The Brutal Murder of George Saunders: Tudor True Crime

The Brutal Murder of George Saunders: Tudor True Crime

A spring morning in 1573. A respected London merchant leaves a friend’s house near Woolwich… and ends up dead by Shooter’s Hill. The killer, Captain George Brown, is caught within days. But the real shock wasn’t the killer's identity, it was the letter that told him exactly where to strike… and who wanted George Saunders gone. I’m Claire Ridgway, historian and author. In this Tudor true-crime deep dive, we follow the manhunt, the Privy Council’s rapid crackdown, and the chain of clues later dramatised in "A Warning for Fair Women", from “a white doublet and blue breeches” to blood on a suspect’s hose and a waterman’s damning testimony. What unfolds reaches far beyond a highway ambush, right into Saunders’s inner circle. In this episode you’ll hear about:
  • The ambush near Shooter’s Hill and John Beane’s miraculous survival
  • How the Council moved: arrest at Rochester, Tower examinations, and swift justice at Smithfield
  • The mysterious letter and the go-between who carried messages
  • Why the case obsessed Elizabethan England: status, scandal, and a rich paper trail (pamphlets, ballad, Privy Council orders, and a stage play)
  • The final twist that stunned London
If you love Tudor true crime, hit like, subscribe, and ring the bell. #truecrime #tudortruecrime #tudorhistory #tudormurder #georgesaunders #elizabethandrama

Episoder(999)

The Secret Promise, The Poet, and the Myths: Anne Boleyn Before Henry VIII

The Secret Promise, The Poet, and the Myths: Anne Boleyn Before Henry VIII

In 1522, Anne Boleyn returned to the English court, and within a few years, she was already at the centre of political tension, whispered promises, and poetic legend. Long before Henry VIII began his...

17 Feb 25min

Mary I’s Pregnancies Explained: London Celebrated a Prince… But There Was No Baby

Mary I’s Pregnancies Explained: London Celebrated a Prince… But There Was No Baby

In 1555, London celebrated the birth of a prince. Church bells rang. Te Deums were sung. Birth announcements were prepared. Only… there was no baby. Mary I didn’t just believe she was pregnant, she...

13 Feb 9min

The Truth Behind “Bloody Mary” -  A Beginner’s Guide

The Truth Behind “Bloody Mary” - A Beginner’s Guide

When you hear the name Mary I, you probably hear one phrase: “Bloody Mary”. A queen of fire and fear. A religious fanatic. A failure compared to Elizabeth I. But that version of Mary is a shortcut, ...

10 Feb 38min

Mary Boleyn’s Lost Years (1513–1522): What the Sources Actually Say

Mary Boleyn’s Lost Years (1513–1522): What the Sources Actually Say

What really happened during Mary Boleyn’s lost years? Between 1513 and 1522, Mary Boleyn, sister of Anne Boleyn, slips in and out of the historical record, leaving behind one of the most debated gaps...

7 Feb 18min

Anne Boleyn’s Lost Future: The Marriage She Almost Had

Anne Boleyn’s Lost Future: The Marriage She Almost Had

When Anne Boleyn returned to England from France in late 1521, she wasn’t coming back for love, ambition, or a crown. She was being recalled for politics. Her return was prompted not by royal intere...

3 Feb 25min

The Strangest Tudor Cures (And the Ones That Actually Worked) - A Beginner’s Guide to Tudor Medicine

The Strangest Tudor Cures (And the Ones That Actually Worked) - A Beginner’s Guide to Tudor Medicine

Hare brains. Hedgehog testicles. Mouse skin. Live pigeons. Tudor remedies are famous for sounding grotesque, and ridiculous. But were they really nonsense? In this second part of A Beginner’s Guide ...

30 Jan 8min

Tudor Medicine Wasn’t Stupid,  It Was a System

Tudor Medicine Wasn’t Stupid, It Was a System

Imagine waking in Tudor England with a fever and no paracetamol, no antibiotics, and no doctor to call. In this first part of A Beginner’s Guide to Tudor Medicine, we step inside the Tudor worldview,...

26 Jan 14min

Was Anne Boleyn Really “Corrupted” in France?

Was Anne Boleyn Really “Corrupted” in France?

The idea that Anne Boleyn was "corrupted in France has been repeated in popular histories and documentaries, often stated as fact, sometimes even placed in quotation marks, as if it were securely sour...

22 Jan 12min

Populært innen Fakta

fastlegen
dine-penger-pengeradet
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
mikkels-paskenotter
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
rss-bisarr-historie
foreldreradet
treningspodden
jakt-og-fiskepodden
takk-og-lov-med-anine-kierulf
ukast
rss-sunn-okonomi
rss-bak-luftfarten
sinnsyn
lederskap-nhhs-podkast-om-ledelse
fryktlos
hverdagspsyken
rss-kull
gravid-uke-for-uke
level-up-med-anniken-binz