My Victorian Nightmare

Genevieve Manion | Daylight Media
  • 4.6 (1.4K)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Here you’ll find mysterious deaths, morbid fascinations, disturbing stories, and otherwise spooky events from the Victorian Era. To subscribe, 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. 4D AGO

    Ep. 77 - Painfully Deficient in Flesh and Other Corporal Essences

    On today's episode, Genevieve will discuss astral projecting souls, an interview with a dead woman, skeletons found in a beer vat, terrible mutilations, an unexpected corpse - a number of unexpected corpses, actually, diamond studded murder weapons, and much, much more. Thank you to today’s sponsors! Go to LumiGummies.com and use code VICTORIAN for 30% off your order.  Join the Fan Coven: https://www.myvictoriannightmare.com/the-fan-coven Instagram Post For Today's Episode: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTTE_9iDqQr/?igsh=MTVkYXNmN2NsNnoxcA== References For Today's Episode: “CHRISTMAS GHOST STORIES” - The Sidney Journal, Feb. 25th, 1870. The Spiritualist - Dec. 31st, 1869. “Two Dead Men Found at the Bottom of a Beer Vat in a Brewery in Baltimore, Md.” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 28th, 1872. “ARIZONA’S HORRORS” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 28th, 1872. “BOUGHT A CORPSE” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 28th, 1872. “O’Connell, the Celtic Blunderer, Pulls the Wrong Tooth from Mrs. McCarty, and what He Received for His Services, at Hyde Park, - Mass” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 28th, 1872. “A Bloody Fight in a Saloon on Mulberry Street, New York” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 28th, 1872. “THE MURDERED PRINCESS” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 28th, 1872. “CHARGE AGAINST A MEDICAL MAN” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 28th, 1872. https://www.mdhistory.org/here-at-last-he-is-happy-the-death-and-burial-of-edgar-allan-poe/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    44 min

  2. JAN 5

    Ep. 76 - Female Poisoners of the 19th Century

    On today's episode, Genevieve will discuss not one but 2 female poisoners of the 19th century. Adelaide Bartlett and Mary Ann Cotton. This episode will be dripping with chloroform and arsenic. Thank you to today’s sponsors! Visit Rula.com/VICTORIAN — mental healthcare that’s actually built to last. Go to LumiGummies.com and use code VICTORIAN for 30% off your order.  Join the Fan Coven: https://www.myvictoriannightmare.com/the-fan-coven Instagram Post For Today's Episode: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTBqddbDhAs/?img_index=1 References For Today's Episode: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pimlico_Mystery https://mayfairtimes.co.uk/2022/04/the-pimlico-poisoning/ https://www.historicmysteries.com/history/pimlico-poisoning/24405/ https://thethreepennyguignol.com/2024/04/17/the-impossible-case-of-the-pimlico-poisoning/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ann_Cotton https://www.historyhit.com/who-was-mary-ann-cotton/ https://www.wired.com/2012/02/arsenic-and-the-forgotten-serial-killer/ https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/things-to-do/cultural-history/true-crime/mary-ann-cotton “CHRISTMAS GHOST STORIES” - The Sidney Journal, Feb. 25th, 1870. “SEANCES AT THE SPIRITUAL LIBRARY” - The Spiritualist, Dec. 31st, 1869. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    47 min

  3. 12/29/2025

    Ep. 75 - Tower Ghosts, Rabid Brides, and Razor Maniacs

    On today's episode, Genevieve will discuss the ghosts of The Tower of London, Welsh fasting girls, rabid brides, maniacs with razors, an attempted murder at a christening, a great deal of homicidal arson and a fatal masquerade. Instagram Post For Today's Episode: https://www.instagram.com/p/DSvme5Zjvd5/?igsh=MTliYThpZDMyajl6OA== References For Today's Episode: “The Tower Ghost” - The Sydney Mail, Feb. 26th, 1870. “THE WELSH FASTING GIRL” - The Spiritualist, Dec. 31st 1869. “A Rabid Bride” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 28th, 1872. “A Truant Wife in a House of Ill-Fame at Washington” - The Illustrated Police News, Feb. 15th, 1872. Josephine Creamer vs. Charles Creamer - Petition for Divorce - Puget Sound Dispatch, Aug. 1st 1872. “A Man and His Wife Murdered and Burned in Indiana” - The Illustrated Police News, Feb. 15th, 1872. “Struggle for Life in the Grasp of the Madman Purdy, at Newburg, N.Y.” — The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 21st, 1872. “A Bloody Christening in Boston — Timothy Cannon Stabs His Cousin”- The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 14th, 1872. “A Deserted Maiden of St. Louis Attempts to Burn Her Recreant Lover Alive” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 21st, 1872. “Fatal Result of a Masquerading Joke at Millerton, New York” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 7th, 1872. https://www.walks.com/blog/tower-of-london-ghosts/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Jacob https://ghil.hypotheses.org/2151 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    44 min

  4. 12/22/2025

    Ep. 74 - The Origins of Terrifying Victorian Christmas Creatures

    On today's episode, Genevieve will discuss the Yule Cat, Krampus and the Yule Goat, as well as a few other deeply disturbing monsters that roam the countryside, looking to slice children open and replace their insides with straw and rocks every Christmas. Some of these creatures have ancient origins, but they all really shined in the Victorian era. Thank you to today's sponsor, Lumi Gummies! Go to LumiGummies.com and use code: VICTORIAN for 30% off your first order! Instagram Post For Today's Episode: https://www.instagram.com/p/DSc6zghjr3L/?img_index=1 References For Today's Episode: “Ghost Story” - The Halifax Courier and Guardian, Nov. 19th, 1853. “The Human “Double” - The Spiritualist, Jan. 14th, 1870. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_cat https://education.turpentinecreek.org/2023/12/09/the-spooky-legend-of-the-yule-cat/ https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2025/12/krampus-origins-and-development-of-a-winter-devil/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A8re_Fouettard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knecht_Ruprecht https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%BDla https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perchta https://www.tumblr.com/themousefromfantasyland/635704522538450945/the-creatures-of-yuletide-the-yule-goat https://www.wisfarmer.com/story/life/2018/12/20/yule-goat-holidays-and-good-crops/2369257002/ https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/storey/the-yule-goat/ https://london-overlooked.com/chelsea/ https://www.curiousarchive.com/emilie-sagee-bilocation-doppelganger/ https://english.nepalnews.com/s/explainers/the-rise-fall-and-acquittal-of-nepals-buddha-boy-everything-you-need-to-know/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    43 min

  5. 12/15/2025

    Ep. 73 - In the Baleful Light of Maniacal Insanity

    On today's episode, Genevieve will discuss corpse-related practical jokes, jealousy and suicide, an insane pioneer pistol murderess, a religious maniac family annihilation, men bitten by mad dogs and the madcap frolic of a cross-dressing widow in New York City. Instagram Post For Today's Episode: https://www.instagram.com/p/DSIx7cZEfye/?igsh=Zm1ubjB1eGdnaDl5 References For Today's Episode: “A BUDGET OF GHOST STORIES” - Cheshire Observer,  Mar. 6th, 1869. “What Is The Use of Spiritualism" - The Spiritualist, Dec. 3rd, 1869.  "A Ghastly Practical Joke" — The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 21st, 1872. "A Termagant Hangs Herself in Brooklyn, N.Y." - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 21st, 1872. “Jealousy and Suicide” - The Wheeling Daily Register, Mar. 16th, 1872. "The Pioneer Pistol Murderess Insane" - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 14th, 1872. "A Drunkard’s Baby Gnawed by a Dog" - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 21st, 1872. "A BLOODY DOMESTIC DRAMA" - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 21st, 1872. "Men Bitten by a Mad Dog in Kansas" — The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 21st, 1872. "MADCAP FROLIC OF A BEAUTIFUL NEW YORK WIDOW" - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 21st, 1872. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Harris_%28murderer%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madstone_(folklore) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    43 min

  6. 12/08/2025

    Ep. 72 - Dark Inspirations Behind Music of the 19th Century

    On today's episode, Genevieve will discuss the dark, macabre, heart-wrenching and fascinating inspirations for classical music pieces from the 19th century. From Beethoven to Berlioz; romantic, brooding, frightening pieces of music that we all know, we’ve heard in movies, studied in school, or listen to every day. Instagram Post For Today's Episode: https://www.instagram.com/p/DR5gvLlDh41/?igsh=ZzhtdWxuaGk1MzI= Live Performance of Chopin's Raindrop Prelude: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DP6OKEwDUgX/?igsh=MXF3MWQ3cWg2MHpmZg== References For Today's Episode: https://www.science.org/content/article/fr-d-ric-chopins-madness-diagnosed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21593243/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chopin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prelude,_Op._28,_No._15_(Chopin)#:~:text=Some%20of%20Op.,of%20the%20actual%20external%20sounds. https://www.marisamusicstudio.com/a-look-at-chopins-raindrop-prelude/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_of_Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chopin https://crosseyedpianist.com/2020/07/18/he-was-not-like-other-men-chopin-as-seen-by-his-contemporaries/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Lake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Pyotr_Ilyich_Tchaikovsky#:~:text=Also%2C%20the%20medical%20opinion%20printed,had%20little%20cause%20for%20worry. https://www.tmc.edu/news/2019/10/tchaikovskys-mental-anguish-informed-his-work/ https://www.themarginalian.org/2022/05/17/beethoven-ode-to-joy/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven https://www.vialma.com/en/articles/266/Niccolo-Paganini-The-Devils-Violinist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ode_to_Joy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    50 min

