London Burkers
Encyclopedia
The London Burkers were a group of body snatchers, operating in London
, who apparently modelled their activities on those of the notorious Burke and Hare. They came to prominence in the year 1831 for murdering victims, to sell to anatomists, by luring and drugging them at their dwelling in the northern end of Bethnal Green
, near St Leonard's, Shoreditch
in London
.
, the brick clay had been exhausted and the area begun to be filled in with waste (leystall, literally excrement). Cottages (probably evolving from sheds, serving the gardens), came to be built here, but were undesirable as they remained below ground level, and so were prone to flooding.
s for the study and teaching of anatomy
in British medical schools
greatly exceeded the supply . In the eighteenth century, hundreds had been executed each year, often for quite trivial crimes, by the nineteenth century only 55 people were being hanged each year, while as many as 500 were needed. As medical science began to flourish, demand rose sharply and attracted criminal elements who were willing to obtain specimens by any means. The activities of body-snatchers
or "resurrectionists" gave rise to a particular public fear and revulsion. Relatives, or people paid by them, often guarded new graves for a period after burial.
porter, and James May
, an unemployed butcher, also known as Jack Stirabout and Black Eyed Jack; formed a notorious gang of resurrection men
, stealing freshly buried bodies for sale to anatomists. In their subsequent confessions, Williams and Bishop admitted to stealing (and selling) between 500-1000 bodies, over a period of twelve years. The corpses were sold to anatomists, including surgeons from St Bartholomew's Hospital
, St Thomas' Hospital
and King's College
. The Fortune of War Public House
, in Smithfield
, was identified as a popular resort for resurrectionists. Reading about the Burke and Hare suggested to Bishop and Williams the idea of anatomy murder
.
School of Anatomy, in the Strand
. They had previously tried to sell the body at Guy's Hospital
, but it was refused. They demanded twelve guineas for the body, but were offered nine. On inspection by Richard Partridge
, demonstrator of anatomy, it was suspected that the body had not been buried, and police were summoned by Mr Mayo, the professor of anatomy, from the station at Covent Garden
. The Resurrection men were arrested, and remanded in custody, by the magistrate. On 8 November, a coroners' jury was held, and found a verdict of Wilful murder against some person or persons unknown; but expressed their strong belief that the prisoners, Bishop, Williams and May, had been concerned in the transaction.
On 19 November, Joseph Sadler Thomas, a Metropolitan Police
superintendent of F (Covent Garden) Division, searched the cottages at Nova Scotia Gardens, and found items of clothing in a well in one of the gardens, and also in one of the privies, suggesting multiple murders. The prisoners appeared at trial, before Chief Justice Tindal
, Mr Justice Littledale and Mr Baron Vaughan, at the Old Bailey
between 2 and 3 December. Bishop (aged 33), Williams (aged 26) and May (aged 30) were all found guilty of the crime. The windows were opened to allow the public to hear the Recorder pronounce sentence of death.
By an extraordinary arrangement, the police opened the premises, at Nova Scotia Gardens for viewing, charging 5 shillings. The public carried away the dwellings, piece by piece, as souvenirs. The police had tentatively identified the body as that of Carlo Ferrari, an Italian boy, from Piedmont, but at their trial Bishop and Williams admitted it to be that of a Lincolnshire cattle drover, on his way to Smithfield
.
John Bishop admitted that the Lincolnshire boy was taken on 3 November, from The Bell in Smithfield, with the excuse of lodging at Nova Scotia Gardens. On arrival, he was drugged with rum and laudanum
. Bishop and Williams then went to drink at the Feathers, near Shoreditch church. They returned when the boy had lost consciousness and then pitched him head first into the well, attaching a cord to the feet. After a brief struggle the boy was dead; again they went out, and on their return removed and undressed the boy, placing him in a bag.
They also admitted to the murder, on 9 October, of an indigent, Frances Pigburn and her child, sleeping rough in Shoreditch. They lured her into the adjacent empty cottage, no. 2, the method was the same, but this time, they had bided their time in the London Apprentice, in Old Street
. The bodies were taken to St Thomas', for a surgeon Mr South. Due to a delay in acceptance, they were then taken to a Mr Grainger, and sold for eight guineas.
