Following his execution, dissection and the articulation of his skeleton, William Corder's skin was tanned and used to bind an account of his crimes. How does the treatment of his remains fit within the larger fabric of post mortem treatment of convicted criminals' bodies in early 19th century UK?

Apologies in advance for the rather morbid question. After listening to a podcast about Spring-Heeled Jack, I got sucked into a wiki-hole and found myself spending some time reading about the infamous murder of Maria Marten by William Corder, what became popularly known as the Red Barn Murder.

My understanding is that books bound in human skin are rare, though a cursory search reveals the existence of a pocket book bound in the tanned skin of William Burke, another infamous 19th century criminal. My hunch is that the practice -while rare- dovetails with the widespread popularity and publicity surrounding specific criminal cases and associated souvenir-mania. Maria's headstone was destroyed by collectors who wanted pieces of memorabilia and the Red Barn was itself supposedly stripped bare, the wood being sold off for tooth picks.

Is this hunch on the right track? How much of these specific practices can we attribute to public fascination with the murder and murderer? What does the treatment of William Corder remains after his death reveal about 19th century British attitudes towards crime, those that commit them, their humanity and the human body?

Additionally, so as not to lose Maria in all of this, how are those subjected to violent crime received and transmitted through popular culture. In other words, with what appears to be a frequent fixation on the one who committed the crime, how were the victims of highly publicized crimes remembered and situated within popular narratives?

I admittedly haven't perused what I consider to be the most reliable sources, so correction on certain (or many) points may be needed. Thanks in advance!

1 Answers 2017-08-24

When a Gladiator died in the arena, what did they do with their remains?

Were they treated in any type of ceremonial manner? Were they fed to dogs? Was a wandering shower thought.

1 Answers 2017-08-24

Was draft evasion common in West Germany during the Cold War? Were any exemptions allowed/scrutinized?

1 Answers 2017-08-24

How effective were .50 cal machine guns at Anti Aircraft roles in WW2 navies (USN and RN)?

I see records of USN and RN using M2 Browning and Vickers, respectively. How effective were these guns in general? I can't imagine them to have been that useful as most ships armed themselves with 40mm Bofors or 20mm Oerlikons near the end of the war, but I'd still like proper confirmation on this. Thanks.

1 Answers 2017-08-24

Why did Turkey/The Ottomon Empire ally itself with Germany and Austrio-Hungary during WW1?

I had always been under the impression that The Ottomon Empire had been a long-standing enemy of Austria (I blame the Baron von Munchausen) but came to the realization the other day that they had allied themselves with both Germany and Austrio-Hungary during WW1. It seemed odd to me that they would join with historically contentious partners such as this. What was the cause and rationale behind it?

2 Answers 2017-08-24

Hoping to get some info about the Civil Rights in the Sixties, Stories I was Told

Hello historians.

Im sorry if any of this is wrong, Im very new to this website. only here because my grandson is real tired of me telling him to ask my questions to his history teacher, so he sent me here.

When I was a young kid (long ago!!), I remember my pa and my grampa having a whole disagreement about Civil Rights and especially Dr. Martin Luther King. My pa was a big fan of him and even went to washington on the march and for all my life I have been a big fan as well because of him. But my grampa thought the whole thing was stupid, said that "we should all just keep our heads down or the white man will chop em off.". He told me that the best thing we could do was keep to ourselves and help our neighbours and stay away from the whites. Even as a kid I thought he was just a grumpy old man, Thankfully he died before he knew I married a white woman from Ohio!! But now that Im a grumpy old man myself (haha!!) Ive started to wonder about all of that, and why he thought that way, and if lots of other people were the same, especially the old ones because their all gone now.

So to cut the whole story down and make it clear, Im asking about black people in the Fifties and Sixties and how they felt about Civil Rights. Did lots of people think the whole thing was a bad idea because we were stickin our necks out? Or were most people like my pa and wanted to march on washington and get the laws changed like they did.

Me and my pa are from Georgia if that makes any diffrence. My grampa was the son of a slave and he was born in South Carolina.

Best Wishes, Leonard Snell.

1 Answers 2017-08-24

Between 1865 and 1901, three American Presidents (Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley) were assassinated. In 20th century terms, that would be equivalent to Kennedy, Reagan, and Clinton dying by assassination. That would cause 20th century people to freak out. What was the feeling toward this in the 1800s?

1 Answers 2017-08-24

Do we know anything about the Samnites cavalry capabilities during the three wars they fought with Rome?

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1 Answers 2017-08-24

How exactly did Franklin Pierce defeat Winfield Scott in the election of 1852?

I mean, surely the famous war hero of the Mexican-American war would be much more popular?

