Category: 18th century

THE VOICE OF EXPERIENCE Catherine Jemmat

After a lifetime of betrayal and abuse as an 18th century sex worker, Catherine Jemmat broke the ultimate social taboo: she wrote the truth about her life. Her “scandalous memoir” helped change the way readers thought about women’s lives, and her second book introduced a radical new idea into English society – that the true ‘perpetrator’ driving women into lives of so-called sin and degradation was, in fact, society itself. Returning guest Miranda Garno Rossa …

18th century / Activists / England / Europe / Sex workers / Writers

THE WITNESS Leonora Sansay

Leonora Sansay lived through the last chaotic years of the Haitian Revolution – but the book she wrote about it would tell an entirely unexpected story. Join returning guest Dr. Maria Windell as we explore the fascinatingly “messy-complicated” life of novelist Leonora Sansay – and uncover a fascinating link with “almost-Founding Father” (and 21st century Broadway icon) …Vice President Aaron Burr?   The text of Sansay’s novel Secret History is also available free on Project …

18th century / 19th century / Haiti / North America / Politics / Revolution / Travel / United States / War

THE WITCH OF WELLFLEET Maria Hallett

A pirate ship jammed with treasure. The worst storm to ever hit Cape Cod. The mythical shipwreck — 280 years later, found. Everything in this swashbuckling tale (full of impossible things that really did happen) occurred because of Maria Hallett. Did she turn witch, to curse her lover’s ship, or to save it? Join us on location at Real Pirates Museum in Salem, MA. Stephanie Clements is a Cape Cod native and guide at Real …

18th century / Ghosts / North America / on-location / Pirates / Travel / United States / Witches

THE ADVENTURERS The Wilmot Sisters

How did two ordinary 18th century Anglo-Irish sisters end up gallivanting around the European continent, fraternizing with all the most radical and revolutionary minds of the Enlightenment, and becoming BFFs with a Russian Princess? Guest Alexis Wolf introduces Olivia to the astonishing lives of Katherine and Martha Wilmot. Alexis Wolf is a writer and researcher with an expertise on women’s lives in the 18th and 19th centuries. She earned her PhD from Birkbeck, University of London …

18th century / 19th century / Europe / France / Ireland / Russia / Science / Travel / Writers

BONUS EPISODE: A Night of Celebration LIVE

What’sHerName goes LIVE! To launch our new book, What’s Her Name, A History of the World in 80 Lost Women, former episode guests convene in London from all over the world for a Night of Celebration! In rapid-fire succession, brilliant 3-minute performances of poetry, song, story, and dance take us chronologically through the history of the world. The magic is punctuated throughout with short readings from the new book by Katie and Olivia. The packed …

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THE GRATEFUL DUCHESS Harriot Mellon

The richest, most famous person you’ve never heard of is Harriot Mellon. An icon of the stage in Regency England, she rose from abject poverty and abuse to become the wealthiest woman in the country. More surprising still: she was the sweetest, most wholesome soul you’ll ever meet. Katie interviews renowned historian Ian Mortimer.   Explore the British Museum’s vast collection of objects related to Harriot Mellon here. Read the full two volumes of Harriot …

18th century / 19th century / England / Europe / Performers / Theater

THE CARPENTER Elizabeth Gregory

When Sir Christopher Wren was tasked with redesigning Westminster Abbey in 1697, his extravagant vision was brought to life by the Abbey’s Head Carpenter Elizabeth Gregory. In an era when men ruled supreme, this remarkable woman oversaw every one of the hundreds of carpenters working for the Abbey for over fifteen years. Discover the mysterious life of Elizabeth Gregory, as Olivia takes us on-location to Westminster Abbey  with Community Engagement Officer Aaron Paterson. A complete …

17th century / 18th century / England / Europe / on-location / Religion / Transcripts

THE GLEANER Judith Sargent Murray

  In 1790, Judith Sargent Murray became the first American to publicly argue that men and women were equal. Hailing from seafaring Gloucester Massachusetts, she educated herself, weathered some of life’s cruelest storms, and published hundreds of bold, brave essays. She expected to rock the boat, steering her new American nation toward equality. And America went…meh. Why? Join Katie on location at Sargent House Museum in Gloucester. Judith Sargent Murray’s Unitarian Universalist Catechism is available …

18th century / 19th century / First woman to... / North America / on-location / Philosophy / Politics / Religion / Travel / United States / War / Writers

THE GOOD WIFE Elizabeth Bray Allen

What makes a good wife? In 1700s Virginia, there was one clear path for colonial women: Marry. Have children. Preserve the family wealth. Fail at this, and you’ve failed at life. But what if the family wealth you were tasked to preserve was an old mansion…and a slave plantation? Katie takes us on location to Bacon’s Castle, one of America’s oldest houses.   You can read Elizabeth Bray Allen’s will here, and take a 3D …

18th century / North America / on-location / United States

GONE TO THE ENEMY Eve

What if you got to witness the birth of the American Revolution personally? If you got to hear the founding fathers debating liberty, rights, and the pursuit of happiness around the dining table? Eve heard and saw it all…because she was enslaved by one of the founding fathers. Eve kept her ears open, her eyes down, and then, she made her move. Join Katie on location in Williamsburg, Virginia for the astonishing story of Eve, …

18th century / Black history / North America / on-location / Politics / Revolution / United States / War