338. Discover the bizarre tale of the last battle fought on English soil - with writer Ian Breckon

Did you know that the last battle fought on English soil occurred in the early years of Queen Victoria – out in the Kent countryside? Historical novelist Ian Breckon has unearthed the extraordinary tale of Mad Tom and his 'rising' in the late 1830s and what it tells us about rural life at the time. Ian spoke with Plodcast host Fergus Collins on a walk in London's Highgate Woods.
Ian's book Mad Tom's Rising: The Revolutionary Mystic Sir William Courtenay and the Last Battle Fought on English Soil is published by Icon Books.
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The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 & 2025 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022.
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The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop.

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