Episode #80: The Drowning of Mary Ashford & the 1817 Zodiac Back

1/11/2026: On today’s episode, Valerie shares the sorrowful tale of Mary Ashford, who met a mysterious fate in the early morning hours after a local community dance. Her case led to the repeal of a long forgotten medieval law after the accused threw down the gauntlet (literally). As if that weren’t enough, Mary’s death is tied to an unsolved case 157 years later, with many eerie similarities (Time=Flat Circle). Next, in the Zodiac Back we look at the outer planet placements of 1817 - ain’t no party like a Sagittarius party! Then Amy Jo outlines details of the natal chart of a famous leader of the Venezuelan independence movement. We round out the ZB by looking forward to the astrology of 2026.

Cover Photo: Mary Ashford

Map above reproduced from Andrew Rowbottom’s website of Old Ordnance Survey maps Popular Edition, Birmingham 1921

Mary Ashford, depicted in her dancing dress

The Tyburn House

Contemporary depiction of Abraham Thornton

Front facing Abraham Thornton

Maps of the place where the body was found, and surrounding areas; the location of the fatal pit is now 152 Penns Lane, Sutton Coldfield

Morning Post, Nov. 7, 1818

1544 illustration of a 1409 trial by battle in Augsburg, Germany

Sketch c. 1825, depicts a medieval “trial by combat.” (Credit: Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons)

The poster shows the planet earth, a child's finger touching E.T's finger, with a light blinking on contact. The top headline reads "His Adventure On Earth".

Photo of Sammy Davis, Jr. in 1972

The original lineup of Kiss in 1976 (L–R): Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley

Portrait of Simón Bolívar

Sources/Photo Sources

Intro Sources:

NA

The Drowning of Mary Ashford Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashford_v_Thornton

https://katdevitt.com/2023/03/15/the-horrific-murder-of-mary-ashford/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/12/05/two-eerily-similar-murders-157-years-apart/76829428/

https://strangeco.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-drowning-of-mary-ashford-did-she.html?spref=pi

https://billdargue.jimdofree.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-t/the-tyburn/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauntlet_(glove)#:~:text=Learn%20more,in%20medieval%20and%20fantasy%20cosplay.

The Drowning of Mary Ashford Photo Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashford_v_Thornton#/media/File:Gerichtskampf_mair.jpg 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashford_v_Thornton#/media/File:Map_for_Ashton_vs_Thornton.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashford_v_Thornton#/media/File:Ashford.png 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashford_v_Thornton#/media/File:Thornton.png 

https://katdevitt.com/2023/03/15/the-horrific-murder-of-mary-ashford/ 

https://strangeco.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-drowning-of-mary-ashford-did-she.html?spref=pi 

https://strangeco.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-drowning-of-mary-ashford-did-she.html?spref=pi 

https://billdargue.jimdofree.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-t/the-tyburn/

1817 Zodiac Back Sources:

https://www.squarepianos.com/fortepiano.html

https://thegreathistoryofarts.weebly.com/romantic-era.html#:~:text=The%20Romantic%20Era%20is%20from,of%20the%20most%20famous%20works.

https://fiveable.me/key-terms/apush/era-of-good-feelings

https://www.google.com/search?q=famous+people+in+the+1810s+1817%27&rlz=1CAACGA_enUS1071US1071&oq=famous+people+in+the+1810s+1817%27&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRiPAtIBCTE3NDA0ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 

https://horoscopes.astro-seek.com/calculate-astrology-ephemeris-december-1817/?&presnost=1&

https://patrickwatsonastrology.com/planets-in-signs/pluto-in-the-signs/pluto-in-pisces/

https://research.kent.ac.uk/warandnation/1817-1821-simon-bolivar-returns-and-the-revolutionaries-triumph/

https://ageofrevolutions.com/2018/05/14/a-hidden-caribbean-revolution-race-and-revolution-in-venezuela-1789-1817/ 

astrotheme.com/astrology/Simon_Bolivar

1817 Zodiac Back Photo Sources:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Sim%C3%B3n_Bol%C3%ADvar._Toro_Moreno%2C_Luis._1922%2C_Legislative_Palace%2C_La_Paz.png/250px-Sim%C3%B3n_Bol%C3%ADvar._Toro_Moreno%2C_Luis._1922%2C_Legislative_Palace%2C_La_Paz.png 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_(band)#/media/File:Kiss_original_lineup_(1976).jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.T._the_Extra-Terrestrial#/media/File:E_t_the_extra_terrestrial_ver3.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sammy_Davis_Jr.#/media/File:Sammy_Davis_Jr._1972.jpg