  7. 12/01/2025

    Ep. 71- Winter Renewed With Ten-Fold Vengeance

    On today's episode, Genevieve will have nearly naked women clinging to lampposts, throat-slittings, self-shootings, women choking out would-be burglars, Dante’s Hell of ice, men chopped to pieces, a man named "Chicken" sentenced to hang, and a serenading lover nearly drowned - but he’s OK, that one turns out OK, thank God. Thank you to today’s sponsors, Choomi Naturals and Rula! Go to http://choominaturals.com and use coupon code “VICTORIAN20” for 20% off your order. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts at Rula who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/victorian. Today’s Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRngoGBDum3/?igsh=MTNqM2w5czJ5cndhaQ== References for today’s episode: “John Devin, the California “Chicken,” Sentenced to be Hanged” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 14th, 1872. “THE GHOST AT THE CHESHIRE INN” - Cheshire Observer,  Mar. 6th, 1869. "The Medium Mr. Morse" - The Spiritualist, Dec. 17th, 1869. “A Crazy Woman Struggles With Policemen at Midnight on Washington Bridge, Williamsburgh, L.I” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 7th, 1872. "The Kate Slade Case Again - A Woman Who Trusts in the Gods Believes All Men Are Devils, and Will Keep Her Mouth Hermetically Sealed" - The Brooklyn Union, Feb. 24th, 1872. “MURDER AND SELF-MURDER DOWN EAST” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 14th, 1872. “A Plucky Woman of New Jersey Holds a Robber at Bay Until the Arrival of Her Husband” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 7th, 1872. “JACK FROST. WINTER RENEWED WITH TEN-FOLD VENGEANCE” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 14th, 1872. “Determined to Strangle” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 7th, 1872. “A Man Chopped to Pieces by His Wife and Her Paramour”- The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 14th, 1872. “A Serenading Lover Comes to Grief in Lafayette, Indiana.” - The Illustrated Police News, Mar. 14th, 1872. https://www.weather.gov/media/okx/Climate/Almanacs/nyc/nycmar.pdf https://www.sbnm.org/Portals/NMBAR/AboutUs/committees/Historical/Crime_and_Punishment_In%20Colonial_New_Mexico.pdf?ver=i1lIcY1_Ia45yNDeXaM9DQ%3D%3D#:~:text=Finally%2C%20the%20death%20penalty%20was,%2C%20desertion%2C%20and%20premeditated%20murder. https://lldc.mainelegislature.org/Open/Rpts/PubDocs/PubDocs1872-73/PD1872-73_16.pdf https://grokipedia.com/page/Shanghaiing https://www.executedtoday.com/tag/1872/#:~:text=For%20about%20four%20minutes%20there,yet%20be%20brought%20to%20punishment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    44 min

  8. 11/24/2025

    Ep. 70 - Blood On The Railroad Tracks

    On today’s episode, Genevieve will be taking you back to the blood-smeared Victorian railways. She will be discussing the murders of Sarah Hart and Thomas Briggs, as well as the “Philip Experiment” where scientists believed they conjured a ghost out of thin air. Thank you to today's sponsor, Honeylove! Save 20% off Honeylove by going to ⁠https://www.honeylove.com/VICTORIAN⁠! Today’s Instagram Post: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/p/DRU5rfVDsNb/?igsh=Zjc1bmFzejljbTFq⁠ References For Today’s Episode: “A Budget of Ghost Stories” - Cheshire Observer,  Mar. 6th, 1869. “Mr. Morse” - The Spiritualist, Dec. 1869. “The Murder at Salthill” - The Bath Chronicle and Herald, Mar. 20th, 1845. “Funeral of Sarah Hart” - Cheltenham Chronicle and Gloucestershire Graphic, Jan. 16th 1845. https://moonmausoleum.com/the-philip-experiment-the-spirit-created-by-scientists/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_M%C3%BCller https://www.btp.police.uk/police-forces/british-transport-police/areas/about-us/about-us/our-history/crime-history/first-railway-murder/ https://www.btp.police.uk/police-forces/british-transport-police/areas/about-us/about-us/our-history/crime-history/murder-of-sarah-hart/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tawell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    44 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.6
out of 5
1,365 Ratings

About

Here you’ll find mysterious deaths, morbid fascinations, disturbing stories, and otherwise spooky events from the Victorian Era. To subscribe, 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 | Daylight Media
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    83
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Genevieve Manion
  • Show Website
    My Victorian Nightmare

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