Edinburgh Wouldn’t Be Edinburgh Without Them!
As Edinburgh’s FIRST serial killers, the discovery of the Burke & Hare murders on All Hallow’s Eve in 1828 ensured that the duo is forever etched in history.
I’m fascinated by Burke and Hare (let’s be honest, who isn’t if you’re reading this) but there’s so much more to discover than just a catchy rhyme!
Let me share with you the ins and outs of Edinburgh’s most famous double act!
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Discover ‘Old Reekie’
From fetid tenements in Edinburgh’s ‘Old Reekie’ to the dissecting tables of Surgeon’s Square, lose yourself in a world that would have been familiar to Burke & Hare as they trundled their victims’ bodies through Edinburgh’s street, en route to Dr Knox’s house.
But let’s start with the REAL Burke & Hare story… or what we know about it anyway.
Edinburgh’s Dark Side
‘Burking’
With the Burke & Hare murders came a new murder method, named after the man who invented it… William Burke
to murder, as by suffocation, so as to leave no or few marks of violence
My Recommended Burke & Hare Reads ~ Fact & Fiction
Edinburgh Miniature Coffins
Oh what delights these wee things are, but what exactly was there purpose? Maybe you know them as the Fairy Coffins, or maybe the Coffins of Arthur’s Seat? Or Maybe even the Burke & Hare Murder dolls?
But what if the links with Burke & Hare was just the beginning? What if they’re linked with sailors lost at see, Witchcraft or more!
The Notorious ‘Merry Andrew’
Dr Knox didn’t just get dead bodies from Burke & Hare… meet Andrew Merrylees, a TRUE Edinburgh bodysnatcher!
Did you know he used to send Knox letters when he had a corpse for him!