Burking Miscellany

Date:
1831
Reference:
MS.7058
  • Archives and manuscripts

About this work

Description

Collection of printed and manuscript material relating to the conviction and execution in December 1831 of John Bishop, Thomas Williams (alias Thomas Head) and James May for the murder of Carlo Ferrari, an Italian boy. The boy's body was taken to King's College dissecting room and his teeth sold to a dentist. The confessions of Bishop and Williams describe grave-robbery and several other murders prior to that of Ferrari.

Items 1-3 are printed material, items 4-7 are manuscripts assembled and endorsed by John Wontner, keeper of Newgate Prison.

Publication/Creation

1831

Physical description

7 items

Acquisition note

Purchased from Richard Hatchwell, 1993 (acc. 349305).

Related material

At Wellcome Collection:

The Ephemera collection contains an account of the trial and execution of Williams and Bishop (Box EPH 724).

Finding aids

Described in typescript supplements, by Christopher Hilton and Richard Aspin, to the Library's published finding aids.

Location of duplicates

Parts of this collection (noted in more detail on the individual records) have been photographed by Wellcome Images: image numbers L0041557-L0041566.

Languages

Where to find it

  • LocationStatusAccess
    Closed stores

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Identifiers

Accession number

  • 349305