Anne Boleyn: Coercive Control, False Accusation, and Henry VIII

Anne Boleyn: Coercive Control, False Accusation, and Henry VIII

Anne Boleyn is often remembered as Henry VIII’s “beheaded” wife or a cautionary tale about the dangers of ambition. In this episode of The Forgotten, Dr Becca Watterson revisits Anne’s story through the lens of coercive control. This episode explores how power, surveillance, false accusation, and reputational violence shaped Anne Boleyn’s downfall, and how the law was used to turn a queen into a criminal. From Henry VIII’s pursuit to Anne’s trial and execution, this is a survivor-centred history of control, punishment, and erasure. Blending rigorous historical analysis with modern understandings of abuse, this episode asks what Anne Boleyn’s story reveals about coercive control, then and now. The Forgotten is a survivor history podcast uncovering hidden stories of abuse, coercion, and survival. Because every name, every story matters.

Five Shillings and a Promise: Catherine Doran and the Ordinary Brutality of 1833 Dublin

In September 1833, Catherine Doran stood in a Dublin courtroom and testified against her violent husband. She had two children, no money of her own, and what she got from the Recorder’s Court was not protection or justice — but five shillings a week and a promise. In this episode of The Forgotten, I explore Catherine’s brief but powerful testimony: how respectability shaped her credibility, how her husband’s DARVO tactics undermined her voice, and how violence was bargained away as if it were just another household expense. Nearly two centuries later, her story still echoes. Survivors today know what it means to be disbelieved, discredited, or forced to choose between financial survival and safety. Catherine’s voice reminds us that behind the euphemisms of “ill usage” and “unfortunate woman” were real women, real risks, and real resilience. Every name, every story matters.

The Queen Who Said No: Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII

Catherine of Aragon is usually remembered in one word: divorced. The first of Henry VIII’s six wives, she’s often reduced to a schoolroom rhyme or a glittering anthem in the pop musical SIX. But Catherine’s real story is sharper, grittier, and far more important. She was a Spanish princess trained in theology, a queen who ruled as regent, a mother who turned letters into resistance manuals, and a woman who faced Henry’s gaslighting with scripture, stubbornness, and joy. In this episode of The Forgotten, Becca explores Catherine’s journey: from triumph at the Battle of Flodden, to humiliation at Blackfriars, to exile at Kimbolton. Along the way, we’ll talk about coercive control, Tudor-style, DARVO before it had a name, and how Catherine’s life was defined not by the word divorced but by the word no. Because Catherine of Aragon wasn’t just a cast-off wife. She was the queen who said no — and her story still resonates today.

Poor Forgiving Wretch: The Ordinary Brutality of 1808

In July 1808, the Dublin Evening Post reported a short, startling case: 'A ruffian, named Patrick Curran, who split his wife’s ear, and cut her with a hammer, was sentenced to be imprisoned three months'. Other papers repeated the story, adding that Mrs. Curran was a 'poor forgiving wretch'. She admitted her husband had 'often done so before'… but forgave him. In this episode of The Forgotten, we delve into what that tiny article reveals: violence, law, silence, and survival in nineteenth-century Ireland. We’ll trace echoes into modern reporting, including a 2019 case where forgiveness again became the headline, and reflect on coercive control, forced resilience, and why so many court cases look like a Historical Hot Mess Express of injustice. Because abuse is not new. But silence doesn’t have to continue.

The Cupboard Story: Abuse, Loosely Based on True Events

Welcome to the very first episode of 'Abuse, Loosely Based on True Events' - a strand of 'Becca Does Things,' my project about reclaiming life after abuse. This strand is where I share my own abuse stories, survival truths, and the messy ways I’m reclaiming joy… with sarcasm, dark humour, and probably too much honesty. In this opening episode, I share my very first memory of abuse: being locked in a cupboard as a child while my mum and her partner laughed outside. I talk about silence, betrayal, the impact of domestic abuse on children, and the teenage boyfriend (and his mum) who gave me safety when I needed it most. It’s not an easy story, but it’s where everything begins. Because yes, my first memory of abuse was the cupboard. But my first memory of healing was telling someone who loved me — and being believed.