My Victorian Nightmare

Genevieve Manion
  • 4.7 (1.5K)
  • History
  • Updated Semiweekly

Here you’ll find mysterious deaths, morbid fascinations, disturbing stories, and otherwise spooky events from the Victorian Era. For ad-free listening, witchy content, Victorian True Crime Extras and Dark Poetry, join The Fan Coven! If you consider yourself an enthusiast of creepy Victorian history, you probably already know about the age of spiritualism, the grisly murders, the grave robbers, twisted pseudo psychotherapy, and memento mori – But I try to dig a little deeper. This was a time full of lace corsetry, romantic poetry, and a deep reverence and affection for the dead. It was a culture of shared sorrow, ornament and elegance, prudishness and scandal, bone chilling children’s stories, and for whatever reason, I just feel at home there. There’s something strangely comforting about the heebie jeebies this era gives me. If you find yourself equally enchanted by things that most people would find horrifying, this podcast is probably for you. To listen ad-free, visit myvictoriannightmare.com and join my Patreon.

  1. 3d ago

    Ep. 110 - Cannibal Cats and Ghosts with Guns

    In this episode, Genevieve will dive back into the Illustrated Police News, The 19th century’s worst newspaper. She will discuss horrifying murder attempts with hot pokers, deadly champagne suppers, the science of decapitation, men falling dead at funerals, ghosts with guns, cannibal cats and much, much more.  Subscribe to the Newsletter! Subscribe to the Patreon free trial for ad-free listening! Help Yourself to MVN Merch! Today’s Instagram Post References: “The Science of Decapitation” – The Illustrated Police News, May 7th, 1872. “What Befel a New York Swell Who Persisted in Laughing at a “Dolly Varden” – The Illustrated Police News, May 7th, 1872. “A Woman in New York Thrusts a Red Hot Iron down Her Husband’s Throat” – The Illustrated Police News, May 7th, 1872. “Sewed in a Sheet—An Injured Wife’s Revenge on an Indolent Husband at Louisville, Ky.” – The Illustrated Police News, May 7th, 1872. “A CORPSE AT THE FOOT OF THE STAIRS” – The Illustrated Police News, May 7th, 1872. “How They Drink in England” – The Illustrated Police News, May 7th, 1872. “CURIOUS CASUALTIES” – The Illustrated Police News, Jan. 4th, 1879. “Cremated Alive—The Fatal Sequel of a Champagne Supper—Terrible Revenge of a Harlot” – The Illustrated Police News, Jan. 4th, 1879. “A Live Turkey Loose in a Drug Store” – The Illustrated Police News, Jan. 4th, 1879. “Crazed by the Blow of an Icicle—Remarkable Accident to an English Tourist Behind the Cataract of Niagara” – The Illustrated Police News, Jan. 4th, 1879. “A STRANGE SUICIDE”– The Illustrated Police News, Jan. 4th, 1879. “Cannibal Cats—How They Feasted Off the Corpse of a Dead Man” – The Illustrated Police News, Jan. 4th, 1879. “A Ghost With a Revolver” – The Illustrated Police News, Oct. 10th, 1885.

  2. Aug 24

    Ep. 109 - The Fascinating Funeral Industry of the 19th Century

    In this episode, Genevieve will discuss the funeral industry of the 19th century and a few of her favorite death-centered professions that are no longer in high demand today, but were positively fascinating: funeral cookie bakers, corpse-watchers, mutes and professional mourners.  Thank you to today’s sponsor, Alloy! Try the original estrogen-powered M4 skincare from Alloy. Visit myalloy.com and use code VICTORIAN for $20 off your first order! Subscribe to the Newsletter! Subscribe to the Patreon free trial for ad-free listening! Help Yourself to MVN Merch! Today’s Instagram Post My Problematic Award-Winning Video  Welcome to Heaven References: https://funeral.com/blogs/the-journal/funeral-biscuits-in-the-1800s-what-they-were-why-they-were-served-and-how-to-make-them-today?srsltid=AfmBOorry4RZkCYT3pQ2iGryb0LGfYJ-xZYnlhN6e4pYP5dl7Jb_SHwo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin-eater https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleventh_edition_of_the_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica https://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/england/englishness-funeral-food.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeral_biscuit https://www.victorianlondon.org/death/characteroffunerals.htm https://austins.co.uk/blog/the-history-of-the-victorian-mute/ https://thevictorianbookofthedead.wordpress.com/tag/professional-mourners https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/alma%3A99127049613408651 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/15792/pg15792-images.html https://thevictorianbookofthedead.wordpress.com/category/buried-alive/ “Prematurely Buried” - Kilmore Free Press, Jan. 18th 1883. “Narrowly Escaped Burial Alive” - The Clinton Independent, Thursday Feb. 18th, 1892.

