Burke and Hare murders Burke and Hare murders The Burke and Hare murders were a series of 16 killings committed over a period of about ten months in 1828 in Edinburgh, Scotland. They were undertaken by William Burke and William Hare, who sold the corpses to Robert Knox for dissection at his anatomy lectures. Edinburgh was a leading European centre of anatomical study in the early 19th century, in a time when the demand for cadavers led to a shortfall in legal supply. Scottish law required that corpses used for medical research should only come from those who had died in prison, suicide victims,
Murder of Alexander Montgomerie high and low water marks. Murder at sea lay within the jurisdiction of the Lord High Admiral of Scotland. The earl that day was attended by several servants, namely John Milliken, John Hazel, John Cooper, James Hutcheson, and Alexander Bartleymore, all of whom gave evidence as witnesses. After due legal process, Mungo was sentenced to be taken to the tolbooth in Edinburgh, fed on bread and water only, and on 11 April 1770 taken to the Grassmarket where he was to be hanged between 2 and 4pm, after which his body was to be taken for dissection by Dr Alexander