "#season-4-episodes" thread.

Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of old London!This is our hour-long Ha'penny Horrid 'Hursday episode, the second of our two weekly shows. PART I: "THE HA’PENNY HORRIDS”: (Horrid, as in “horror”!)01:00: DICKENS' DREADFUL ALMANAC for today: An account of a 21-year-old man who stole jewels worth north of half a million modern pounds Sterling … and nearly got away with it! 04:03: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapter 66-67: Johanna and Arabella get ready to implement their plan. The decide she’ll go over and ask for the job in the morning. … Meanwhile, Todd is musing about the strange fact that his customers always come by twos. He jumps up. “Yes,” he says, “the game is up. I am watched. Off and away.” And then he starts packing up his plunder, preparatory to hopping the twig, leaving Fleet-street in a great blaze behind him … then someone enters the shop. It’s a customer! Todd darts behind him — and bolts the shop door.29:10: BROADSIDE: The Trials and Sentences of Prisoners at the Old Bailey in 1852 … including a lad who was put in the pillory for perjury after his testimony sent an innocent man to the gallows.32:31: THE ‘REST OF THE STORY’ ABOUT THE MURDERING BURKERS: Trust me, it’s way more horrible than we realized when we read that Execution Broadside, two weeks ago!PART II: "THE TWOPENNY TORRIDS”:This second segment of the Thursday show contains a chapter or two of Dick Turpin's adventures, along with all the more salacious, cheeky, and naughty elements of the week — INCLUDING ...44:08: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 34-35: Dick and Tom stop at the Samson and Lion and ask the ostler to look after their horses. He is very surly and insolent until they pay him some money, at which point he snaps into line. Dick does a little bragging about Black Bess, which he quickly realizes was a big mistake as it is no part of their plan to reveal who they are … how big a mistake it was, our lads will soon be finding out!1:08:15: SOME STREET POETRY from a broadside ballad: “The Archer-boy,” “Nan o’ the Valley,” “The Unkind Shepherdess,” and “I Love Thee Night and Day Love.”1:12:55: A VERY NAUGHTY COCK-AND-HEN-CLUB SONG: "THE WAGER; or, THE HOLY OLD MAID.” In which, we learn that Aunt Sally isn’t nearly so spinsterish as her neighbours think …1:17:20: A FEW SALTY AND SPICY JOKES from a somewhat edgy 1800s joke book: "The Joke-Cracker."*The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a wood west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.GLOSSARY OF FLASH TERMS USED IN THIS EPISODE:• CAPER MERCHANTS: Dancing teachers. • BITS O’ MUSLIN: Pretty girls. • KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. • CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). • CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. • FLATS: Suckers. • FLY TO: Wised-up about, aware of.• FAKEMENT: Plot or scheme.There are more! But we’re out of space here. A full glossary of all the flash-cant terms used in this episode is at ⁠https://pennydread.com/discord⁠ in the "#season-4-episodes" thread.