  3. Aug 17

    Ep. 108 - Haunted Underground Stations & Unusual Death Omens

    In this episode, Genevieve will discuss verifiable accounts of tragedies that many believe explain the hauntings of 2 London Underground stations: Bank and Farringdon. She will also discuss a few unusual omens that Victorians believed predicted certain doom. Thank you to today’s sponsor! Try the original estrogen-powered M4 skincare from Alloy. Visit myalloy.com and use code VICTORIAN for $20 off your first order! Subscribe to the Newsletter! Subscribe to the Patreon free trial for ad-free listening! Help Yourself to MVN merch! Today’s Instagram Post References: https://www.davidcastleton.net/london-underground-haunted-stations-ghosts-tube/ https://freetoursbyfoot.com/ghosts-london-underground-stations/ https://www.paranormaldatabase.com/reports/underground.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground https://www.ghosthuntertours.co.uk/post/whispers-of-the-past-the-gruesome-tale-of-anne-naylor-s-poltergeist-at-farringdon-station https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/the-crime-and-execution-of-the-metyards-70c6824bae https://www.executedtoday.com/2015/07/19/1762-sarah-metyard-and-sally-metyard-mother-and-daughter/ https://georgianera.wordpress.com/2023/04/03/sarah-whitehead-the-bank-nun-ghost/ https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/10118/pg10118.html https://www.wisdomportal.com/Poems2010/AppleSymbolism.html

  4. Aug 10

    Ep. 107 - The TRAGIC Paris Charity Bazaar Fire of 1897

    In this episode, Genevieve will discuss the Paris Charity Bazaar fire of 1897: how an event devoted to gaiety, high society socializing and generosity became one of the deadliest fire tragedies in French history. Thank you to today’s sponsors! Try the original estrogen-powered M4 skincare from Alloy. Visit myalloy.com and use code VICTORIAN for $20 off your first order! AquaOmega: One of the highest-dose omega-3 supplements per serving, no fish burps, and for every bottle sold, removes 1 lb. of plastic and debris from the ocean and coastlines. Use code VICTORIAN for 20% off at myaquaomega.com/VICTORIAN. Subscribe to the Newsletter! Subscribe to the Patreon free trial for ad-free listening! The Burglar Bitten by a Skeleton Tote Today’s Instagram Post References: https://www.geriwalton.com/the-tragic-1897-charity-bazaar-fire-or-the-bazar-de-la-charite-in-paris/ https://www.broadhistory.com/the-fire-that-started-a-victorian-gender-war/ https://education.persee.fr/doc/magen_1257-5593_1897_num_64_33_31454 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazar_de_la_Charit%C3%A9 https://doctorfire.com/pages/Paris_fire.pdf https://parishistoryofourstreets.com/2021/04/29/the-bazaar-de-la-charite-disaster-part-one/

  5. Aug 3

    Ep. 106 - The Lincoln Assassination & Its HORRIFIC Aftermath

    In this episode, Genevieve will discuss the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and the shocking, little-known disasters and tragedies that began to unfold even before the smoke had cleared: the psychological unraveling of Mary Todd Lincoln, The Ford Theater collapse of 1893, the unthinkable murder/attempted suicide of the Rathbones and the numerous hauntings of the Ford Theater that still linger to this very day. Thank you to today’s sponsors! AquaOmega: One of the highest-dose omega-3 supplements per serving, no fish burps, and for every bottle sold, removes 1 lb. of plastic and debris from the ocean and coastlines. Use code VICTORIAN for 20% off at myaquaomega.com/VICTORIAN. Try the original estrogen-powered M4 skincare from Alloy. Visit myalloy.com and use code VICTORIAN for $20 off your first order! Subscribe to the Newsletter! Subscribe to the Patreon free trial for ad-free listening! Today’s Instagram Post References: https://ghostcitytours.com/washington-dc/haunted-washington-dc/fords-theatre/ https://dcghosts.com/fords-theatre/ https://www.nps.gov/foth/learn/historyculture/the-collapse-of-ford-s-theatre.htm https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/06/07/henry-reed-rathbone/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Abraham_Lincoln https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wilkes_Booth https://www.whitehousehistory.org/abraham-lincoln-funeral https://fords.org/an-african-american-hero-emerges-from-the-tragic-fords-theatre-collapse-of-1893/ https://msmagazine.com/2012/12/05/mary-todd-lincoln-a-lunatic-or-just-grieving/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Todd_Lincoln The_assassination_of_Abraham_Lincoln_%28IA_assassxxxxxx00linc%29.pdf https://www.americanheritage.com/haunted-major

  6. Jul 27

    Ep. 105 - The NOTORIOUS Case of Dr. Crippen

    In this episode, Genevieve will discuss the murder case of Dr. Hawley Crippen: one of the most sensational murder cases in English history. We’ll discuss The glitz and glamour, the torrid affairs, the astounding escape attempt by sea, and the modern scientific discoveries that have raised serious concerns that maybe, they got the wrong guy. Thank you to today’s sponsor! Spoiler: you can feel amazing in menopause. Visit myalloy.com and use code VICTORIAN for $20 off your first order! Subscribe to the Newsletter! Subscribe to the Patreon free trial for ad-free listening! Today’s Instagram Post References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawley_Harvey_Crippen https://prashganendran.com/the-notorious-dr-crippen-and-the-hilldrop-crescent-murder/ https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-10802059 https://thehistorypress.co.uk/article/the-notorious-case-of-dr-crippen/

  7. Jul 19

    Ep. 104 - Haunted Theaters and Their Tragic Histories

    In this episode, Genevieve will discuss two Victorian theater tragedies, the lives and deaths of illusionist Sigmund Neuberger, otherwise known as the Great Lafayette, and actor William Terriss, as well as their alleged hauntings of the theaters where they met their tragic ends; The Adelphi Theater in London, and the Festival Theater in Edinburgh. Thank you to today’s sponsor! Try the original estrogen-powered M4 skincare from Alloy. Visit myalloy.com and use code VICTORIAN for $20 off your first order! Subscribe to the Newsletter! Subscribe to the Patreon free trial for ad-free listening! Today’s Instagram post References: https://thelittlehouseofhorrors.com/the-great-lafayette/ https://folkhorrorrevival.com/2017/01/08/the-great-lafayette https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/explore-the-uks-most-haunted-theatres-with-ghost-stories_1661281/ https://sancass.medium.com/the-man-who-had-two-funerals-bf740ad6a0fe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Neuberger https://www.victorianvoices.net/ARTICLES/STRAND/1893B/S1893B-DogCemetery.pdf “Lafayette’s Funeral - Great Gathering in Edinburgh” - Liverpool Daily Post, May 15th, 1911. https://london-beyond-time-and-place.com/william-terriss-the-ghost-of-a-murdered-actor/ https://bowstreetmuseum.org.uk/adelphi-murder/ https://www.thomaswhodgkinson.com/features/hello/ https://www.haunted-britain.com/the-ghost-of-william-terriss.htm

  8. Jul 13

    Ep. 103 - MASSACRE on the Mary Russell

    In this episode, Genevieve will discuss one the 19th century’s most shocking maritime murder cases, the massacre on the Mary Russell in 1828: a story of the slow unraveling of a captain’s sanity, bloodshed, and survival against all odds on the open seas.  Thank you to today’s sponsor! Spoiler: you can feel amazing in menopause. Visit myalloy.com and use code VICTORIAN for $20 off your first order! Subscribe to the Newsletter! Subscribe to the Patreon free trial for ad-free listening! Today’s Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DaoAJhTDzc7/?img_index=1 References: https://www.mentalfloss.com/crime/mary-russell-19th-century-massacre-legal-case https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Russell_murders https://historyireland.com/forced-from-this-world-massacre-on-the-mary-russell/ https://whyhorror.blog/2022/11/18/why-mary-russell/ https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4921892/4899086/5181471

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Hosts & Guests

4.7
out of 5
1,530 Ratings

About

Here you’ll find mysterious deaths, morbid fascinations, disturbing stories, and otherwise spooky events from the Victorian Era. For ad-free listening, witchy content, Victorian True Crime Extras and Dark Poetry, join The Fan Coven! If you consider yourself an enthusiast of creepy Victorian history, you probably already know about the age of spiritualism, the grisly murders, the grave robbers, twisted pseudo psychotherapy, and memento mori – But I try to dig a little deeper. This was a time full of lace corsetry, romantic poetry, and a deep reverence and affection for the dead. It was a culture of shared sorrow, ornament and elegance, prudishness and scandal, bone chilling children’s stories, and for whatever reason, I just feel at home there. There’s something strangely comforting about the heebie jeebies this era gives me. If you find yourself equally enchanted by things that most people would find horrifying, this podcast is probably for you. To listen ad-free, visit myvictoriannightmare.com and join my Patreon.

Information

  • Creator
    Genevieve Manion
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    116
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Genevieve Manion
  • Show Website
    My Victorian Nightmare

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