Arsenic and Lace: The Trial of the Yorkshire Witch - with Maddy Pelling
Podcast: Cautionary Tales with Tim HarfordPublished On: Fri Jul 31 2026
Description: Mary Bateman lived in Yorkshire in the late 18th Century, an age that prized rational thought. Many people still longed to believe in the old ways and Bateman used this to her advantage, selling spells and enchantments to the desperate. Dr Maddy Pelling, co-host of the After Dark podcast and author of Hoax: Truth and Lies in the Age of Enlightenment, joins Tim to tell the tale of the villainous Yorkshire Witch, and just how far she was willing to go. For the sources, see the show notes at timharford.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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