Regency Era Witch Mary Bateman
From Vulgar History: Tudors by Vulgar History | Realm
April 1, 2026 · 1h 54m · Season 8 · Episode 22
About this episode
This episode explores the life of Mary Bateman, known as The Yorkshire Witch, and her various cons during the superstitious Regency Era.
Click here to watch this episode as a video. The Regency Era is known for its gowns, balls, and Bridgerton-style love stories. But England at this time was also very superstitious, which is how Mary Bateman aka The Yorkshire Witch found numerous ways to grift people. From fortune-telling to magical hens to herbal remedies, Mary found ways to scam people by using their spiritual beliefs against them. We're joined by award-winning author Allison Epstein to cover Mary's lifetime of audacious cons, and how the law finally caught up with her. link) — Buy a copy of Ann's book Rebel of the Regency — Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout — Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and…
People in this episode
Host: Ann
Guest: Allison Epstein
Topics covered
- Regency Era
- witchcraft
- superstition
- grifting
- Mary Bateman
Keywords
- fortune-telling
- herbal remedies
- scams
Sponsors
Common Era
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Rebel of the Regency, jewellery and accessories
Books & works: Rebel of the Regency
Places: England, US
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