Episodes

  • The 1819 Blanketeers March: Weavers Walk to London

    The 1819 Blanketeers March: Weavers Walk to London
    Jul 4 2026
    In 1819, as Manchester's cotton mills hummed and the Peterloo Massacre loomed, a column of desperate handloom weavers set out from Manchester to London. They carried blankets to sleep under and a petition to the Prince Regent. The Blanketeers March was a peaceful protest against wage collapse, the Corn Laws, and machinery that had stripped them of work. Lucas and Luna follow the marchers through Stockport, Macclesfield, and Leek, into the chaotic scenes at Derby where government spies and cavalry awaited. They examine the role of radical orator Henry 'Orator' Hunt, the secret committees that tried to stop the march, and the fate of those arrested. The episode explores how the state responded to peaceful assembly before Peterloo, the conflicting accounts of what happened at Derby, and the legacy of a march that has been overshadowed by the massacre that followed. This is a story of ordinary people walking for justice, and of a government terrified of revolution. #Blanketeers #Peterloo #Manchester #HandloomWeavers #HenryHunt #Radicalism #CornLaws #1819 #Derby #Stockport #Macclesfield #Leek #Petition #PrinceRegent #EnglishHistory #IndustrialRevolution #Protest #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • The War on Coal: The 1842 Mines Act and Britain's Child Miners

    The War on Coal: The 1842 Mines Act and Britain's Child Miners
    Jul 4 2026
    In 1842, a Royal Commission shocked Britain with evidence of children as young as four working underground in coal mines. This episode follows Lord Shaftesbury's campaign to ban women and girls from mines, and limit boys' work. We explore the brutal conditions — trappers, hurriers, and the dangers of firedamp — and the political battle that led to the Mines and Collieries Act. Discover how this landmark law reshaped child labour in industrial Britain. #MinesAct1842 #LordShaftesbury #ChildLabour #CoalMines #IndustrialRevolution #VictorianEra #SocialReform #Firedamp #Trappers #Hurriers #RoyalCommission #Ashley #Britain #History #FexingoHistory #19thCentury #Parliament #Reform Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    5 mins
  • The Corn Laws: Bread, Politics, and the Hungry 1840s

    The Corn Laws: Bread, Politics, and the Hungry 1840s
    Jul 3 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the bitter battle over the Corn Laws, the protectionist tariffs on imported grain that kept bread expensive in Britain for decades. They follow the story from the original 1815 Corn Law — passed by a Parliament of landowners — to the Anti-Corn Law League's mass movement in Manchester, led by Richard Cobden and John Bright. They explore how the Irish Potato Famine (1845–1852) forced Prime Minister Robert Peel to split his Tory party and repeal the laws in 1846, a watershed moment that shifted Britain toward free trade. Along the way, they touch on the Duke of Wellington's changing stance, the role of the Chartist movement, and the philosophical clash between the landed aristocracy and the rising industrial middle class. This episode connects the dots between the price of a loaf of bread, the political power of the gentry, and the human cost of hunger in the hungry 1840s. #CornLaws #AntiCornLawLeague #RichardCobden #JohnBright #RobertPeel #IrishPotatoFamine #FreeTrade #Protectionism #VictorianBritain #HungryForties #Chartism #DukeOfWellington #Manchester #IndustrialRevolution #PoliticalHistory #BreadPrices #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 mins
  • The Iron Bridge: How Cast Iron Forged the Industrial Age

    The Iron Bridge: How Cast Iron Forged the Industrial Age
    Jul 3 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the story of the Iron Bridge, the world's first major structure made of cast iron, built across the River Severn in Coalbrookdale in 1779. They discuss how Abraham Darby I pioneered coke-smelting iron in 1709, transforming the iron industry. The episode dives into the engineering challenges of constructing a 100-foot single-span bridge entirely from iron, the role of Abraham Darby III and architect Thomas Farnolls Pritchard, and the bridge's opening that symbolized the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Lucas explains the significance of the Severn Gorge, a landscape teeming with coal, iron ore, and limestone, and how the Darbys' innovations at Coalbrookdale led to cheaper, stronger iron for railways, machines, and buildings. The conversation also touches on the bridge's restoration, its UNESCO World Heritage status, and its legacy as a global icon of industry. Listeners will come away understanding how one bridge in rural Shropshire changed the world. #IronBridge #Coalbrookdale #AbrahamDarby #CastIron #IndustrialRevolution #SevernGorge #ThomasFarnollsPritchard #AbrahamDarbyIII #UNESCOWorldHeritage #CoalbrookdaleCompany #CokeSmelting #Shropshire #Ironmaking #18thCentury #Engineering #Industry #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 mins
  • The Chimney Sweeps of Industrial Britain

