Burke and Hare Murders

Ep 265: The Burke and Hare Murders

Burke and Hare Murders
Pretty burked-up.

Season 11 of Blurry Photos kicks off with the Burke and Hare murders! A wild story of 19th century body-snatching, the Burke and Hare murders may have helped advance anatomical science, but definitely regressed ethics. William Burke and William Hare, Irishmen living in Scotland, have become two of the most famous serial killers of the 19th century. When the demands of medical science became too much to keep up with naturally, the two Irishmen stepped in to lend a helping hand. Not grave robbers, or “resurrection men” as they were called at the time,  the duo skipped the whole burial part to provide anatomists with fresh bodies. It’s a macabre tale of science and economics gone awry, with a slightly tipsy storytelling element to boot on this episode of Blurry Photos!

Don’t forget to watch me stream games on Twitch!

 

Sources

Edwards: Owen Dudley Edwards, Burke & Hare, 1983

Roach: Mary Roach, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Norton, 2003

Adams: Norman Adams, Scottish Bodysnatchers: True Accounts, Goblinshead, 2002

Young: Alex F. Young, The Encyclopedia of Scottish Executions, 1750 to 1963, Eric Dobby Publishing, 1998

The History of Burke and Hare and of the Resurrectionist Times (1884). The Public Domain Review. Web. https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/the-history-of-burke-and-hare-and-of-the-resurrectionist-times-1884

Broadsides from The Word on the Street. Web. https://digital.nls.uk/broadsides/

 

Music

Myst on the Moor, Danse Macabre, Moorland, Celtic Impulse, Errigal, Long Road Ahead B, Morgana Rides, Skye Cuillin – Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Sí Beag, Sí Mór – Celtic Traditional by MusicLFiles
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7143-si-beag-si-mor-celtic-traditional
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Traveler by Alexander Nakarada
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4770-traveler
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Nomadic Sunset by Alexander Nakarada
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4767-nomadic-sunset
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Nomadic Dawn by Alexander Nakarada
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4766-nomadic-dawn
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Gjallar by Alexander Nakarada
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4763-gjallar
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Scottland Music 1 by Frank Schröter
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/9073-scottland-music-1
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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