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Bodysnatchers: Digging Up the Untold Stories of Britain's Resurrection Men
The grim history of England's bodysnatching "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.
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.
213 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 18, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 6, 2017
A short, yet concise history of the world of the Resurrection Men. The book spans the years of 1742-1832, going into detail on the methods the Resurrectionists used to procure and transport the bodies, the punishments for being caught, as well as the methods used to prevent the extraction of bodies from their resting places. Included at the back of the book, are some valuable research sources for anyone interested in going deeper into the subject. Suzie Lennox packs a lot of information along with interesting snippets of real cases, making this a fascinating read for anyone interested in the gruesome history of the bodysnatching trade.
October 30, 2018
Before the 1832 Anatomy Act started to provide the many anatomy schools of England and Scotland with an adequate number of bodies, the vast majority of bodies used in dissection were stolen from graves by the resurrection men. The most notorious these days were Burke and Hare, who actually never stole a body from a grave at all, but this book tells the story of the many other gangs who raided British cemeteries over a period of about a hundred years.
3.5 Stars
Anatomy in the 18th and 19th centuries was often studied at private schools, and students needed bodies. Lots of them. Glasgow University encouraged their students to steal their own bodies, but not surprisingly most students and teachers preferred to pay someone else to do their dirty work. It was lucrative. It wasn't illegal to steal a body, only to steal the other, material contents of the grave and the coffin itself, which meant that the punishment by law was 'light' - usually a few months, if you were unlucky, with hard labour thrown in. The people acquiring the bodies were not guilty of anything. The outraged, grieving relatives were often left with empty graves and not even the compensation of seeing the people responsible suffer. Extreme measures were taken to protect graves, including trip wire guns, patrols, glass-embedded high walls, but to no avail.
The bodies where 'shipped' in crates and barrels and parcels all over the country. Reading this book, at times it felt like there can't have been a mail coach en route somewhere that didn't carry a noxious-smelling corpse as part of its cargo. The book is full of extraordinary tales of bizarre deliveries, of bodysnatchers being buried in the graves they were robbing, of mourners and sextons giving chase and mostly being thwarted, and of bodies abandoned in the weirdest of places waiting 'collection' - including two in a dung heap.
This is a macabre book, meticulously researched, but there were a couple of things for me that it lacked. Firstly there was no sense of perspective. How extensive was this crime, how many bodies, and from where - were there areas which weren't ransacked, for example. Secondly, the focus (not surprisingly, given the title) was entirely on the resurrection men, with only scant mention of the men (always men) who received the bodies and cut them up. I know this is outwith the remit of the book, or perhaps it's one of those annoying details of history that is utterly undocumented, but I wanted to know how the bodies were ordered, how they were picked up - I wanted to know more about the relationship between buyer and procurer.
But this was a fascinating read. I won't say enjoyable, the subject matter is too grim, but it definitely put body snatching in a whole new light for me. And I want to know more.
3.5 Stars
Anatomy in the 18th and 19th centuries was often studied at private schools, and students needed bodies. Lots of them. Glasgow University encouraged their students to steal their own bodies, but not surprisingly most students and teachers preferred to pay someone else to do their dirty work. It was lucrative. It wasn't illegal to steal a body, only to steal the other, material contents of the grave and the coffin itself, which meant that the punishment by law was 'light' - usually a few months, if you were unlucky, with hard labour thrown in. The people acquiring the bodies were not guilty of anything. The outraged, grieving relatives were often left with empty graves and not even the compensation of seeing the people responsible suffer. Extreme measures were taken to protect graves, including trip wire guns, patrols, glass-embedded high walls, but to no avail.
The bodies where 'shipped' in crates and barrels and parcels all over the country. Reading this book, at times it felt like there can't have been a mail coach en route somewhere that didn't carry a noxious-smelling corpse as part of its cargo. The book is full of extraordinary tales of bizarre deliveries, of bodysnatchers being buried in the graves they were robbing, of mourners and sextons giving chase and mostly being thwarted, and of bodies abandoned in the weirdest of places waiting 'collection' - including two in a dung heap.
This is a macabre book, meticulously researched, but there were a couple of things for me that it lacked. Firstly there was no sense of perspective. How extensive was this crime, how many bodies, and from where - were there areas which weren't ransacked, for example. Secondly, the focus (not surprisingly, given the title) was entirely on the resurrection men, with only scant mention of the men (always men) who received the bodies and cut them up. I know this is outwith the remit of the book, or perhaps it's one of those annoying details of history that is utterly undocumented, but I wanted to know how the bodies were ordered, how they were picked up - I wanted to know more about the relationship between buyer and procurer.
But this was a fascinating read. I won't say enjoyable, the subject matter is too grim, but it definitely put body snatching in a whole new light for me. And I want to know more.
March 21, 2020
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I really enjoyed this book and I thought it was really interesting, I knew that it was quite common in the North and Scotland due to the infamy caused by Burke and Hare but I wasn’t aware until I read the book that it actually happened in many locations throughout Britain.
I was reading it I was away for a weekend in Great Yarmouth and we parked next to a road called Body Snatchers Row – that was an unexpected surprise!
These shadowy characters were actually vital to the development of science and the training of medical student. They kept the medical students and medical schools in supply where they could of cadavers to dissect and they were paid handsomely for the wares that they provided.
The book does a great job of detailing more about them and what they did and gives examples with some of those caught and prosecuted for their crimes. There were some colourful characters in action at that time for sure!
I thought that the book was well written and it was very well researched, the author clearly knows her topic very well and it came across when I was reading.
It is 4 stars from me for this one, I really enjoyed it and it definitely caught my interest - highly recommended!
I really enjoyed this book and I thought it was really interesting, I knew that it was quite common in the North and Scotland due to the infamy caused by Burke and Hare but I wasn’t aware until I read the book that it actually happened in many locations throughout Britain.
I was reading it I was away for a weekend in Great Yarmouth and we parked next to a road called Body Snatchers Row – that was an unexpected surprise!
These shadowy characters were actually vital to the development of science and the training of medical student. They kept the medical students and medical schools in supply where they could of cadavers to dissect and they were paid handsomely for the wares that they provided.
The book does a great job of detailing more about them and what they did and gives examples with some of those caught and prosecuted for their crimes. There were some colourful characters in action at that time for sure!
I thought that the book was well written and it was very well researched, the author clearly knows her topic very well and it came across when I was reading.
It is 4 stars from me for this one, I really enjoyed it and it definitely caught my interest - highly recommended!
February 24, 2017
A fairly straightforward but dry account of various instances of 18th and 19th Century grave-robbing. I personally found Lennox's style a little clumsy in places, especially at the beginning. She also occasionally repeats herself, and expects the reader to follow a few examples before fully explaining them in the following chapter. This made me wonder if a number of chapters had started life as self contained blog posts. A stronger structure and a heavier Editor definately would have helped. On the positive side, though, the narrative descriptions get stronger towards the second half of the book, and overall it is very well researched and referenced. A good introduction to the subject, and definitely worth reading.
December 4, 2017
Bodysnatchers' by Suzie Lennox and it's turning into one of these books I just can't put down. It's amazing reading about the lengths these men and women went to, to obtain bodies. As I continue to read through the book I have become totally amazed by how business like the whole affair was.The book was well written and highly researched which can be seen throughout.
The book deserves a five star rating and I will definitely be reading more of the author's books
The book deserves a five star rating and I will definitely be reading more of the author's books
October 22, 2021
There was a lot of research done to make this book but at times some of the stories were repeated.
It covered a broad time period and the entirety of Great Britain taking time to mention historical cases and facts. Sometimes very detailed and disturbing but fascinating and the chapter divides were good topics.
I learned a lot about bodysnatchers - more than from just another Burke and Hare book - so I can recommend this if it's a topic of interest.
It covered a broad time period and the entirety of Great Britain taking time to mention historical cases and facts. Sometimes very detailed and disturbing but fascinating and the chapter divides were good topics.
I learned a lot about bodysnatchers - more than from just another Burke and Hare book - so I can recommend this if it's a topic of interest.