    The Chimney Sweeps of Industrial Britain
    Jul 2 2026
    In the soot-blackened chimneys of Industrial Revolution Britain, child sweeps as young as four were forced into a brutal trade. This episode traces the lives of the climbing boys and girls, the tragic death of young George William Brewster that sparked public outrage, and the long legal fight led by figures like Lord Shaftesbury — culminating in the Chimney Sweepers Act of 1875. We explore the physical horrors of the job, from burns and lung disease to chimney cancer, the role of the master sweeps who exploited parish apprentices, and the resistance from powerful interests that delayed reform for decades. A dark chapter in industrial history, but one that eventually forced a nation to confront child labour. #ChimneySweeps #ChildLabour #IndustrialRevolution #LordShaftesbury #GeorgeWilliamBrewster #ClimbingBoys #ChimneySweepersAct1875 #Soot #ChimneyCancer #ParishApprentices #VictorianEra #Reform #LondonHistory #FactoryAct #IndustrialBritain #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    5 mins
  • The Chimney Sweeps: Child Labour and the Climbs

    The Chimney Sweeps: Child Labour and the Climbs
    Jul 2 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the hidden world of climbing boys and girls in industrial Britain. They discuss the history of chimney sweeping from medieval times through the Industrial Revolution, focusing on the brutal realities faced by child sweeps. The conversation covers key figures like Jonas Hanway, who led early reform efforts, and Lord Shaftesbury, whose 1840 Chimney Sweepers Act aimed to ban the practice. They delve into the shocking parliamentary report of 1817 that revealed the abuse of children, including specific cases of burns, falls, and cancer. The episode also examines the Chimney Sweepers Regulation Act of 1864 and the eventual end of the trade in 1875, as well as the cultural legacy of sweeps in folklore and literature. A tragic yet essential chapter in the story of labour reform. #ChimneySweeps #ChildLabour #IndustrialRevolution #JonasHanway #LordShaftesbury #ClimbingBoys #ChimneySweepersAct #VictorianEra #SocialReform #LabourHistory #ChildrensRights #Britain #19thCentury #IndustrialHistory #History #FexingoHistory #Reform #Exploitation Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • The Luddite Rebellion: When Weavers Fought the Machines

    The Luddite Rebellion: When Weavers Fought the Machines
    Jul 1 2026
    In 1811, English textile workers began smashing the new wide-framed knitting machines that threatened their livelihoods. The Luddite rebellion spread across Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, and Lancashire, targeting mills owned by men like Edward Ludd's mythical namesake, General Ludd. This episode explores the real grievances behind the machine-breaking: wage cuts, food prices, and the brutal conditions of the Napoleonic Wars. We follow the story of the 1812 attack on Rawfolds Mill, the murder of mill owner William Horsfall, and the eventual military crackdown that saw Luddites hanged or transported. Along the way, we discuss the 1812 Frame-Breaking Act, which made machine-breaking a capital offence. Why did the weavers fight? And what does their struggle tell us about the human cost of industrialisation? #Luddites #GeneralLudd #MachineBreaking #Nottinghamshire #RawfoldsMill #WilliamHorsfall #NedLudd #FrameBreakingAct #IndustrialRevolution #EnglishHistory #TextileWorkers #LudditeRebellion #Yorkshire #Lancashire #1811 #NapoleonicWars #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    9 mins
  • The Waltham-Lowell System: When Textiles Moved to America

    The Waltham-Lowell System: When Textiles Moved to America
    Jul 1 2026
    For decades, Britain had a monopoly on industrial textile production, but in the early 19th century, a young Bostonian named Francis Cabot Lowell traveled to Manchester, memorized the plans of power looms, and brought the Industrial Revolution to New England. This episode follows the birth of the Waltham-Lowell system—the first fully integrated cotton mills in America, where raw cotton went in and finished cloth came out under one roof. We explore how Lowell bypassed British export laws, the unique labor force of 'mill girls' from New England farms, and the carefully controlled factory towns of Waltham and Lowell, Massachusetts. Lucas and Luna discuss the contrast with British mill conditions, the role of Irish immigrants after the potato famine, and how this system eventually collapsed under competitive pressure. A story of industrial espionage, paternalistic capitalism, and the reshaping of American society. #Waltham-LowellSystem #FrancisCabotLowell #LowellMills #MillGirls #TextileIndustry #IndustrialRevolution #BostonManufacturingCompany #MerrimackRiver #WalthamMassachusetts #LowellMassachusetts #PowerLoom #IndustrialEspionage #CabotFamily #BoottCottonMills #AmericanIndustry #NewEngland #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins