The Burke and Hare murders were a series of 16 killings committed over a period of about ten months in 1828 in Edinburgh, Scotland. They were undertaken by William Burke and William Hare, who sold the corpses to Robert Knox for dissection at his anatomy lectures. Burke was hanged shortly afterwards; his corpse was dissected and his skeleton displayed at the Anatomical Museum of Edinburgh Medical School where, as at 2020, it remains.
About Burke and Hare murders in brief
The Burke and Hare murders were a series of 16 killings committed over a period of about ten months in 1828 in Edinburgh, Scotland. They were undertaken by William Burke and William Hare, who sold the corpses to Robert Knox for dissection at his anatomy lectures. Edinburgh was a leading European centre of anatomical study in the early 19th century, in a time when the demand for cadavers led to a shortfall in legal supply. Scottish law required that corpses used for medical research should only come from those who had died in prison, suicide victims, or from foundlings and orphans. The shortage of corpses led to an increase in body snatching by what were known as’resurrection men’ The events have made appearances in literature, and been portrayed on screen, either in heavily fictionalised accounts, or as the inspiration for fictional works. Burke was hanged shortly afterwards; his corpse was dissected and his skeleton displayed at the Anatomical Museum of Edinburgh Medical School where, as at 2020, it remains. The murders raised public awareness of the need for bodies for medicalResearch and contributed to the passing of the Anatomy Act 1832. The price per corpse changed depending on the season. It was £8 during the summer, when the warmer temperatures brought on quicker decomposition, and £10 in the winter months. The situation was confused by the legal position. Disturbing a grave was a criminal offence, as was the taking of property from the deceased. Stealing the body was not an offence as it did not legally belong to anyone.
By the 1820s the residents of Edinburgh had taken the streets to protest at the increase in grave robbing. To avoid corpses being disinterred, bereaved families used several techniques to deter the thieves: guards were hired to watch the graves, and a large stone slab could be built in several cemeteries. Some families used a mortsafe, which surrounded the coffin with an iron cage. Tim Marshall considers the situation as a growing atmosphere of crisis among anatomists because of the shortage of bodies. The high levels of vigilance from the public meant that the situation meant the body had begun to decay to the point of being useful for an anatomist. The historian describes what the historian Ruth Richardson describes as ‘a growing atmosphere. of crisis’. The last victim was Margaret Docherty, who was found dead in her lodger’s house by other lodgers and contacted the police. A forensic examination of Docherty’s body indicated she had probably been suffocated, but this could not be proven. A formal charges were made against Burke and his wife for three murders. At the subsequent trial Burke was found guilty of one murder and sentenced to death. The case against his wife was found not proven, but a Scottish legal verdict to acquit an individual but not declare them innocent. He provided the details ofDocherty’s murder and confessed to all 16 deaths; He was later executed in 1832, but his skeleton remains.
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