Burke’s the Butcher, Hare’s the Thief & Knox the Boy that buys Beef

In 19th-century Scotland, two Irish immigrants succumbed to greed and turned into unlikely grave robbers and murderers.
In 1827, William Hare and William Burke became laborers in Edinburgh. The both of them met them Burke and Helen McDougal moved into a rented house — managed by Hare and Margaret.
Whenever there’s elderly lodger died from natural causes, Burke and Hare would creep into the cemetery, dig their coffins, snatch their bodies, put each body in a tea chest, and carry it to Edinburgh University’s medical school.
Dr. Robert Knox, a well-known anatomy lecturer who desperately needed corpses for anatomy lessons offered them around £7 and 10 shillings for the corpse.

Unique Business Idea

The two repeatedly engaged in the act of robbing freshly buried coffins and selling the bodies to Knox, spurred on by their success and delighted by such a simple source of income. But they quickly grew weary of digging up graves in the dead of night.
In November 1827, when a lodger fell unwell, Burke suffocated him by covering his mouth and nose while holding him down; this smothering method became known as "burking."
The pair began their killing spree after committing their first murder, picking off stray animals and prostitutes on Edinburgh's streets.
- They attacked by giving their victims with drink until they passed out. Then, Burke used his special method to smother them.
- They carried the body to Dr. Knox's office at night after loading it inside a tea chest. For each body, they received £7 to £10.
Burke and Hare managed to get away with murder for 11 months before Irishwoman Margaret Docherty's body was found by Ann and James Gray, two visitors to Hare's boarding house.
- After the Grays called the police, their investigation led them to Dr. Knox.
- Since then, Docherty's body had been transferred to Knox's dissection room in the university lecture hall.
Burke and Hare were implicated in a newspaper article, which sparked a public outcry calling for their prosecution.
- Shortly after, the police detained William Burke, William Hare, Helen McDougal, and Margaret Hare and charged them with murder.
- Police questioned Dr. Knox, but he was not detained because he had not actually broken the law.

Every Man for Himself

The Lord Advocate of the court attempted to coax a confession from one of the four because he needed more proof to convict, and he chose Hare.
- After Hare was offered immunity, he testified that Burke did all of the killings.
- Burke was later found guilty of three murders and hung on January 28, 1829, in front of up to 25,000 cheering spectators.
- People reportedly paid up to £1 for a clear view of the scaffold.
Burke's corpse was openly dissected by Dr. Monro, a rival of Dr. Knox, in the anatomical theater of Edinburgh University's Old College, drawing so many onlookers that a small riot broke out.
- Later, his skeleton was sent to Edinburgh Medical School.
Despite admitting to being an accomplice, Hare was released and made his way to England.
- Knox, whose reputation was in ruins, relocated to London in an effort to rebuild his medical profession.
Burke and Hare were responsible for 16 total murders, which came to be known as the West Port Murders.
- Due to the killings, the Anatomy Act 1832 was passed, which improved the availability of cadavers by allowing the dissection of unclaimed remains from workhouses within 48 hours.
- This worked well to lower the number of body-snatching incidents.

Related Crime

In November 1825, Thomas Tuite, a bodysnatcher, is apprehended by a guard in Dublin, Ireland, with five bodies and a pocket full of sets of teeth.
In November 7, 1876, Abraham Lincoln's body is taken by a group of forgers who break into Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois, and hold it hostage. A Secret Service agent disguised as a gang member prevents the plan.

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Burke and Hare

Burke’s the Butcher, Hare’s the Thief & Knox the Boy that buys Beef

In 19th-century Scotland, two Irish immigrants succumbed to greed and turned into unlikely grave robbers and murderers.
In 1827, William Hare and William Burke became laborers in Edinburgh. The both of them met them Burke and Helen McDougal moved into a rented house — managed by Hare and Margaret.
Whenever there’s elderly lodger died from natural causes, Burke and Hare would creep into the cemetery, dig their coffins, snatch their bodies, put each body in a tea chest, and carry it to Edinburgh University’s medical school.
Dr. Robert Knox, a well-known anatomy lecturer who desperately needed corpses for anatomy lessons offered them around £7 and 10 shillings for the corpse.

Unique Business Idea

The two repeatedly engaged in the act of robbing freshly buried coffins and selling the bodies to Knox, spurred on by their success and delighted by such a simple source of income. But they quickly grew weary of digging up graves in the dead of night.
In November 1827, when a lodger fell unwell, Burke suffocated him by covering his mouth and nose while holding him down; this smothering method became known as "burking."
The pair began their killing spree after committing their first murder, picking off stray animals and prostitutes on Edinburgh's streets.
- They attacked by giving their victims with drink until they passed out. Then, Burke used his special method to smother them.
- They carried the body to Dr. Knox's office at night after loading it inside a tea chest. For each body, they received £7 to £10.
Burke and Hare managed to get away with murder for 11 months before Irishwoman Margaret Docherty's body was found by Ann and James Gray, two visitors to Hare's boarding house.
- After the Grays called the police, their investigation led them to Dr. Knox.
- Since then, Docherty's body had been transferred to Knox's dissection room in the university lecture hall.
Burke and Hare were implicated in a newspaper article, which sparked a public outcry calling for their prosecution.
- Shortly after, the police detained William Burke, William Hare, Helen McDougal, and Margaret Hare and charged them with murder.
- Police questioned Dr. Knox, but he was not detained because he had not actually broken the law.

Every Man for Himself

The Lord Advocate of the court attempted to coax a confession from one of the four because he needed more proof to convict, and he chose Hare.
- After Hare was offered immunity, he testified that Burke did all of the killings.
- Burke was later found guilty of three murders and hung on January 28, 1829, in front of up to 25,000 cheering spectators.
- People reportedly paid up to £1 for a clear view of the scaffold.
Burke's corpse was openly dissected by Dr. Monro, a rival of Dr. Knox, in the anatomical theater of Edinburgh University's Old College, drawing so many onlookers that a small riot broke out.
- Later, his skeleton was sent to Edinburgh Medical School.
Despite admitting to being an accomplice, Hare was released and made his way to England.
- Knox, whose reputation was in ruins, relocated to London in an effort to rebuild his medical profession.
Burke and Hare were responsible for 16 total murders, which came to be known as the West Port Murders.
- Due to the killings, the Anatomy Act 1832 was passed, which improved the availability of cadavers by allowing the dissection of unclaimed remains from workhouses within 48 hours.
- This worked well to lower the number of body-snatching incidents.

Related Crime

In November 1825, Thomas Tuite, a bodysnatcher, is apprehended by a guard in Dublin, Ireland, with five bodies and a pocket full of sets of teeth.
In November 7, 1876, Abraham Lincoln's body is taken by a group of forgers who break into Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois, and hold it hostage. A Secret Service agent disguised as a gang member prevents the plan.