1 Answers 2017-08-24

In movies and games (Indiana Jones, Uncharted) tombs/caves etc. often have a lot of switches and traps, was there ever a real world equivalent to these places?

1 Answers 2017-08-24

What are good pieces of literature that affected or were inspired by the civil war?

2 Answers 2017-08-24

Theory Thursday | Academic/Professional History Free-for-All

Previous weeks!

This week, ending in August 24 2017:

Today's thread is for open discussion of:

  • History in the academy

  • Historiographical disputes, debates and rivalries

  • Implications of historical theory both abstractly and in application

  • Philosophy of history

  • And so on

Regular participants in the Thursday threads should just keep doing what they've been doing; newcomers should take notice that this thread is meant for open discussion only of matters like those above, not just anything you like -- we'll have a thread on Friday for that, as usual.

1 Answers 2017-08-24

During the Spanish-American War, was there any serious (or fantastical, even) discussion about combat operations extending to Europe?

I'd be interested either in political discussions, or military planners, as it relates to the possibility of the US attempting military action against Spain either in Spain herself, or even in her nearby possessions such as the Azores or the Canaries.'

Additionally, was there anything of the reverse? Did the Spanish have any hopes of launching an invasion of the US proper?

1 Answers 2017-08-24

Grandma (b. 1929, Arkansas) says she was named after a traveling merchant called a "drummer". Who were they and what did they sell/do?

1 Answers 2017-08-24

Were there ever any actual Indiana Jones/Uncharted style tombs/temples?

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1 Answers 2017-08-24

Was there ever a person called "Ioannis Asiacus" under Emperor Justinian's service?

Im currently fact checking a spurious and badly researched timeline of Christian persecution of pagans by a Greek neopagan. One of the claims he makes is that in 542:

Emperor Justinianus allows the inquisitor Ioannis Asiacus to convert the Gentiles of Phrygia, Caria and Lydia in Asia Minor. Within 35 years of this crusade, 99 churches and 12 monasteries are built on the sites of demolished Pagan Temples.

I cannot find an original source for this and im suspecting its a fabrication. Google searching the name "Ioannis Asiacus" or "Ιωαννης Ασιακος" returns only secondary sources like blogs or self-published books. None of which provide a reference. Does anyone know anything about "Ioannis Asiacus"? Did he exist or not? Thanks!

1 Answers 2017-08-24

Why does continental Europe have a very strong culture of bilingualism? How has this changed over time? Furthermore, why does the UK not have anything like this?

1 Answers 2017-08-24

Since when do pies exist?

I come to ask this myself when my grandma gathered some apples and we get to eat apple pie for two weeks straight. Additionally, how did the recipes change over the course of time?

1 Answers 2017-08-24

Since apparently Feudalism never existed, does that mean that "Personal" politics weren't ever a thing?

By personal politics I mean politics dominated by the bonds different men had to each other (For example, in a society dominated by personal politics the reason the Duchy of Burgundy would be part of France is not because it is so by law but because the Duke of Burgundy swore loyalty to the King of France or something, and the reason the Duchy of Burgundy is big is because the different lords of the region known as Burgundy are loyal to the lord who calls himself Duke of Burgundy etc.)

Sorry if that's too confusing, I'm kinda drunk right now

2 Answers 2017-08-24

We've all seen the pictures of beautiful, high quality armour and weapons from the days of mounted knights. What were the 'cheapskate' options for people who had some money, but not enough for the good stuff?

Are there any examples left? Like poor quality maille/plate and weapons? How much cheaper/affordable would these things have been?

1 Answers 2017-08-24

Battle of Britain questions

During the battle of britain, was there fighting in the skies right above major cities?

When a german aircraft was shot down and the crew ejected, what happened when then landed on the ground.

Did they have firearms and would attack UK citizens, Or were there army waiting for them to reach the ground and promptly arrest them?

2 Answers 2017-08-24

Where and how did "S'mores" originate?

[deleted]

1 Answers 2017-08-24

Are there records of soldiers misfiring on purpose/resisting to kill in melee combat in the pre-gunpowder-era?

In WW2 S.L.A. Marshall noted that soldiers would misfire on purpose. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killology Would this phenom also appear in melee and archer combat? Are there records about it in the pre-gunpowder-era?

2 Answers 2017-08-24

No President between Jackson and Lincoln won more than one term. Why? Did the growing problems surrounding slavery cause federal politics to become less stable, or did the instability of federal politics and the lack of a strong leader allow the slavery issue to grow out of control?

3 Answers 2017-08-24

How far can I go in the past such that if I steal a baby there and raise it today, he would be indistinguishable from other people?

And then, the further I go into the past, how does my stolen baby differs from other people?

1 Answers 2017-08-24

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