51 - The Dunbar Prisoners of 1650 - with Megan Olshefski

Following the Battle of Dunbar in early September 1650, thousands of Scottish prisoners of war were marched south to Durham Cathedral. On their way, they were kept overnight at Alnwick Castle.

In the first Alnwick Castle Podcast of 2024, hosts Deborah and Daniel find out more about the prisoners, how we know they were at the Castle, and what ultimately happened to them. We spoke to Megan Olshefski, a scholar and researcher whose work has tracked surviving Dunbar prisoners from Durham and across the Atlantic to the American colonies where they lived out their days.

It was especially interesting to talk to Megan, as in September 2023, she recreated the march from Dunbar to Durham - even camping out overnight in the grounds of Alnwick Castle! We find out all about what it was like to retrace these historical footsteps.

You can find Megan on Twitter @meganolshefski.

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Special thanks to tech wizard Peter Johnson for salvaging this episode after our recording equipment went awry!