A ten-year-old girl had been walking home late one evening when she happened to glance in through the kitchen window of No. 7 Oxford Roadinthe centre of Manchester
She saw an old woman stripping the flesh from a dead greyhound which was lying on the table. The girl scampered off, telling everyone she met on her way what was taking place in the house down the road.
A crowd soon gathered and demanded to be let into the old woman’s house. Eventually they forced their way in and what they found in the kitchen truly horrified them.
Hidden in the pantry was a jug full of water, inside of which was the skeleton of a small child. Small bones, body parts and a female infant in a weak state, were also reported to have been discovered.
Fearful that the angry mob might attack and perhaps murder the old woman, the landlord of the property called the police and the old woman was taken into custody along with the collection of bones.
Later that evening a drunken man walked into the station claiming that he was the old woman’s son and that he was employed by several surgeons in the town in making anatomical preparations and that his employer would confirm this. Soon after the examination a gentleman confirmed the man’s statement and assured the public that he had not been involved in anything untoward.
The criminal underworld of the ‘Sack ‘em up Men’ spread fear and horror throughout the United Kingdom.
Now a new tells the history of the bodysnatching trade, the stories of Britain’s lesser known Resurrection Men are told.
Here are the stories of the men who robbed graves during the winter months of 1742 – 1832, selling fresh cadavers to anatomists up and down the country all in aid of medical advancement.
The murders of Burke and Hare often dominate the macabre tales of bodysnatching, but the stories of Henry Gillies, William Patrick and Joseph Grainger are all just as gruesome.
Stories involving medical students and anatomists are retold as we discover the cases that have become hidden in history.
Anatomy schools, short of fresh cadavers for dissection would pay high prices for corpses, asking no questions about their origins.
This resulted in the criminal underworld of the ‘Sack ‘em up Men’ or bodysnatchers, which spread fear and horror throughout the United Kingdom. It’s time to discover these lesser known stories about Britain’s often forgotten history.
With plenty of gruesome detail, this fascinating account is the perfect read for anyone interested in the macabre, criminal and social history.
Body Snatchers by Suzie Lennox is available through Pen and Sword Books
