Burke & Hare

From Ireland to Edinburgh

Burke and Hare are probably the world's most famous graverobbers - although there is some question as to whether they ever actually robbed a grave. The pair were both Irish but travelled to Scotland and met in Edinburgh where they were employed on the building of the Union Canal.

In the early 1800s the medical sciences such as anatomy were growing at a rapid pace. Edinburgh, with its University and its school of anatomy, was at the forefront of this advance. Respectable surgeons - and many less respectable ones - needed a supply of bodies on which to operate. Unfortunately for them, the law regarding the use of bodies was strict. Operating under conventional rules there simply weren't enough to go round.

Resurrectionists

The limited supply led to a market for the grave robbers, not just in Edinburgh. They would enter a cemetry at night, dig up a recently buried body then sell it to the local medical school, "no questions asked". These body snatchers were known as "resurrectionists".

Burke and Hare were not the only resurrectionists to operate in Edinburgh, let alone 19th century Britain, however they were amongst the most prolific. What makes Burke and Hare infamous is that they were not content with "merely" digging up corpses. A good quality body could fetch as much as ten pounds, a huge sum in those days. Their greed led them to try to find a way to obtain more bodies more freshly and more easily. This led to one obvious tactic: murder.

Doctor Knox

One of Burke and Hare's main clients was Edinburgh University professor Dr Robert Knox. His anatomy classes were more akin to entertainment than science and could attract as many as 500 "students". He needed a steady supply of corpses.

From 1827 Burke and Hare went on a killing spree around Edinburgh. No-one knows exactly how many of their victims ended up on Dr Knox's table however it could be as many as thirty.

Luck finally ran out for Burke and Hare with their killing of Irish immigrant Mary Docherty. Questions were asked and Mary's body discovered in Doctor Knox's possession. Links were made back to Burke and Hare who were both arrested.

Hare agreed to testify against Burke in exchange for his own freedom. In the face of the evidence Burke confessed to some sixteen murders but always denied having ever robbed a grave.

The trial began at the end of 1828. Burke was found guilty and hanged in January 1829.

Hare was released and reportedly died a pauper in London. Knox never faced trial. With wonderful irony, Burke's body was given to the Edinburgh medical school for research purposes.

There were rumours that some students made off with slivers of Burke's skin and such "unholy relics" could fetch high prices.

From terrors of the 19th century, Burke and Hare have now become central parts of Edinburgh's tourist industry.