OLD SINS: Pre-1950s True Crime

Bridgie Clairy’s husband set her alight in the middle of their kitchen. He says it was because she was a fairy changeling, a fey creature imitating his real wife. After the good folk - fairies - stole Bridgie away, the only way for Michael to get his wife back was by getting rid of the imposter changeling left in her place. Bridgie would then be returned to him. So he claims. Zoe Delahunty-Light walks you through the tangle of folk belief, testimony, and marital strife to tell you about the true crime tale of Bridget Cleary, a smart, unique, and bold woman who deserves to be remembered. Be the first to know about new true crime episodes at: TikTok - @zoedels Twitter - @zoe_dels Instagram - @zoe_dels Tumblr - zoedels Bluesky - @zoedels.bsky.social YouTube - Zoe Dels Merchandise - www.houseofmugwort.com

Sources listed on House of Mugwort.

Bridgie Clairy’s husband set her alight in the middle of their kitchen. He says it was because she was a fairy changeling, a fey creature imitating his real wife. After the good folk - fairies - stole Bridgie away, the only way for Michael to get his wife back was by getting rid of the imposter changeling left in her place. Bridgie would then be returned to him. So he claims. Zoe Delahunty-Light walks you through the tangle of folk belief, testimony, and marital strife to tell you about Bridget Cleary, a smart, unique, and bold woman who deserves to be remembered. Be the first to know about new episodes at: TikTok - @zoedels Twitter - @zoe_dels Instagram - @zoe_dels Tumblr - zoedels Bluesky - @zoedels.bsky.social YouTube - Zoe Dels Merchandise - www.houseofmugwort.com SOURCES ‘The Burning Of Bridget Cleary: A True Story’ by Angela Bourke ‘Five years in Ireland, 1895-1900’ by Michael John Fitzgerald McCarthy ‘Of British Fairies And Bridget Clairy, Revisited’ by Alexandra Bennett ‘Fairy Faith and Changelings: The Burning of Bridget Clairy in 1895’ by Thomas McGrath in Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review, Vol. 71, No. 282 (Summer, 1982), pp. 178-184 Newcastle Chronicle Leigh Chronicle and Weekly District Advertiser 29th March 1895 Batley Reporter and Guardian 30th March 1895 Yorkshire Post 3rd April 1895 Leeds Intelligencer 3rd April 1895 Leeds Mercury 6th April 1895 Lisburn Herald 6th April 1895 Blyth News 9th April 1895 Ripon Observer 11th April 1895 Lincolnshire Chronicle 12th April 1895 Central Somerset Gazette 20th April 1895 St James’ Gazette 20th April 1895 Cork Weekly News 13th July 1895 Dublin Daily Express 27th March 1895 Dublin Daily Express 29th March 1895 Dublin Daily Express 30th March 1895 Irish Examiner Tuesday 26th March 1895 Irish Examiner Friday 29th March 1895 Irish Examiner Tuesday 2nd April 1895 Irish Examiner Wednesday 3rd April 1895 Irish Examiner Monday 8th April 1895 Jarrow Express 05 April 1895 Harborne Herald 06 April 1895 Weekly Dispatch (London) 07 April 1895

OLD SINS: The unsolved true crime case of Who Put Bella In The Wych Elm is one of mystery, botched preservation of remains, and at the centre of it all, Bella. Decades ago a boy found a skull in a dead tree with something stuffed into its mouth, its skeletal hand still wearing a wedding ring, and the case of Bella began to unravel. From reconstruction sketches to a potential link to WW2 conspirators, Zoe Dels dives into what happened to Bella, who put her in the wych elm, and who she was.

OLD SINS is a pre-1950s true crime podcast centred on firsthand newspaper research to bring you accurate retellings of murder cases from hundreds of years ago. History, true crime, & compassion collide in OLD SINS to give a voice to people who have been too long forgotten. By Zoe Delahunty-Light of Eurogamer & House of Mugwort, an autistic writer, video producer, & artist. Be the first to know about new episodes of OLD SINS at: TikTok - @zoedels Twitter - @zoe_dels Instagram - @zoe_dels Tumblr - zoedels Bluesky - @zoedels.bsky.social YouTube - Zoe Dels Merchandise - www.houseofmugwort.com