The Body Suppliers: Investigating the Men Responsible for the Infamous West Port Murders

During the late 1820s in Edinburgh, Scotland, two men found that they could make good money selling cadavers to medical professionals. The problem arose when they began creating the corpses

Depiction of William Hare

Background

The infamous West Port Murders occurred in Edinburgh, Scotland, between 1827 and 1828. They were particularly noteworthy for their brutality and shocking motive: the trade and sale of human corpses for anatomical dissection purposes. At the center of these ghoulish crimes were two men - William Burke and William Hare.

William Hare was born in Ireland and relocated to Scotland as a young man to pursue better job opportunities. Not much is known about his upbringing and background; however, by the mid-1820s, we know he settled in Edinburgh, where he ran a boarding house.

Though he was not a wealthy man, Hare was able to support himself financially through this business. During this time, he crossed paths with William Burke, an Irish laborer. It is thought that Burke and Hare probably first bonded over money matters since they were both looking for ways to make a living in the city's growing economy.

However, their friendship would lead to one of Scotlan…