Episode 90 – Right Through My Hair by Noel Boston

A Podcast to the Curious - The M.R. James Podcast

Join Will and Mike for haunted cathedrals, lecherous minor canons and hair-based horrors in Noel Boston’s ‘Right Through My Hair’!

Big thanks to Debbie Wedge for providing the readings for this episode.

Show notes

• Noel Boston (The Haunted Library)
  Biographical information about Noel Boston is a bit hard to find online, but there is an excellent introduction in the Ash Tree Press edition of Yesterday Knocks, available as an ebook.
• Norwich Cathedral (Norwich Cathedral website)
  The location of this story is most likely based on Norwich Cathedral, where Noel Boston started his ecclesiastical career as a minor canon in the 1930s. A Google Image search for ‘Norwich triforium’ will also give you a good idea of what to picture when imagining Minor Canon Jogglebury getting menaced in this story!
• All Hallows by Walter De La Mere (Project Gutenberg)
  In this episode, Will sings the praises of this Walter de la Mere tale. It explores similar themes of the dangers lurking in a cathedral after dark!
• Upon Julia’s Clothes by Robert Herrick (Poetry Foundation)
  On seeing Pamela, Minor Canon Jogglebury’s mind immediately goes to this poem by notoriously randy 17th-century poet Robert Herrick. At least it wasn’t Herrick’s companion poem On Julia’s Breasts!
• The Heavenly Twins by Sarah Grand (Project Gutenberg)
  The novel mentioned in this story as The Heavenly Twins by Sally Smalls is actually a reference to a book of the same name by Sarah Grand, which features an anecdote that closely matches the events related in this story about Old Martle. The anecdote can be found in Book III, Chapter I of the novel.