Outcasts of the Earth: A History Podcast

Kenyon Payne

This podcast explores the stories of history's outcasts from antiquity to the present day. With seasons built around a different topic, each episode aims to centre the often nameless and faceless individuals who were made to live on the fringe of society. Hosted by a trained historian, Kenyon Payne. Outcasts of the Earth is back with season three: Moonshiners! The listeners voted and selected the topic for this new season. Outcasts of the Earth: Moonshiners premieres on September 14 with new episodes dropping every other week. Alongside this new season, be sure to check out season one (on alcohol and 'drunkards'), as well as season two (the season of the witch). Both available to stream now! Subscribe to the show to receive the latest updates. Follow along with the show on Instagram @ootepod, and visit the Outcasts of the Earth website at: www.ootepod.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 5d ago

    The First Moonshiners

    In this episode, Kenyon digs into the historical pressures that pushed Scottish and Scots-Irish distillers to turn to moonshining in early modern Scotland and Ireland. This includes a discussion of the (believed) origins of whisk(e)y in Scotland and Ireland, along with stories of how James I initiated the plans behind the Ulster Plantation, and the riots that broke out in Scotland after the English raised the tax on malt. This episode is riddled with stories of bastard landlords, rent hikes, and community efforts to thwart the excise man. It turns out, this early history to moonshining is just as unruly as the generations of illicit distillers that followed. Follow the show on Instagram @ootepod, or on the show's website, www.ootepod.com. Sources: Robert Burns, “The Author’s Earnest Cry and Prayer,” as read and analyzed by the Robert Burns Guide YouTube channel. Jamie Joyce, Moonshine: a cultural history of America’s infamous liquor (2014). Kevin Kosar, Moonshine: a global history (2017). Tristan Stephenson, “Early Gaelic Spirits,” The Curious Bartender’s Guide to Malt, Bourbon & Rye Whiskies. A.T.Q. Stewart, The Narrow Ground: the Roots of Conflict in Ulster (1977, revised 1989). Charles D. Thompson, Jr., Spirits of Just Men : Mountaineers, Liquor Bosses, and Lawmen in the Moonshine Capital of the World (2011). Sandra White, “Smugglers and Excisemen: The History of Whisky in Scotland, 1644 to 1823,” Master’s thesis, the University of Western Ontario, (2020). Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer Additional featured music: “Distilled: Highlands,” Table Top Audio “Leaving Home,” Kevin MacLeod “Division,” Kevin MacLeod “Garage Punk,” 331music “Elysium,” nakaradaalexander "Celtic Arena," DJARTMUSIC "Where the Brave May Live Forever," OB-LIX "Medieval Celtic Violin," _Music_for_Creators_ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The First Moonshiners

  2. Sep 23

    Rainy Day Outcasts: Snake Oil, Fraudsters, and Opium Eaters (oh my!)

    To quote Mr. Peanut Butter, "Is this a crossover episode?" It sure is! I was very fortunate to join Shea over at Rainy Day Rabbit Holes for this very special episode in which we both share a story related to the fraudulent, and hidden horrors, of medical history. Shea kicks things off with the story of Clark Stanley, "the Rattlesnake King," and how he tricked the masses into buying his magical cure-all: snake oil. I then follow with the story of the Victorian opium eaters, whose recreational drug use was lauded by writers like Thomas De Quincey, but the unregulated use of opium proved to have a very dark (and often deadly) side. I hope you enjoy this first special crossover between our two shows! Check out Rainy Day Rabbit Holes for more unhinged stories from history: www.rainydayrabbitholes.com. You can also keep up with Outcasts of the Earth at www.ootepod.com. Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer Sources: Anon., "A Plea from a Young Laudanum Addict," 1889. Thomas De Quincey, Confessions of an English Opium Eater, 1821. David T. Courtwright, Forces of Habit: Drugs and the Making of the Modern World, 2002. Jonathan S. Jones, Opium Slavery: Civil War Veterans and America's First Opioid Crisis, 2025. Roy Porter, Quacks: Fakers and Charlatans in Medicine, 2000. James Harvey Young, The Toadstool Millionaires: A Social History of Patent Medicines in America before Federal Regulation, 1961. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Rainy Day Outcasts: Snake Oil, Fraudsters, and Opium Eaters (oh my!)

