William Burke

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William Burke (1792 - 1829) moved into a lodging house near the Grassmarket, owned by his friend William Hare and his wife. A short while after this, a fellow lodger died owing Hare some rent. To recoup his losses Hare decided to sell the body to Dr Robert Knox a  freelance anatomy teacher who had set up private classes in Surgeons Square in direct competition with those run by the University.

After receiving about £8 from Knox they decided not to wait for lodgers dying from natural causes but to murder them instead, by pinching the nose and lying on the chest to cause suffocation which meant that there were no marks on the body. This became known as "Burking".

Many of their victims were lured to the lodging house, plied with drink and then suffocated. They killed at least 16 people. Their last victim was found dead under a bed and they were reported to the police and the pair were arrested. However, as there was insufficient evidence Hare was persuaded to give evidence against Burke and allowed to flee.

Burke was found guilty of the murder on 25th December 1828 and hanged in the Lawnmarket on 28th January 1829, his sentence being that he be hanged and publicly dissected. It is not known what became of Hare.

Up the close and down the stair, In the house with Burke and Hare, Burke's the butcher, Hare's the thief, Knox, the boy who buys the beef.

19th Century children's rhyme