A further victim, a boy named Cunningham, was found sleeping in the pig-market at Smithfield on Friday, 21 October, again lodging was promised. He was drugged with a mixture of warm beer, sugar, rum and laudanum and murdered in the well. He was undressed, bagged, then sold for eight guineas, to a Mr Smith at St Bartholomew's Hospital
.
The confessions exonerated the other members of the gang, who would often help with delivery, of involvement in the murders.
on 5 December 1831 for the murder, before a crowd of thirty thousand. May was respited during his Majesty's pleasure, as it was accepted that he had no knowledge of the murders. The bodies were removed the same night, Bishop to King's College and Williams to the Theatre of Anatomy in Windmill Street, The Haymarket
for dissection. On the Tuesday and Wednesday, large crowds viewed their remains.
In the same year, Catherine Walsh of Whitechapel
, who made her living by selling laces and cotton, was murdered by Elizabeth Ross, who sold the body to surgeons. She was hanged for the murder. These murders, and the West Port murders
led to the passing of the Anatomy Act 1832
that finally provided for an adequate and legitimate supply of corpses for the medical schools.
By 1840, the area of Nova Scotia Gardens had degenerated into a notorious slum. It is for this reason that the philanthropist, Angela Burdett-Coutts purchased the land, and after the leases expired, established Columbia Market
in 1869.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, who apparently modelled their activities on those of the notorious Burke and Hare. They came to prominence in the year 1831 for murdering victims, to sell to anatomists, by luring and drugging them at their dwelling in the northern end of Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
, near St Leonard's, Shoreditch
St Leonard's, Shoreditch
St Leonard's, Shoreditch is the ancient parish church of Shoreditch, often known simply as Shoreditch Church. It is located at the intersection of Shoreditch High Street with Hackney Road, within the London Borough of Hackney. The current building dates from about 1740...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Nova Scotia Gardens
Nova Scotia Gardens was the area of a brick field, north-east of St Leonard's, ShoreditchSt Leonard's, Shoreditch
St Leonard's, Shoreditch is the ancient parish church of Shoreditch, often known simply as Shoreditch Church. It is located at the intersection of Shoreditch High Street with Hackney Road, within the London Borough of Hackney. The current building dates from about 1740...
, the brick clay had been exhausted and the area begun to be filled in with waste (leystall, literally excrement). Cottages (probably evolving from sheds, serving the gardens), came to be built here, but were undesirable as they remained below ground level, and so were prone to flooding.
Anatomy
In the early nineteenth-century, the demand for legally-obtained cadaverCadaver
A cadaver is a dead human body.Cadaver may also refer to:* Cadaver tomb, tomb featuring an effigy in the form of a decomposing body* Cadaver , a video game* cadaver A command-line WebDAV client for Unix....
s for the study and teaching of anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
in British medical schools
Medical education in the United Kingdom
Medical education in the United Kingdom includes educational activities involved in the education and training of medical doctors in the United Kingdom, from entry-level training through to continuing education of qualified specialists. A typical outline of the medical education pathway is...
greatly exceeded the supply . In the eighteenth century, hundreds had been executed each year, often for quite trivial crimes, by the nineteenth century only 55 people were being hanged each year, while as many as 500 were needed. As medical science began to flourish, demand rose sharply and attracted criminal elements who were willing to obtain specimens by any means. The activities of body-snatchers
Body-snatching
Body snatching is the secret disinterment of corpses from graveyards. A common purpose of body snatching is to sell the corpses for dissection or anatomy lectures in medical schools...
or "resurrectionists" gave rise to a particular public fear and revulsion. Relatives, or people paid by them, often guarded new graves for a period after burial.
Gang of Burkers
John Bishop, together with Thomas Williams, Michael Shields, a Covent GardenCovent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
porter, and James May
James May
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
, an unemployed butcher, also known as Jack Stirabout and Black Eyed Jack; formed a notorious gang of resurrection men
Body-snatching
Body snatching is the secret disinterment of corpses from graveyards. A common purpose of body snatching is to sell the corpses for dissection or anatomy lectures in medical schools...
, stealing freshly buried bodies for sale to anatomists. In their subsequent confessions, Williams and Bishop admitted to stealing (and selling) between 500-1000 bodies, over a period of twelve years. The corpses were sold to anatomists, including surgeons from St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital, also known as Barts, is a hospital in Smithfield in the City of London, England.-Early history:It was founded in 1123 by Raherus or Rahere , a favourite courtier of King Henry I...
