Iron grill mortsafes, Logierait Parish Church

VKeith, on October 31, 2007, said:

Mort-safes varied enormously in design, though the basic idea was to physically prevent body-snatchers from obtaining the cadaver. Often they took the form of an iron-grille that was placed over the grave. Being extraordinarily heavy, it prevented anyone from digging up the recently buried coffin. Others took the form of a cast-iron 'over-coffin', into which the wooden casket was placed, and then buried. This could then be retrieved after a suitable period of time had elapsed.

Given the weight of most mort-safes, lowering them into place would have been heavy work and likely required the use of special mort-safe tackle. This would have been secured to the mort-safe, and using ropes or chains lowered to the ground using a large tripod.

In 1832 an Act was passed by Parliament allowing people to leave their bodies to medical science, effectively providing medical schools with sufficient cadavers for experimentation and teaching purposes. However, as the Act probably took time to have an effect, many parishes across Scotland continued to use their mortsafes, and even order new ones.

Ultimately, the practice of body-snatching died out, and mortsafes and watch-houses were no longer required. Most mortsafes were probably sold off for scrap iron, and few examples can be found today.

Lilypon, on November 2, 2007, said:

Fascinating!!!!!!!!! I'm so glad you uploaded this picture and shared the history behind them! :D

VKeith, on November 2, 2007, said:

Thank you boxster and Lilypon. I'm glad you enjoy this story. I find it fascinating, too. A true body snatching story!

®mene, on November 8, 2007, said:

very good - thank you very much.... really fascinating!