Episode #86: The Bizarre Scandal: The 1700s Trial of the Century & the 1793 Zodiac Back

4/28/2026: On today’s episode, Valerie presents the story of a cousin-marrying, plantation owning, tobacco producing, aristocratic family in Colonial Virginia. What started off as a love triangle ended in shocking allegations, salacious rumors, hotshot attorneys, and a great scandal that became the 1700s “Trial of the Century”. Next, in the 1793 Zodiac Back, Amy Jo presents the astrological influence on the city of Washington DC, astrology’s historic impact on America’s early leaders, the outer planet placements of 1793, and Mr. “the Ferret of Comets” himself, Charles Messier and the sport of comet hunting. And finally, Holy $hit! Uranus has moved into Gemini!

Cover Photo: Nancy Randolph

https://youtu.be/C_kdJtrrRHA?si=73zRzIgwSo8iPZ_M

Map showing Farmville

Tuckahoe Plantation

Patrick Henry. Oil on canvas

Gouverneur Morris, 1798, Pierre Henri - This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Unwise Passions by Alan Pell Crawford

Plan of the city of Washington in the territory of Columbia: ceded by the states of Virginia and Maryland to the United States of America, and by them established as the seat of their government, after the year MDCCC. Library of Congress Geography and Map Division. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3850.ct000299

George Washington, Freemason Tapestry

What Does Joan Say? book by Joan Quigley

De Chéseaux’s Comet, also known as the Great Comet of 1744, probably was young Charles Messier’s first great astronomical sight. The drawing above lets you compare some of the methods astronomers and artists used to record the visitor. Both illustrations show the comet’s six tails even though its head still lies below the horizon, but the one above includes a realistic star field. The bright star a bit to the right of the comet near the top of the image is Altair (Alpha [α] Aquilae). Michael E. Bakich Library

The constellation Ophiuchus as it can be seen by the naked eye. Till Credner - Own work, http://www.AlltheSky.com

Charles Messier’s Grave

Caroline Herschel Portrait

Sources/Photo Sources

Intro Sources:

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/inde-benrush-letter-marcus-marsh-1793.htm

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/images/1793-10-14n15_Rush-Letter-to-Julia_1_2290px.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false&format=webp 

The Bizarre Scandal Sources:

https://www.encyclopedia.com/law/law-magazines/nancy-randolph-and-richard-randolph-trial-1793

https://www.americanheritage.com/scandal-bizarre

https://deepsouthmag.com/2023/08/10/scandal-of-the-18th-century-the-nancy-randolph-story/

https://scrc-kb.libraries.wm.edu/bizarre-scandal

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

https://americanaristocracy.com/people/john-randolph-1

The Bizarre Scandal Photo Sources:

https://deepsouthmag.com/2023/08/10/scandal-of-the-18th-century-the-nancy-randolph-story/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Henry#/media/File:Patrick_henry.JPG

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/8514686784789096/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Cary_Randolph_Morris#/media/File:Gouverneur_Morris_MET_DP162129_(cropped).jpg

1793 Zodiac Back Sources:

https://www.mountvernon.org/blog/2018/10/colonial-superstitions

https://astrologynewsservice.com/news/nations-capital-is-teeming-with-astrological-symbols/ 

https://goelgems.com/2025/11/16/astrologys-historic-impact-on-u-s-leaders/ 

https://crystalbastrology.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/did-you-know-that-some-of-our-founding-fathers-believed-in-astrology/ 

https://patrickwatsonastrology.com/a-history-of-pluto-through-the-zodiac/

https://patrickwatsonastrology.com/planets-in-signs/neptune-in-the-signs/neptune-in-libra/ 

https://www.astronomy.com/science/the-obsessive-comet-hunter/ 

https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/l/levy-comets.html?scp=32&sq=hebrew%20school&st=cse

https://shethoughtit.ilcml.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/lossy-page1-1200px-1829_Melchior_Gommar_Tieleman_%C3%96lgem%C3%A4lde_Caroline_Herschel_Hannover.tif.jpg 

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

https://cosmicmindtides.wordpress.com/astrohistory/brief-notes-on-astro-history-1770-to-1889/

https://mooncalendar.astro-seek.com/solar-and-lunar-eclipses-astrology-calendar

https://horoscopes.astro-seek.com/calculate-planet-ingresses-and-particular-degree-returns/?planeta_navrat_en=planety_all&znameni_stupen=28&znameni_minuta=57&znameni_sekunda=3&znameni_navrat_en=aquarius&ingres_narozeni_rok=1793&ingres_narozeni_mesic=8&ingres_narozeni_den=21&

1793 Zodiac Back Photo Sources:

https://shethoughtit.ilcml.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/lossy-page1-1200px-1829_Melchior_Gommar_Tieleman_%C3%96lgem%C3%A4lde_Caroline_Herschel_Hannover.tif.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiuchus#/media/File:OphiuchusCC.jpg

https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2024/02/benjamin-banneker-surveyor-city-planner-astronomer/

https://www.amazon.com/What-Does-Joan-Say-Astrologer/dp/1559720328

https://prints.sciencesource.com/featured/george-washington-freemason-science-source.html?product=tapestry

https://www.astronomy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ASYMC0217_07.jpg

https://www.astronomy.com/science/the-obsessive-comet-hunter/