, St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS hospital in London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It has provided health care freely or under charitable auspices since the 12th century and was originally located in Southwark.St Thomas' Hospital is accessible...
and King's College
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
. The Fortune of War Public House
The Fortune of War Public House
The Fortune of War was an ancient public house in Smithfield, London.It was located on a corner originally known as Pie Corner, today at the junction of Giltspur Street and Cock Lane, the name deriving from the magpie represented on the sign of an adjoining tavern.The Fortune of War on Pie Corner...
, in Smithfield
Smithfield, London
Smithfield is an area of the City of London, in the ward of Farringdon Without. It is located in the north-west part of the City, and is mostly known for its centuries-old meat market, today the last surviving historical wholesale market in Central London...
, was identified as a popular resort for resurrectionists. Reading about the Burke and Hare suggested to Bishop and Williams the idea of anatomy murder
Anatomy murder
An anatomy murder is a murder committed in order to use all or part of the cadaver for medical research or teaching. It is not a medicine murder because the body parts are not believed to have any medicinal use in themselves. The motive for the murder is created by the demand for cadavers for ...
.
Italian Boy Murder
In July 1830, John Bishop and Thomas Williams rented no. 3 Nova Scotia Garden, from a Sarah Trueby. On 5 November 1831 the suspiciously fresh corpse of a 14 year old boy was delivered, by Bishop and May, to the King's CollegeKing's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
School of Anatomy, in the Strand
Strand, London
Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
. They had previously tried to sell the body at Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...
, but it was refused. They demanded twelve guineas for the body, but were offered nine. On inspection by Richard Partridge
Richard Partridge
Richard Partridge FRS, FRCS was a British surgeon. Although he became President of both the Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society, he is best known for his part in apprehending the London Burkers gang and for failing to spot a bullet lodged in Giuseppe Garibaldi's...
, demonstrator of anatomy, it was suspected that the body had not been buried, and police were summoned by Mr Mayo, the professor of anatomy, from the station at Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
. The Resurrection men were arrested, and remanded in custody, by the magistrate. On 8 November, a coroners' jury was held, and found a verdict of Wilful murder against some person or persons unknown; but expressed their strong belief that the prisoners, Bishop, Williams and May, had been concerned in the transaction.
On 19 November, Joseph Sadler Thomas, a Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
superintendent of F (Covent Garden) Division, searched the cottages at Nova Scotia Gardens, and found items of clothing in a well in one of the gardens, and also in one of the privies, suggesting multiple murders. The prisoners appeared at trial, before Chief Justice Tindal
Nicholas Conyngham Tindal
Sir Nicolas Conyngham Tindal was a celebrated English lawyer who successfully defended Queen Caroline at her trial for adultery in 1820...
, Mr Justice Littledale and Mr Baron Vaughan, at the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
between 2 and 3 December. Bishop (aged 33), Williams (aged 26) and May (aged 30) were all found guilty of the crime. The windows were opened to allow the public to hear the Recorder pronounce sentence of death.
By an extraordinary arrangement, the police opened the premises, at Nova Scotia Gardens for viewing, charging 5 shillings. The public carried away the dwellings, piece by piece, as souvenirs. The police had tentatively identified the body as that of Carlo Ferrari, an Italian boy, from Piedmont, but at their trial Bishop and Williams admitted it to be that of a Lincolnshire cattle drover, on his way to Smithfield
Smithfield, London
Smithfield is an area of the City of London, in the ward of Farringdon Without. It is located in the north-west part of the City, and is mostly known for its centuries-old meat market, today the last surviving historical wholesale market in Central London...
.
Confession
Bishop and Williams attended the prison chapel on Sunday, 4 December. Afterwards, they were placed in the same cell and the ordinary and under-sheriffs of London took their written confessions.John Bishop admitted that the Lincolnshire boy was taken on 3 November, from The Bell in Smithfield, with the excuse of lodging at Nova Scotia Gardens. On arrival, he was drugged with rum and laudanum
Laudanum
Laudanum , also known as Tincture of Opium, is an alcoholic herbal preparation containing approximately 10% powdered opium by weight ....
. Bishop and Williams then went to drink at the Feathers, near Shoreditch church. They returned when the boy had lost consciousness and then pitched him head first into the well, attaching a cord to the feet. After a brief struggle the boy was dead; again they went out, and on their return removed and undressed the boy, placing him in a bag.
They also admitted to the murder, on 9 October, of an indigent, Frances Pigburn and her child, sleeping rough in Shoreditch. They lured her into the adjacent empty cottage, no. 2, the method was the same, but this time, they had bided their time in the London Apprentice, in Old Street
Old Street
Old Street is a street in east London that runs west to east from Goswell Road in Clerkenwell, in the London Borough of Islington, to the crossroads where it intersects with Shoreditch High Street , Kingsland Road and Hackney Road in Shoreditch in the London Borough of Hackney.The nearest...
. The bodies were taken to St Thomas', for a surgeon Mr South. Due to a delay in acceptance, they were then taken to a Mr Grainger, and sold for eight guineas.
A further victim, a boy named Cunningham, was found sleeping in the pig-market at Smithfield on Friday, 21 October, again lodging was promised. He was drugged with a mixture of warm beer, sugar, rum and laudanum and murdered in the well. He was undressed, bagged, then sold for eight guineas, to a Mr Smith at St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital, also known as Barts, is a hospital in Smithfield in the City of London, England.-Early history:It was founded in 1123 by Raherus or Rahere , a favourite courtier of King Henry I...
.
The confessions exonerated the other members of the gang, who would often help with delivery, of involvement in the murders.
Execution
Bishop and Williams were hanged at NewgateNewgate Prison
Newgate Prison was a prison in London, at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey just inside the City of London. It was originally located at the site of a gate in the Roman London Wall. The gate/prison was rebuilt in the 12th century, and demolished in 1777...
on 5 December 1831 for the murder, before a crowd of thirty thousand. May was respited during his Majesty's pleasure, as it was accepted that he had no knowledge of the murders. The bodies were removed the same night, Bishop to King's College and Williams to the Theatre of Anatomy in Windmill Street, The Haymarket
The Haymarket
Haymarket is a street in the St. James's district of the City of Westminster, London. It runs from Piccadilly Circus at the north to Pall Mall at the south...
for dissection. On the Tuesday and Wednesday, large crowds viewed their remains.
In the same year, Catherine Walsh of Whitechapel
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
, who made her living by selling laces and cotton, was murdered by Elizabeth Ross, who sold the body to surgeons. She was hanged for the murder. These murders, and the West Port murders
West Port murders
The Burke and Hare murders were serial murders perpetrated in Edinburgh, Scotland, from November 1827 to October 31, 1828. The killings were attributed to Irish immigrants William Burke and William Hare, who sold the corpses of their 17 victims to provide material for dissection...
led to the passing of the Anatomy Act 1832
Anatomy Act 1832
The Anatomy Act 1832 was a United Kingdom Act of Parliament that gave freer license to doctors, teachers of anatomy, and bona fide medical students to dissect donated bodies...
that finally provided for an adequate and legitimate supply of corpses for the medical schools.
By 1840, the area of Nova Scotia Gardens had degenerated into a notorious slum. It is for this reason that the philanthropist, Angela Burdett-Coutts purchased the land, and after the leases expired, established Columbia Market
Columbia Road market
Columbia Road Flower Market is one of many markets in Central London; a street flower market, it is located in East London. Columbia Road is a road of Victorian shops off the Hackney Road in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets...
in 1869.
Further reading
- Helen MacDonald Legal Bodies: Dissecting Murderers at the Royal College of Surgeons, London 1800-1832 - in Traffic: An Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Journal, No.2, 2003 pp. 9–32 ISSN 1447 2538
- Sarah Wise The Italian Boy: A Tale of Murder and Body Snatching in 1830s London (Metropolitan Books, 2004) ISBN 0805075372
- Lisa Rosner The Anatomy Murders (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010) ISBN 0812241916
- In the collection of the Wellcome LibraryWellcome LibraryThe Wellcome Library is founded on the collection formed by Sir Henry Wellcome , whose personal wealth allowed him to create one of the most ambitious collections of the 20th century. Henry Wellcome's interest was the history of medicine in a broad sense and included subjects like alchemy or...
: Thomas Williams, John Bishop and James May, murderers: miscellaneous papers relating to murder of persons in Smithfield area and sale of corpses for dissection. 1831. (MS.7058). - Image of the 'Burker' cottages, at City of London library