The Victorians: In Their Own Words

D. C. C. Randell

What do our ancestors have to say for themselves? In this podcast, history graduates Danny Randell and Ava Munro dig into the primary sources to hear what life was really like in the Victorian Era - directly from those who lived it!

Episodes

  1. 06/27/2023

    Punch & Poetry: Victorian Pop Culture

    Punch was a famous British weekly magazine which was very influential during the Victorian era and even well into the 20th century. We'll be reading some excerpts from it for you in this final episode of The Victorians: In Their Own Words along with some famous Victorian poems. Thank you for listening to Their Own Words.

    23 min

  2. 06/13/2023

    Rudyard Kipling: Poet of the Empire

    Kipling was a Nobel-prize winning writer, but while many of his poems and short stories are still treasured today, he has also become quite a controversial figure. Let's hear from the man in his own words.

    24 min

  3. 05/30/2023

    Charles Darwin's Diary: The Voyage of the Beagle

    Charles Darwin is credited with the theory of evolution which he famously laid out in his book, On The Origin of Species, however, long before that volume was published, Darwin became famous for an account of his journey on the HMS Beagle, which includes details of his trip to the Galapagos Islands and the beginnings of an idea he would later term "natural selection".

    22 min

  4. 05/16/2023

    The Victorians & Computers: Ada Lovelace and her Algorithm

    Ada Lovelace is largely considered to be the world's first computer programmer. And she was a Victorian! The daughter of Lord Byron, she wasn't just famous because of her parentage, but also in her own right. Her and her collaborator Charles Babbage were instrumental in laying the groundwork for what would one day lead to the invention of modern computers. www.ownwordspodcast.com

    20 min

  5. 05/09/2023

    Letters From Florence Nightingale: The Lady of the Lamp

    Florence Nightingale is the mother of modern nursing—and—she was a Victorian! Hear directly from Florence herself and all about her legacy in this episode of Their Own Words. www.ownwordspodcast.com

    22 min

  6. 05/02/2023

    The Eponymous Episode: Reading Queen Victoria's Diary

    In this week's episode, we read from Queen Victoria's diary and find out what it was like to be the monarch after which this fascinating period in history was named. www.ownwordspodcast.com

    35 min

  7. 04/25/2023

    To Be a Young Wife & Mother: Maria Cust on Love & Marriage

    Maria Cust was just 23 years old when she began penning her diary as the bride of an East India Company executive. The picture she left us is one of domestic bliss, though there were certainly trials when Robert was called away to India right after they had their first child together. In this episode of Their Own Words, get an idea of what it might have been like to be a middle-class mother in Victorian Britain.

    28 min

  8. 04/18/2023

    Letters From Charles Dickens

    Most of us are familiar with at least some of Charles Dickens's work. This Victorian author was a literary giant and left us stories like A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations. In this episode of Their Own Words Danny and Ava take a look at Charles's personal correspondence to get a measure of the man behind some of the greatest pieces of literature to come out of the Victorian age. Plus, hear brief excerpts from the Pickwick Papers and Charles's own travel memoir detailing a trip he took to America. Check out our website at www.ownwordspodcast.com You can also support the show on Patreon for bonus content: www.patreon.com/TOWP

    41 min

  9. 04/11/2023

    Life in the Workhouse: A Victorian Nightmare

    "Please sir, can I have some more?" The workhouse was a place no one really wanted to be in Victorian Britain. But what was it really like? In this episode, hear stories from those who were there.

    30 min

  10. 04/07/2023

    Easter in Victorian Times [BONUS]

    What was Easter like in Victorian Britain? Actually, rather similar to today. Join Ava and Danny for this bonus Easter episode of Their Own Words where they talk a bit about Easter traditions and read from a book with which many Victorians would have been familiar: the Book of Common Prayer.

    13 min

  11. 04/04/2023

    To Be Young & Middle-Class: Andrew Tait's Diary

    In today's episode, Danny & Ava take a look at the diary of fifteen-year old Andrew Tait, the son of a shop-owner who lived in Ilford, Essex. Andrew had a very typical middle-class Victorian upbringing, and while his diary reflects on some events of note, it mostly bears witness to the ordinary, everyday happenings that a young man of his age and class would have experienced. ,

    31 min

  12. 03/28/2023

    A Brief Introduction to the Victorians

    Who were the Victorians? Why are they important today? A brief overview of the first historical group that Their Own Words hosts Danny & Ava will be covering.

    6 min
  • 12 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

4.5
out of 5
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About

What do our ancestors have to say for themselves? In this podcast, history graduates Danny Randell and Ava Munro dig into the primary sources to hear what life was really like in the Victorian Era - directly from those who lived it!

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