Burke and Hare

William Burke and William Hare were serial killers operating together in Scotland in the 1800s. The pair were found guilty of 16 murders committed over a period of about ten months in Edinburgh and were motivated by the money that could be made by selling corpses to medical students. At the time there was a huge issue with grave robbing, though many associate Burke and Hare with body snatching, there is little evidence to suggest they did this, instead prefering to kill and sell the corpses of their victims. They were known to only sell to one doctor, Dr Robert Knox, who then used them for dissection at his anatomy lectures. 

The background

At the time that Burke and Hare were active, Edinburgh was a leading centre of anatomical study and was home to the majority of Britain's medical students. This in turn led to an increased demand of cadavers, which were needed for anatomy and dissection lessons, however, Scottish law stated that bodies used for medical research could only come from those that had died in prison, those who had taken their own lives or children who had died in orphanages. These restrictions and a shortage of cadavers saw criminals and the poorer members of society turning to grave robbing and body snatching as a way to make money. Grave robbing became such an issue that police started patrolling cemeteries and those that took part in the practice became known as resurrection men. Burke and Hare were never known to be resurrection men, but were inspired by this need for cadavers and the money that could be made from selling corpses. 

Not much is known about Burke or Hare's background, but here is what we do know... 

William Burke

Burke was born in 1792 in County Tyrone, Ireland. Reports indicate that he was from a middle class family and that he had a comfortable upbringing in comparison to many of his contemporaries. There is evidence to suggest that he spent time in the British Army, and after his spell in the forces, would get married and settle in County Mayo, Ireland. 

Following a land dispute with his father in law, Burke abandoned his wife and family and moved to Scotland where he became a labourer. Despite already being married, he setup a home with Helen McDougal, who for all intents and purposes, lived as his wife. After establishing themselves, and meeting the Hares, the couple would move to Tanners Close in Edinburgh in November of 1827, where Burke began working as a cobbler. 

According to reports from the time, he was known to be a good humoured man, who carried a bible around with him.

William Hare

Like Burke, Hare was also born in Ireland and was traced back in County Armagh. Unlike Burke, no one is certain of his birth date, but it is believed to have been between 1792 and 1804. He also worked as a labourer in Ireland before moving to Edinburgh, where he became an assistant to a coal man. For a time, he was living at a lodging house in Tanners Close, Edinburgh, which was owned and managed by Margaret Laird and her husband. 

After the death of Margaret Laird's husband, which was not reported to have been suspicious, Hare married her and took over the running of the lodging house, ocassionally travelling around Scotland to help with the harvests as a labourer. This was where he met William Burke, the pair became fast friends and would live together, with their partners at the lodging house on Tanner Close. While records show that Burke was a good humoured and generally well liked man who was known to be religious, Hare was described as illiterate and uncouth. 

The crime spree

Though Burke and Hare are associated with body snatching, there is no evidence to suggest that they robbed graves and in fact, fell into their lucrative business of selling bodies entirely by accident. 

Hare was making a meagre living running the lodging house at Tanner Close with his wife Margaret, while Burke was working as a cobbler and living at the lodging house with his partner Helen McDougal. On 29th November 1827, one of the lodgers, who had been behind on his rent, died of natural causes. It is believed he was suffering from odema, known as dropsy at the time. As he had died prior to receiving his pay, he died owing his rent money, something that would leave Hare and Laird out of pocket. When Hare broke the news that the lodger had died without paying his rent, Burke suggested that they sell the body to one of the local anatomists and a plan was formulated. As the man was a pauper, the state took care of his funeral. The pair allowed a coffin to be delivered and then, after the funeral directors had left, they opened the coffin, filled it with bark and resealed it, taking the body to Edinburgh University to sell. They were directed to the home of Dr Knox, who lived in Surgeon Square, he gave them £7 10s for the body, which they split between them and the scheme was born. 

After the death of the lodger, it is not certain how they began their murder spree or in what order they claimed their victims. When they were arrested, Burke made several  statements, each differing from the last. It is generally believed that the first murder took place in early 1828, just months after they made their first sale. Again, the victim was a lodger living at Tanner Close and it is thought that he was already in poor health before being killed by Burke. The following two victims, a woman named Abigail Simpson and an unknown Englishman, were also killed while lodging at Tanner Close. Both were thought to have been strangled and sold to Knox, earning Burke and Hare £10 a body. 

Not just Burke and Hare... 

Though it was never proven in court, it seems that there is evidence to suggest that Burke and Hare's partners, Helen McDougal and Margaret Laird, were also involved. They can be placed at the scene of several of the murders and appear to have been involved, both directly and indirectly in a number of others. For example, in either February or March 1828, an old woman was invited into the lodging house by Hare's wife, Margaret, while both Burke and Hare were out of the home. Margaret overloaded the woman with whiskey, leaving her unconscious. When Hare returned, she presented him with the woman who he then suffocated. She was also sold to Knox. 

