Bodysnatchers: Digging Up the Untold Stories of Britain's Resurrection Men

by Suzie Lennox

Overview

The grim history of England’s bodysnatching trade: “Lennox’s thorough exploration is riveting” (Naomi Clifford, author of The Disappearance of Maria Glenn).
 
From the string of murders committed by Burke and Hare, a pair of ghouls who are still the stuff of pop culture legend, to the lesser-known but equally gruesome grave-robbing exploits of Henry Gillies, William Patrick, and Joseph Grainger, here is the fascinating true chronicle of England’s “Resurrection Men.”
 
During the winter months of 1742–1832, selling fresh cadavers to anatomists up and down the country, all in aid of medical advancement, was the surest way to earn a living for desperate men. After all, anatomy schools would pay high prices for corpses to dissect—the fresher the better. And they asked no questions as to their origins. This resulted in the criminal underworld of the “Sack ‘em up Men” who left behind disinterred churchyards and burial grounds, and spread fear and horror throughout the United Kingdom.
 
In Bodysnatchers, Suzie Lennox unearths the truth behind the macabre tales, separating fact from folktale, and setting the record straight about Britain’s gruesome, often forgotten history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473866560
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	02/20/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	866,644
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

After graduating with a BA (Hons) History, Suzie Lennox worked at North Yorkshire County Record Office and is a former archivist. She completed her MscEcon in 2011 and ran her own genealogy business, specialising in pre-1837 research. Now living in New Zealand, she enjoys digging up macabre tales of our ancestors and discovering the darker side of British history. You can follow her on Twitter @DiggingUp1800 or discover more bodysnatching stories on her blog Britain’s Forgotten Bodysnatchers.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vi

Preface vii

Introduction 1

1 The Beginnings of Bodysnatching in England & Scotland 11

2 First Forays: From student outings to the rise of the professional bodysnatchcr 20

3 A Slick Operation: The Modus Operandi of the bodysnatching trade… 34

4 Preventative Measures: The art of keeping your loved ones safe 53

5 Punishment: Dealing with the perpetrators 70

6 The Trials of the Solicitors' Clerk: The case of John Craig Hodgson 84

7 'For the Purpose of Gain and Profit': The case of Henry Gillies 92

8 A Catalogue of Errors: When snatching a corpse did not go to plan 101

9 The Final Chapter: Bodysnatching at the time of the Anatomy Act… 110

Bibliography 119

Research Sources 121

Tracing a Bodysnatcher Through the Archives 126

Index 128

Editorial Reviews

This is a very professionally written book by an author who self-evidently knows her stuff. There's a fairly detailed bibliography, sources used, and a brief list of record repositories, all rounded off with an index. All in all, this is a gruesome subject, but an important one insofar.

ripperologist

Thanks to these shadowy characters, medical students were never short of a cadaver to dissect and handsomely for the wares that the likes of Henry Gillies provided. With no questions asked, the bodysnatchers soon became figures of fear, moving by night and showing little respect to the British dead. Although the book isn't short on gruesome stories and stomach churning moments, its strength undoubtedly lies in the way Lennox considers the wider impactions of the bodysnatcher's trade and how their immoral work allowed for continuing medical research and study. She skilfully weaves a tapestry of criminal and surgical connections, teasing out the names that history has forgotten and placing them in a richly written social narrative. Lennox handles this very specialist subject with an authoritative air and hugely entertaining, evocative style. It is to her credit that she resists the temptation to stray into sensationalism, even when the material virtually invites it. She brings the Georgian underworld vividly back to life and in doing so, rightly resurrects some colorful characters that might otherwise never have seen the light of day again.

All About History

The lesser known stories of the perpetrators, surgeons, families of the stolen corpses and those who tried to prevent body snatching, are fascinating

Scottish Field