  3. Sep 14

    That Good Ol' Mountain Dew

    Season three is here, and this time we are taking a deep dive into the history of moonshiners! A topic selected by the listeners, this season will explore the stories of moonshiners from their origin to more modern-day examples of those keeping this illicit tradition alive. In this opening episode, Kenyon covers some basics: what is moonshine? How did moonshiners come into existence? Why is illicit liquor called moonshine, anyway? Is the moonshiner a simple criminal or a loveable trickster? Take a listen, and I hope you enjoy as we kick off this new season! Follow Outcasts of the Earth on Instagram @ootepod, or on the show's website: www.ootepod.com Sources: Emily D. Edwards, “Moonshiners and the Media: The Twenty-First Century Trickster,” in Modern Moonshine: The Revival of White Whiskey in the Twenty-First Century, edited by Cameron D. Lippard and Bruce E. Stewart (West Virginia University Press, 2019). Jason Ezell, “Entrepreneurial Family Values and the Modern Moonshiner: Appalachian Craft Distilling beyond its Neoliberal Frame,” in Modern Moonshine: The Revival of White Whiskey in the Twenty-First Century, edited by Cameron D. Lippard and Bruce E. Stewart (West Virginia University Press, 2019).  Man Garrone, “The History of Alcohol Proof – And Why So Many Spirits Are Still 40%,” Distiller (November 20, 2025).  Jamie Joyce, Moonshine: a cultural history of America’s infamous liquor (2014).  Kevin Kosar, Moonshine: a global history (2017).  Benjamin Rush, “Dr. Benjamin Rush's Journal of a Trip to Carlisle in 1784,” edited by L. H. Butterfield, The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 74, No. 4 (Oct., 1950). Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer Also featuring: “Mountain Dew,” Bascom Lamar Lunsford Additional featured music (from Pixabay): “John Barleycorn,” JuliusH “Pirate Action (acoustic),” Ebunny “Wise Old Travelling Cowboy,” UniqueCreativeAudio “Dark Guitar Atmosphere,” Danilov_Mixing “Maple Leaf Rag,” by Scott Joplin, performed by Art_Roseman “Barrel House,” Grumpynora “Hip Hop Orchestra,” _Music_for_Creators_ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    That Good Ol' Mountain Dew

  4. Season 3 Trailer

    Trailer: Season 3 - Moonshiners

    A new season is on the way! Check out the trailer for Outcasts of the Earth: Moonshiners, premiering on September 14! Music: "Medieval Celtic Violin," by _Music_for_Creators. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Trailer: Season 3 - Moonshiners

  5. May 17

    Season Conclusions: Ending the Hunts

    Join Kenyon in this concluding episode for season two. This episode covers some examples of trials that continued into the eighteenth century, the end of the early modern witch hunts, as well as the legacies of this history today. Kenyon also briefly discusses how modern practitioners are again looking back to the ancient roots of magic, as well as parts of the world where witch hunts continue to occur. Thank you to all for tuning in to listen to this second season! The show will be back after a break for the summer. Cheers! Visit the Outcasts of the Earth website at: www.ootepod.com Outcasts of the Earth on Instagram: @ootepod Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Season Conclusions: Ending the Hunts