In April, while out on the town, Burke and his parter, Helen McDougal, met two women, Mary Paterson and Janet Brown. The pair befriended them, plying them both with alcohol at some of the city's pubs before inviting them to Tanner Close on the promise of a homecooked breakfast. Instead of taking them to the lodging house however, they took them to the home of Burke's brother, which was located nearby. Paterson, inebriated, soon fell asleep, but Brown had an alteraction with Helen McDougal and left the house. Once realising that Paterson was unconscious, McDougal returned to Tanner Close to fetch Hare. Together, Burke and Hare killed Paterson and took her to Knox. In later statements, Knox would say that the body was still warm when he took possession of it. Paterson's body was kept preserved for around three months before being used in lessons. Brown would return to the house several times looking for her, only to be told that Paterson had eloped with a travelling salesman. 

After Mary Paterson, the next victim was a Mrs Haldane, who was also coerced into becoming drunk while at the lodging house and was killed. Several months later, her daughter would stay at Tanner Close and also ended up dead, though for that ocassion, Hare wasn't present. Burke killed her alone and claimed the money from Knox for himself. He is also said to have been soley responsible for another two victims, both of whom were killed at the lodging house without Hare being aware. 

In June of 1828, the pair killed two lodgers together, an old woman and her grandson. The bodies were taken to Knox in a herring barrel. According to one of Burke’s confessions, Hare’s horse refused to carry the barrels and they had to enlist the help of a passing porter with a handcart. Hare was so incensed that he shot the horse.

While Burke was away, Hare went on to murder another victim and kept the money. When Burke found out, the pair argued and didn't speak for a few weeks, though reconciled and went on to murder another woman together that September. A week after this murder, another took place, this time with the recorded involvement of Hare's wife, Margaret. 

The murder of James Wilson

Their next victim would be their downfall. James Wilson was a well known figure around Edinburgh as he had a limp and was known to have an intellectual disability. He was known locally as Daft Jamie and lived on the streets, often being seen begging for scraps. It is said that Wilson was lured to the lodging house by Hare. He and Burke, with Margaret's help, murdered James and stole the few possessions he had on his person.

When the body was received by the students, they allegedly recognised him, asking Knox what had happened to Daft Jamie. According to the students that were interviewed later, Knox denied that it was anyone local. Word began to spread around Edinburgh that James had gone was missing. Once Knox received word of this, he removed his head and feet, and continued to use the body in his lessons. 

Burke and Hare's final victim was killed on 31^st October 1828. Margaret Docherty was a middle aged woman who was lured to Burke's home where she was plied with drink. Hare, along with Margaret, were present and at some point in the evening, Docherty was murdered and hidden under a pile of straw in the bedroom. Guests who were staying with Burke discovered the body and went to fetch a policeman, so the pair quickly rushed the body over to Dr Knox. Though they managed to move the body before the police arrived, the blood stains and other evidence had yet to be cleaned up, so the pair were taken in for questioning. 

Trial and imprisonment

Burke, Hare, Margaret and Helen were all arrested following the death of Margaret Docherty. The four were seperated and questioned, leading to a police investigation. The four were kept in custody and subsequent statements didn't match those given on the day of their arrest. Police managed to track Docherty's body to Dr Knox, who was compelled to give the body over for examination. As it was obvious she hadn't died of natural causes, Burke, Hare, Helen and Margaret were all charged with murder. 

Following this, Hare was offered immunity from prosecution if he provided full details of the murder. Because of the way women were viewed in law at the time, this immunity was automatically also applied to Margaret. Hare agreed, making a full confession of all the crimes, pinning the majority of the blame on Burke and Helen. William Burke and Helen McDougal were then formerly charged for the murders of Paterson, Wilson and Docherty. Knox faced no charges for his part in the crimes as Burke's statement exonerated him. 

While in prison, Burke continued to give detailed confessions, which further implicated Hare, however, as he had already been given immunity, only Burke and McDougal were tried, Hare however did remain in custody until the following February. The trial began on Chistmas Eve 1828. After a day of hearing evidence, the jury retired but returned a verdict of guilty in less than an hour, sentencing Burke to death. The charges against Helen McDougal came back unproven, she was freed and left Edinburgh. There are little to no records detailing her life following the trial. 

William Burke was hanged on 28^th January 1829 in front of a crowd of around 25,000 people. His body was then publicly dissected by Professor Monro in the anatomy theatre of Edinburgh University’s old college. His skeleton went on to be displayed at the Anatomical Museum of the Edinburgh Medical School and his death mask and a book bound with his skin were later displayed at the Surgeon’s Hall Museum.

William Hare was released on 5^th February 1829. Riots broke out when people heard of his release and authorities instructed him to make his way to England after smuggling him out of the city. Following his release, there were no subsequent sightings or rumours as to his eventual whereabouts. To this day, it is unknown where William Hare spent the rest of his life. Though receiving no charges and making no public statements about his involvement, many considered Knox to be culpable for the murders. He ended up resigning his position, was expelled from the Royal College of Sugeons and was excluded from academic life in Edinburgh. The last known record of him was working as a doctor in London in the 1860s. 

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