Mortsafes: After The Anatomy Act
On 1 August 1832, Britain passed the Anatomy Act in an attempt to address the shortage of bodies available…
Protecting Scotland’s Dead | A Detailed History of the Mortsafe
Body snatching prevention doesn’t come more sturdy than a mortsafe. Iron cages placed over graves to protect your loved ones from the resurrection men.
Burke & Hare’s Last Victim | The Last Days of Margaret Docherty
On the Eve of All Hallows, 1828, notorious Edinburgh murders William Burke and William Hare murdered their last victim…
The Simple Art of Burking
By the end of 1829, after William Burke – one-half of Edinburgh’s famous murderers Burke and Hare – had…
Dissecting Season: When Body Snatchers Plied Their Trade
Someone once said to me ” a season for body snatching, who knew”, and I agree, not many do,…
Body Snatching Students of Scotland’s Medical Schools
Before the demand from anatomy schools for fresh cadavers grew to such an extent that body snatching became a…
St Fittick’s Church, Nigg, Aberdeen | The Story of Mrs. Spark
Body snatching in and around Aberdeen was rife at the beginning of the 19th century and anatomy students targeting…
The Murderer William Burke: Finding His Skeleton
If you’re interested in the macabre story of the now infamous murderers Burke and Hare, you’ll know that William Burke…
Fundamental Rules of Georgian Body Snatching (The Key 5)
Being a body snatcher came with a few fundamental rules. It wasn’t just about digging up a cadaver and…
Edinburgh’s First Body snatchers (Waldie & Torrence)
Long before Burke and Hare had perfected the subtle art of Burking, two women from Edinburgh were doing just…
What Did Body Snatchers Do?
How and when did a body snatcher know that a cadaver for available for the taking? Covering the more usual methods of procurement, this post sheds some light on how body snatchers found their latest ‘subjects’.
Britain’s Top 5 Punishments For Body Snatching
The penalties for stealing a dead body in Britain in the mid-1800s varied dramatically.
Find out about the Top 5 punishments issued in Britain during the 1800s – ranging from imprisonment to full-blown transportation.
Bodysnatching, Graveyards, and Ghosts
Graveyards and ghosts perhaps go hand in hand. Put in a splash of body snatching and you have a…
The Turf Hotel, Collingwood Street, Newcastle
Notwithstanding an already arduous journey; one that involved jostling, the consistent rumbling of wheels, and the potential threat of…
From Dressmaker to Body Snatcher
I am delighted to welcome the wonderful ladies from All Things Georgian as my first guest bloggers. When I…
Body Snatching In Edinburgh: The Notorious ‘Merry Andrew’
Someone had to supply cadavers to the anatomy schools of Edinburgh beofre Burke and Hare came on the scene. It’s time to meet Edinburgh’s real body snatchers
Caged Lairs: No.1 in Body Snatching Prevention
Come across an iron cage in the middle of a churchyard and you’d be forgiven for wondering what it…
Mortstones: Protecting Yourself from the Resurrection Men
By the early 1800s, professional resurrection men or body snatchers were starting to appear within our parishes. People were…
Body Snatching Prevention for the Poor
To say that the poorer members of Georgian society were at a disadvantage when it came to protecting their…
St Mary’s Church: Whitkirk, West Yorkshire
The sad tale of Hannah Heesom who was snatched from her grave on New Year’s Eve 1828.
