Is The William Burke Museum the world’s smallest museum?
In an ornate black box on the counter of the shop in Edinburgh’s West Bow rests a fascinating gory relic from the capital’s grim past. This original artefact is a small calling-card case made out of the skin of the notorious “bodysnatcher” William Burke.
Burke and Hare committed a number of murders in Edinburgh in 1828, and then sold the corpses to Dr. Robert Knox at the Edinburgh Medical School for use in his dissection classes. After his public execution in January 1829, Burke was dissected (like his victims) and grisly souvenirs were made from skin taken from various parts of his body. The calling card case was made from skin taken from the back of William Burke’s left hand. The skin was treated, tanned and finely decorated with gold tooling.
The calling card case was owned for many years by a Dr Hobbs, and was handed down to the family of Piercy Hughes, a descendent of one of the surgeons involved in William Burke’s dissection.
Where? 84 West Bow, Victoria Street, Edinburgh EH1 2HH
How Much? Free entry
What’s their website? https://www.witcherytours.com/william-burke-museum
Find more museums here and if serial killers are your thing be sure to take a peek at the Jack The Ripper Museum
