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Burke, William

William Burke (1792 - January 28, 1829) was an Irish-Scots serial killer who, along with William Hare committed a notorious series of murders in Edinburgh in the 19th century.

Burke was born in Urney, County Tyrone. After trying his hand at a variety of trades there and serving as an officer's servant in the Donegal Militia, he left his wife and two children in Ireland and emigrated to Scotland about 1817, working as a navvy for the Union Canal. He acquired a mistress, Helen MacDougal, and afterwards worked as a laborer, weaver, baker and lastly a cobbler. By 1827 he was living in a lodging-house in Edinburgh kept by Hare, another Irish laborer, and Maggie Laird.

Main article West Port murders

Condemned by Hare's evidence, Burke was found guilty and hanged at Edinburgh's Lawnmarket on January 28, 1829. According to a report in The Scotsman "During the time of the wretched man's suspension, not a single indication of pity was observable among the vast crowd: on the contrary, every countenance wore the aspect of a gala-day, while puns and jokes were freely bandied about."

The Anatomy Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh holds his death mask and a wallet allegedly made of his skin.

The Police Information office on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh (located just a few yards from where Burke was hanged) also houses a notebook made from the skin of Burke. This is located at the back of the office opposite the entrance.

From Burke's method of killing his victims has comes the verb burking.

• Bailey, B. (2002) Burke and Hare: The Year of the Ghouls ISBN 1-84018-575-9
• Douglas, H. (1973) Burke and Hare ISBN 0-7091-3777-X
• Edwards, O.D. (1993) Burke and Hare ISBN 1-873644-25-6
• Macgregor, G. (1884) History of Burke and Hare and of the Resurrectionist Times