When poison pen letters caused chaos
Emily Cockayne chronicles the surge in anonymous letter writing in 19th and 20th-century Britain
![Pod Emily Cockayne WL](https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2023/09/Pod-Emily-Cockayne-WL-bad5758.jpg?quality=90&resize=620,414)
Long before the rise of the internet troll, malicious letters written by anonymous authors were causing untold grief to those who received them, and tugging at the seams of social cohesion in small communities. Speaking to Spencer Mizen, Emily Cockayne reveals why these spiteful missives caused such chaos in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
Emily Cockayne is the author of Penning Poison: A History of Anonymous Letters (OUP, 2023)
Authors
Emily Cockayne is associate professor in early modern history at the University of East Anglia
![Spencer Mizen](https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2021/09/spenny--d0c13d7.jpg?quality=90&resize=600,600)
Spencer is senior production editor of BBC History Magazine
![SUMMER SALE Brandsite Artwork Brief 310_Sidebar720x640](https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2024/07/SUMMER-SALE-Brandsite-Artwork-Brief-310Sidebar720x640-1c13575.jpg?quality=90&resize=1440,1280)
Summer Sale is now live - save 86% when you get your first 5 issues for £5
+ FREE HistoryExtra membership - worth £34.99!