July 25, 2024
A very interesting historical telling. The only reason it's not a 5 is because there is no mention of what happened to these dissected cadavers after the universities had finished with them. Dis they re-inter all bodies? Did they take care to place them back in their original graves? Were the bodies simply disposed of? I NEED TO KNOW 😥
August 22, 2020
I had no idea how widespread and long lived the practice of bodysnatching in the United Kingdom was, lasting from 1742-1832. Especially in Scotland, the art of medicine and surgery was moving more and more into the realm of science and away from old medieval practices based on the writings of ancient physicians. A valuable tool in this progression was dissection. The theaters of renowned surgeon/anatomists were as full of those of famous actors. Medical students began more and more to demand the opportunity to do their own dissections. Universities and private anatomy schools began to advertise that they taught “in the French manner” in which each student had a corpse on which to work. With hundreds of students signing up, the demand for fresh study materials was high. Thus, the Resurrectionists were born. After reading this book, I am surprised any corpses remained in their graves.
Did you know that bodysnatchers never took the body’s clothes, jewelry, or shroud. Why? A corpse was not considered a piece of real property, so its theft was the equivalent of a misdemeanor. However, the theft of clothing was a felony that could result in significant jail time or even transportation. Corpses were carried to their destinations naked, often in burlap sacks. Anatomists tended to use the same snatchers repeatedly and when they were occasionally caught and jailed, took care of the diggers’ families until the snatchers were let out, usually after a month or two. The resourceful crooks found ways to get past any traps and barriers families tried to keep them away from their deceased loved one. They seldom worked. And most snatching took place in winter because the corpses stayed fresh longer.
Fascinating. A lovely light read on a summer afternoon!
Did you know that bodysnatchers never took the body’s clothes, jewelry, or shroud. Why? A corpse was not considered a piece of real property, so its theft was the equivalent of a misdemeanor. However, the theft of clothing was a felony that could result in significant jail time or even transportation. Corpses were carried to their destinations naked, often in burlap sacks. Anatomists tended to use the same snatchers repeatedly and when they were occasionally caught and jailed, took care of the diggers’ families until the snatchers were let out, usually after a month or two. The resourceful crooks found ways to get past any traps and barriers families tried to keep them away from their deceased loved one. They seldom worked. And most snatching took place in winter because the corpses stayed fresh longer.
Fascinating. A lovely light read on a summer afternoon!
October 23, 2016
Welcome to another of my “Quirky Corners of History.” Let me start by saying that this book has nothing to do with the science fiction movie of the same name. The bodysnatchers in this book are not aliens but men engaged in the digging up of dead bodies in late 18th and early 19th century England and Scotland. So what was going on at the time that made men want to dig up the recently buried? In the book, “Bodysnatchers”, Suzie Lennox explains the circumstances that led to rise of this industry. Bodysnatching began with the rise of medical education that included anatomy. Students wanted to be able to see the anatomy as can only be revealed by dissection. Government regulations only allowed for the bodies of hanged men who were not claimed by friends or relatives, to be given to the medical schools for dissection. With the number of medical students tripling in a few short years the demand for bodies could not be satisfied by conventional means.
The author has written this history in a style that makes it easy to read and to follow her logical progression. Chapters proceed from the beginning of the industry, through its growth, and the gradual ending of the practice after the passage of the Anatomy Act in 1832. Along the way, there are chapters on the techniques the snatchers used, the preventative measures that various communities used, and the legal consequences that rendered if one was caught in the act. I found that the book had a good flow that was easy to follow. The author has also done extensive research which is evident in the number of source documents used. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and venturing into another quirky corner of history.
The author has written this history in a style that makes it easy to read and to follow her logical progression. Chapters proceed from the beginning of the industry, through its growth, and the gradual ending of the practice after the passage of the Anatomy Act in 1832. Along the way, there are chapters on the techniques the snatchers used, the preventative measures that various communities used, and the legal consequences that rendered if one was caught in the act. I found that the book had a good flow that was easy to follow. The author has also done extensive research which is evident in the number of source documents used. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and venturing into another quirky corner of history.
March 6, 2022
Great
As a historian of 18th-19th century medicine/death in England, resurrectionism is as natural to the study as anatomists and medical professors. I have often wondered about the lives and legal ramifications of the resurrectionists. Suzie Lennox's book answers these questions and is an undeniable reference guide for any student of the era.
As a historian of 18th-19th century medicine/death in England, resurrectionism is as natural to the study as anatomists and medical professors. I have often wondered about the lives and legal ramifications of the resurrectionists. Suzie Lennox's book answers these questions and is an undeniable reference guide for any student of the era.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews