Like most graveyards of the early 19th century St Leonards had problems with keeping its dead well and truly buried.
The trade in fresh corpses was fast and furious, and there were rich rewards to be had for supplying surgeons engaged in anatomical research. London, along with Edinburgh, was home to most of the medical schools.
The body of anyone executed for a crime could be legally purchased for anatomical study. However, even in the eighteenth century when executions were relatively common there was more demand than supply. Instigated in 1723, the ‘Bloody Code’ was the unofficial name for over 200 offences for which you could pay with your life. Many of these crimes would be regarded as relatively trivial today and included stealing from a rabbit warren and pickpocketing offences.
By the early 1800’s, capital crimes had been greatly reduced due to law reform. This resulted in a huge shortage of subject matter for the anatomists, so the procurement of bodies became very lucrative. If caught stealing a body, you were unlikely to pay a very heavy price unless you stole some personal property as well. The worst that could happen would be a long holiday in Australia; a fine or short sentence at the monarch’s pleasure was much more likely. Cadavers were so difficult to come by that a receiving surgeon would rarely ask difficult questions and it is known that some eminent surgeons had body snatchers working for them. In February 1794 a party of three body snatchers was disturbed at Paradise Row burial ground in Lambeth High Street (now Paradise Gardens). They escaped, but there was a near riot afterwards when distressed relatives converged on the graveyard to excavate their dead relations and check they were still safely in their coffins. Sadly, some were not - several empty coffins were discovered.
During the following investigation it came to light that a large, well organised gang of men was targeting at least thirty burial grounds. They were supplying eight surgeons of ‘public repute”. There was a set menu of prices for bodies, each adult was worth ‘two guineas and a crown” and anyone who was underage and therefore not fully grown was worth six shillings for the first foot (of length) and nine shillings for each further inch. Hair of the deceased could be sold to make wigs, and there was a market for teeth used to manufacture dentures. It was also revealed that some bodies were being made into skeletons which could end up in destinations as far removed from Lambeth as the West Indies. Clearly not the eternal rest intended when you said your fond farewells to Auntie Gertie.
For many body snatchers, the money made through their nefarious nocturnal activities far outweighed the risk. Although not a pleasant activity a couple of nights grave robbing could be deemed preferable to much lower proceeds from weeks of labour on the roads or in a factory.
Streatham’s encounter with body snatchers occurred in St Leonard’s churchyard in February 1814. The attempted theft took place at the Davies family grave on the south side of the church. According to a contemporary newspaper report, intelligence reached the nearby White Lion pub that the graveyard was being robbed. A man called Watts was apprehended as he abandoned his shovel and tried to flee. Two others, Butler and Lane, who were in league with Watts were caught later. All three were charged with intent to steal dead bodies. They each served three months at His Majesty’s pleasure. One of the damning pieces of evidence presented was that they had all been together the day before when Butler approached the church sexton to enquire about a fresh grave in the churchyard. While there is no suggestion of the sexton being involved on this occasion, it was common for sextons and gravediggers to be in cahoots with body snatchers. They had all the inside info and many surely welcomed a little bonus to top up their wages.
It was usual at the time for night watchmen to be paid to guard the graveyard for six weeks after a burial. By this time a corpse would have become less attractive, even though many body snatchers only operated in the colder months. Church accounts at St Leonard’s show that much money was spent on watchmen’s wages, and for supplies of bread and beer to sustain them. Of course, many watchmen had their price, and it wasn’t unknown for the more unscrupulous to turn a blind eye. In 1831 tall railings were installed around the graveyard to deter theft and these stood until 1942. They were cut down and along with railings from around some individual graves sold to help the war effort.
The Anatomy Act was passed in 1832 which allowed bodies of the poor and destitute to be used as anatomy subjects. This helped to reduce the market for bodysnatching. But there was still a ready market for fresh bodies. Until embalming was in regular use by the 1880’s decay was the body snatcher’s friend. The Davies family grave can still be visited in St Leonard’s churchyard. If you would like to see the scene of the attempted crime and hear many more tales about people who rest in this fascinating graveyard we do tours twice a year.
