I've been researching the macabre world of body snatching since 2005 when I looked at the topic in depth for my Under Grad dissertation. Since then, I've been absolutely fascinated by this often forgotten side of Britain's history.
In this guest post, discover the story of the man they called ‘King of The Ohio Body Snatchers’, a man named William Cunningham, AKA ‘Old Cunny’.
Find the answers to all your questions about the notorious Edinburgh Murderes Burke & Hare
From a fetid dumping ground for human waste & criminals to a place to try witches, discover the dark side to Edinburgh’s Nor Loch
From detatched legs to resident ghosts and links with murderers Burke & Hare, Edinburgh’s White Hart Inn seems to have it all
The more the famous the person, the more chance they have of having their corpse stolen. Be it for reconstructive surgery, ransom or even occult rituals, no-one is safe from body snatchers
Rediscover seven ghostly tales from Edinburgh Castle, from a Ghost Dog which haunted the cemetery to a dsigruntled Prisoner of War
Think body snatching was a thing of the past? Think again. Here’s 8 modern day body snatching cases that will make your toes curl
Spend any time in Edinburgh and chances are you’ll venture into Deacon Brodie’s Tavern, one of the most iconic pubs on the Royal Mile. The place is always crowded, especially during the summer and I can guarantee that one of the questions you’ll have while you’re there is ‘Who is Deacon Brodie Anyway’? Image |… Continue reading The Extraordinary Life of Deacon Brodie (A Full Account)
Found in the ‘Daith Comes In’ gallery at Scotland’s National Museum, the Edinburgh miniature coffins or Burke & Hare murder dolls still have a sense of mystery
Edinburgh’s graveyards are the oldest & spookiest in Scotland. Visit the Old Town for Greyfriars Kirkyard, the most haunted graveyard in the world and walk down the Royal Mile for Canongate, St Giles
The Ultimate Guide to macabre & spooky graves in Greyfriars Kirkyard visit The Black Mausoleum, mortsafes and Covenanters Prison in the world’s most haunted graveyard
Five ‘homing stones’ stand on top of the cursed grave of Seath Mor. They were encased under a cage, designed to look like a mortsafe, in 1983 to protect people visiting the grave.
The Hidden History of Dunblane Cathedral Dunblane Cathedral via National Galleries Scotland On the night of 8th June 1828, a body was stolen from the graveyard at Dunblane Cathedral in Stirlingshire, Scotland. There’s nothing so unusual about that. This was the height of the bodysnatching era so you’d expect to find a tale or two… Continue reading Hidden History of Dunblane Cathedral
In a city where cadavers were once the hottest commodity, anything relating to the dark art of body snatching and providing corpses for the 19th century dissecting table was always going to pique my interest.
The legend of Half Hangit Maggie, is one of the most re-told tales on Edinburgh’s Grassmarket and a story that is universally known as being about the woman who survived a date with the hangman. I’ve come across Maggie’s story many times as I’ve been researching different aspects of body snatching and it’s perhaps… Continue reading Half Hangit Maggie: The Woman Who Survived A Hanging
Notorious murderers Burke and Hare made money from their killing spree by selling the bodies of their victims to anatomist Dr Robert Knox. But how much money did they actually make during their ten month killing period? Join me in this episode where I take a closer look at the prices paid for the corpses… Continue reading Making A Killing: How Much Money Did Burke and Hare Make?
In 1826 one of the biggest discoveries of cadavers awaiting shipment to the anatomy schools of Scotland was made at George Dock in Liverpool. In this episode, I take a look at the case in more detail, from the bodysnatchers involved to the total body count and even the types of barrels used. In the… Continue reading The Hope Street Body Snatching Scandal: Liverpool
Join me as I discuss the rise of the professional body snatchers and discover why students & anatomists decided to stay out of the graveyard
Discover body snatching and haunted graveyards in the Scottish Borders on this short road trip around Jedburgh
Take yourself off on a mini roadtrip travelling around Strathspey to discover two body snatching sites on the very edge of the Scottish Highlands
