The English Heritage Podcast

Three years after he was crowned, William was struggling to keep the whole of his new kingdom under control. In the winter of 1069, he led his army north, determined to crush those that kept rising against him. The written sources describe how his forces destroyed swathes of Yorkshire, Northumberland, Durham and beyond — burning crops, killing livestock, and making it impossible for people to feed themselves. It’s become known as ‘the harrying of the north’.

Join Amy and guests English Heritage Curator of History, Dr Will Wyeth and medieval archaeologist, Dr Aleksandra McClain from the University of York. To what extent can we take the written sources at face value? Was William’s campaign a calculated act of political terror, or does a closer study of our evidence reveal a different understanding?? Plus, what does it tell us about the beginning of Norman rule on these shores?

Watch this episode on our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/EnglishHeritage

Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠    Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*      Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠       The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.       *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals.
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Ever wondered how to trick an enemy army into fighting a battle that doesn’t even exist?



At 34 Rutland Gate in London’s Knightsbridge, an arresting inscription commemorates Brigadier Dudley Clarke as "Master of Military Deception". Bound by the Official Secrets Act, Clarke’s genius in inventing fake armies to save thousands of Allied lives went unrecognised in his lifetime. Today, his blue plaque ensures his achievements are finally remembered.



In this episode, Amy Matthews explores Clarke’s extraordinary legacy with English Heritage Senior Historian Howard Spencer and author Dr Whitney Bendeck, Professor at Florida State University and author of two books about British military deception and Clarke’s work. Together, they step into his world to discover the phantom armies, false battle plans, and how he helped inspire the British Commandos to save thousands of Allied lives during World War II.



Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠ 

Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*   

Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠    

The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.   

*Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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In the fifth episode of our special 1066 series, host Amy Matthews takes a deeper look at the Bayeux Tapestry - and in particular, at the women featured in it. The Bayeux Tapestry is 70m long. It has 58 different scenes including 623 human figures. Only six of those figures are women and only three of those women are in the main panels. While the renowned struggle for the throne is very much in the foreground, there are strong female figures behind the scenes, manipulating events and wielding a different kind of power. Join Amy and her guests – historian and author, Sharon Bennet Connelly and English Heritage Senior Collections Curator, Dr Kathryn Bedford - as they explore the queens who shared the lives of these battling kings, the matriarchs pulling the strings of family connection, what the Norman Conquest meant for ordinary women of the time, and why so little has been told about the female side of this story. Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠    Find out more about Sharon’s book Silk and the Sword: Women of the Norman Conquest Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*      Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠       The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.       *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals.
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Is Chester Castle truly haunted, or is there a historical explanation
behind its eerie encounters? Join host Amy Matthews as she uncovers
nearly a thousand years of spooky stories and real history from behind its walls perched high above the River Dee.



In this special Halloween episode, Amy is joined by Chester Castle Site
Manager Gary Ashby, who shares firsthand chilling encounters - from
mysterious phantom figures captured on camera to spectral voices whispering in Norman French. Weighing in with historical scepticism is Will Wyeth, English Heritage Curator of History, who reveals the human stories behind the haunting lore, including medieval miracles, royal prisoners, and 17th-century witch trials.



Whether you’re a die-hard believer or a sceptic, discover how ghost
stories help us connect with the past.



Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠

Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*

Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠

The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.

*Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the fourth episode of our special 1066 series, host Amy Matthews takes a step back from the battlefield to look up at the skies. Did a cosmic sign destabilise an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, or was it medieval political spin? Dr Will Wyeth (English Heritage Curator of History) and Dr Jo Edge (historian and writer) join Amy to examine how celestial phenomena were deployed to reshape history. They explore interpretations attributed to the Bayeux Tapestry’s famous "long-haired star" - Halley’s Comet – and the ominous “ghost ships” that pre-empted William of Normandy’s invasion. Also, how numerology shaped medieval worldviews and why comets became linked to fratricide and the fall of monarchs. Find out more about Jo's work here https://joanneedge.co.uk
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