Meet Mary Frith aka Mary or Moll Frith aka Mal or Moll Cutpurse aka Mary Markham aka Mary Thrift. - the gender non-conforming outlaw who thrived in the chaos of the early 1600s made breaking the rules an art form. Whether they were the first woman to smoke in public, wearing “men’s” clothes, or pawning stolen goods, Mary refused to play by society's rules.
In Episode 2 of Time Travelling Queers, Don One is joined by comedian Rosie Jones and historian Ess Grange to travel back to the streets of early modern London and meet the extraordinary Mary Frith.
Centuries before gender expression became part of everyday conversation, Mary was wearing men's clothes, smoking pipes, wielding a sword, performing on stage and building a reputation as one of London's most notorious rule-breakers.
Together, Don, Rosie and Ess unravel the myths and the facts behind one of history's most unforgettable queer figures, exploring prison stints, theatrical scandals, underworld dealings and the remarkable life of an icon who became larger than life.
History has never been this queer.
#ttqpod
Website: www.timetravellingqueers.com
Instagram: @timetravellingqueers
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A Molly House Media Production.
www.mollyhousemedia.com
Host : Don One
Guest : Rosie Jones
Historian : Ess Grange
Creator, Writer & Director : David Mark Graham
Writer & Producer : Marie Horner
Executive Producer : Rishi Khosla
Hair & Make Up : Nicole Fairfield
Set Designer : Ellie Koslowsky
Sound Designer : Jon Gray
Dubbing Mixer : Sam Morris
Theme music Composer : Adiescar Chase
Special thanks to the incredible historians who gave their time and knowledge as we developed this show; Claire Mead, Jas Bevan Nas, Tim May, Ema Sala, Tallulah Smart, Kit Heyam, Ess Grange, Jonty Stern, Kit Green and Siobhan McGuirk.
Recorded at www.storyhousestudios.co
CHAPTERS
0:00 - 03:31 Intro
03:31 - 04:17 Time Travel
04:18 - 07:41 London Is Falling Apart
7:42- 09:25 Did Mary go to America?
09:26 - 12:38 What's on Trend?
12:39 - 27:57 Moll Cutpurse takes to the stage
27:58- 33:08 The Christmas Eve Flashing Incident
33:09 - 39:13 Crime Boss Era
39:14 - 51:28 Life and Death of Mary Frith
51:29 - 53:11 Mary’s legacy
53:12 - 55:28 Sorting out the fare and outro
REFERENCES
The Roaring Girl, Middleton & Dekker, 1611
The Life and Death of Mary Frith (originally published first in 1662), modern publication edited by Janet Todd and Elizabeth Spearing, 1994.
The Date of the Roaring Girl, P.A. Mulholland, 1977
Mary Frith alias Moll Cutpurse in Life & Literature, Gustav Ungerer, 2000
Plus Ess’ PhD research, not yet published but we will shout about it when it is!
IMAGE CREDIT
London (Castle Street, Leicester Fields) : Published by W. Richardson, [between 1800 and 1899?]. Wellcome Collection Reference: 2015801i