  6. May 4

    Salem Divided

    In this episode, Kenyon covers the complicated and deeply entrenched history of the Salem Witch Trials. This is part two of a two-part episode on this topic; if you have not listened to episode one ("Tituba's Confession"), please check it out! More of this episode will make sense. Picking up the story with the downward spiral that followed Tituba's confession to witchcraft, the community across Salem began to pull itself apart, suspecting neighbors and other church members of being a witch. This episode covers the backstory to family conflicts, how the Putnams became so central to the witch trials, and the repercussions followed after the trials came to an end. Next week is the final episode of season two. To vote on season three's topic, please head over to the show's Instagram page @ootepod! Visit the Outcasts of the Earth website at: www.ootepod.com Outcasts of the Earth on Instagram: @ootepod Sources: SWP No. 094: Rebecca Nurse Executed July 19, 1692 SWP No. 022: George Burroughs Executed, August 19, 1692 SWP No. 069: Abigail Hobbs Cotton Mather, The Trial of Susannah Martin, at the Court of Oyer and Terminer, Held by Adjournment at Salem, June 29, 1692. — Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft (1976) Rebecca Brooks, “Ann Putnam, Jr: Villain or Victim?” History of Massachusetts Blog (July 6, 2015).  Rebecca Brooks, “Betty Parris: First Afflicted Girl of the Salem Witch Trials,” History of Massachusetts Blog (June 10, 2013). Marc Callis, “The Aftermath of the Salem Witch Trials in Colonial America” Historical Journal of Massachusetts Volume 33, No. 2 (Summer 2005). Richard Francis, Judge Sewall's Apology: The Salem Witch Trials and the Forming of a Conscience (2016).  Carol Karlsen, The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft In Colonial New England (1998). Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 (2003). Jenni Tyler, “On this day in 1692: The Final Day of Salem's Witch Trial Horror,” Arcadia Publishing, Sept. 22, 2025.  Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer Additional featured music: “Historias,” anrocomposer “Piano & cello Beautiful Poetic Music,” Denis Pavlov Music “Black Powder,” Shadows and Echoes “Around Every Corner,” Dream Protocol “Horror,” Litesaturation “Tragedy and Grief,” Ashot Danielyan “The Moon Got Tangled in the Branches," Lexin Music “Gothic & Horror,” Pianocafe_Kumi “Forgotten Waltz,” Grand Project By Kevin MacLeod(incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/: “Gymnopedie No 3” “Virtutes Instrumenti” “Magic Escape Room” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Salem Divided

  7. Apr 17

    When the Witches Came to Salem: Tituba's Confession

    In this episode, we take on the history of one of the most infamous witch hunts in popular memory; it is also the largest witch panic in American history. The research, analysis, and discussion of the Salem Witch Trials continues to attract widespread attention and fascination (with thanks to Arthur Miller). In this first episode of a two-part discussion of the Salem Witch Trials, we focus on the contextual background to the panic that began in 1692. Years of warfare, including King Philip's War and King William's War, plus the loss of Massachusetts' colonial charter hit the Puritan community of Salem hard. Then, in 1689, Salem Village gained their new minister, Samuel Parris, who brought with him an enslaved woman named Tituba. Her eventual confession to witchcraft sent the people of Salem into a destructive, downward spiral. Visit the Outcasts of the Earth website at: www.ootepod.com Outcasts of the Earth on Instagram: @ootepod Sources: SWP No. 013: Bridget Bishop Executed, June 10, 1692. SWP No. 125: Tituba. Arthur Miller, The Crucible, 1953.  Edmund Randolph, “King Philip’s War,” 1675; available through the Digital History archive.  — Carol Berkin, et al, Making America, Volume 1 To 1877, Cengage Learning, 2012. Jess Blumberg, “A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials,” Smithsonian Magazine (October 24, 2022).  Elaine G. Breslaw, Tituba, Reluctant Witch of Salem: Devilish Indians and Puritan Fantasies (NYU Press, 1995).  Elaine G. Breslaw, “Tituba's Confession: The Multicultural Dimensions of the 1692 Salem Witch-Hunt,” Ethnohistory 44:3 (Summer 1997).  Douglas O. Linder, “Bridget Bishop,” Famous Trials (1995).  Rachel McShane, Ph.D., “TAMUC History Professor Busts Myths About The Salem Witch Trials,” East Texas A&M Today (October 24, 2023).  Mike Messina, “America’s Most Devastating Conflict: King Philip’s War,” Your Public Media (August 12, 2014).  Marilynne K. Roach, Six Women of Salem: The Untold Story of the Accused and Their Accusers in the Salem Witch Trials (Da Capo Press, 2013).  Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer Opening clip from The Crucible (1996), produced by David V. Picker Productions and distributed by 20th Century Fox.  Additional featured music “Dark Lullaby,” ShadowsAndEchoes “Devotional Disorder,” Vincent-Santamaria “Dark Piano,” BrunoMagic “Dark Story,” Joel Fazhari “Soul of Classic,” Monument_Music By Kevin MacLeod(incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/: “Clash Defiant” “Mourning Song” “Lightless Dawn” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    When the Witches Came to Salem: Tituba's Confession

  8. Mar 31

    The Witch & The Scarlet Letter: the True Story behind Mistress Hibbins

    The cantankerous and evil witch who appears to tempt Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter was based on an actual person. Who was the real "Mistress Hibbins," and why does she remain identified as a witch? In this episode, Kenyon breaks down the perilous position women could find themselves in while living in Puritan New England, as well as the case of Ann Hibbins; a woman who committed the social crime of challenging the price and quality of some local carpenters’ work. In an attempt to win retribution for this perceived wrong, Ann instead became a pariah, condemned as a witch, and - thanks to Hawthorne - her memory has been forever bound to the crime that claimed her life. Visit the Outcasts of the Earth website at: www.ootepod.com Outcasts of the Earth on Instagram: @ootepod Sources: John Winthrop, Winthrop's Journal, "History of New England," 1630–1649, Volume 7. Edited by James Kendall Hosmer (1908).  Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter (Boston, 1850).  — Stephanie Buck, “This woman was executed as a witch because she complained about her carpenters,” Medium (November 29, 2016).  Olivia Campbell, “She’s a Witch!” Medium (March 13, 2023).  Nancy F. Cott, ed., Root of Bitterness: Documents of the Social History of American Women, second edition (Northeastern University Press, 1996).  David D. Hall, ed., Witch-Hunting in Seventeenth-Century New England: A Documentary History 1638-1693 (Northeastern University Press, 1991).  David Ketterer, “‘Circle of Acquaintance’: Mistress Hibbins and the Hermetic Design of The Scarlet Letter” English Studies in Canada, vol. 9, no. 3 (September 1983): 294-311.  Steve LeBlanc, “Boston had witch trials, too. A group wants justice for those accused across Mass.” WBUR (October 31, 2023).  William F. Poole, ed. “The Case of Ann Hibbins, Executed for Witchcraft in Boston in 1656” Joshua Scottow Papers, 5.  Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer Additional featured music: By Kevin MacLeod(incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/: “Myst on the Moor” “Lasting Hope” “Lightless Dawn” “Leaving Home” “SPC-x5x” “Blue Feather” “Dark Fog” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The Witch & The Scarlet Letter: the True Story behind Mistress Hibbins
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About

This podcast explores the stories of history's outcasts from antiquity to the present day. With seasons built around a different topic, each episode aims to centre the often nameless and faceless individuals who were made to live on the fringe of society. Hosted by a trained historian, Kenyon Payne. Outcasts of the Earth is back with season three: Moonshiners! The listeners voted and selected the topic for this new season. Outcasts of the Earth: Moonshiners premieres on September 14 with new episodes dropping every other week. Alongside this new season, be sure to check out season one (on alcohol and 'drunkards'), as well as season two (the season of the witch). Both available to stream now! Subscribe to the show to receive the latest updates. Follow along with the show on Instagram @ootepod, and visit the Outcasts of the Earth website at: www.ootepod.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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