The stealing of bodies from
graveyards was a prevalent crime in the 19th century, and it was
very difficult to apprehend these ‘body
snatchers’ unless they were caught
red-handed. Their aim was to sell the bodies for anatomical purposes. To combat this crime, watch towers
were built in many graveyards where those keeping watch for body snatcher's could shelter and still
be vigilant. An interesting example of
such a watch tower can be seen in the churchyard at Eckford, in the Scottish Borders. It even contains a small fire place to keep
the incumbents nice and cosy.
THE WATCH TOWER
A
related story tells of a local man, one James Goodfellow, who was walking home late,
the day after a burial, when he saw a dim light in the churchyard. He saw a
pony and cart secreted nearby and sent it galloping off, forcing two miscreants
to leave their grisly task and rush after it. In the graveyard he found an open
coffin and just had time to hide the body behind a nearby gravestone and
install himself in the coffin, covering himself with the pall, before the two body snatchers returned and lifted the coffin
on to the cart and drove towards Kelso. After a short distance one of them
leaned against the ‘body’ and cried “Jock, this body’s warm” whereupon James sat
up and said, “If you had been where I have been, you would be warm” and the
thieves fled. There was apparently no claim for the impounded horse and cart.
Examples of ‘mortsafes’ can be seen in the churchyard at Logierait in Perthshire . They were used to protect graves and to prevent the
stealing of corpses to sell as anatomical specimens.
MORTSAFES
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