Dead bodies disappearing in the dark of night from an Islington church and a local gravedigger discovered selling bodies to an infamous body snatching gang.<br><br>What sounds like an elaborate plot for a film or crime novel was actually a reality in Islington in the 1770s. <br><br>You can hear more at the free illustrated talk ‘The Surgeon, the Cadaver and the Resurrectionist – Grave Robbing for Medical Research’ at Islington Museum (on Wednesday 12 October at 7pm).<br><br>In 1773 several dead bodies were mysteriously snatched from St Mary’s Church on Upper Street while several years later the head gravedigger at St James’s Church Clerkenwell was caught selling bodies to a South London body snatching gang, the Borough Boys.<br><br>The wave of body snatching was brought on by a law making anatomy illegal except when performed on criminals whose bodies were assigned for dissection after execution.<br><br>With suitable cadavers in short supply, trainee doctors and surgeons turned to illegal sources to obtain bodies for their training and research.<br><br>The talk is part of the museum’s exhibition ‘Medicine and Public Health in Islington 1850 -1960 – from Leeches to the NHS’ and is being presented by the curator of the Old Operating Theatre and Herb Garret.<br><br>Executive member for communities, Councillor Laura Willoughby, said that: “Talks like this really help to bring history to life – so to speak – and this certainly is an interesting, albeit gruesome, aspect to our local heritage.”<br><br>“By engaging old and young residents alike with these talks and exhibitions the museum continues to enhance its role as one of the borough’s premier educational tools,” Cllr Willoughby said.<br><br>Bookings for the free talk are essential and can be made by telephone on 020 7527 3235 or via email at islington.museum@islington.gov.uk<br><br>The exhibition will run until 24 December 2005.<br><br>The Islington Museum is located in the Town Hall, Upper Street, London N1 2UD, and is open Wednesday to Saturday 11am to 5pm and Sunday 2pm to 4pm.
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009