
"The streets will run with blood!": the uprising that shook Victorian Britain
From HistoryExtra podcast
Published 2/18/2026
In 1838, a 6ft Cornishman going by the name of Sir William Courtenay led an insurrection in rural Kent. Courtenay claimed he was Jesus Christ – and a lot of people believed him. And when those supporters clashed with troops at Bossenden Wood, the result was carnage. Here, in conversation with…







