London Month of the Dead - The Resurrection Men

THE RESURRECTION MEN Body Snatching and the Birth of Modern Medicine with Emma Sparre-Newman on Saturday the 24th October 2026 at 3:30 pm For generations, the freshly buried dead were at risk from an unexpected threat. Under cover of darkness, gangs of professional body snatchers exhumed newly buried corpses to satisfy the growing demands of Britain’s anatomy schools, supplying surgeons and medical students with the bodies they needed to advance the study of medicine. However unsettling the practice may seem today, many of the medical breakthroughs we now take for granted owe something to this shadowy trade. Join us as we uncover the extraordinary world of the resurrection men. Discover who they were, how they operated beneath the cover of night, the ingenious measures families took to protect the graves of their loved ones, and how one of the darkest chapters in Britain’s medical history was finally brought to an end. From mortsafes and watch houses to murder, anatomy and the passing of the 1832 Anatomy Act, this is the fascinating story of the trade that forever changed our understanding of the human body. Tickets £12.50 including a delightful gin cocktail and a 20% donation to the Kings Chaplaincy Trust. Please click here to purchase. Emma Sparre-Newman Emma Sparre-Newman developed an early interest in funerals as the daughter of a country parson, observing firsthand how her father supported bereaved families. After a detour into costume work at the BBC, she joined a South London funeral firm where she worked for nearly 30 years, including roles as senior funeral director, training manager, and service centre manager. In 2024, she became Cemetery Services and Business Development Manager at Brompton Cemetery. Emma regularly gives talks to diverse audiences, from the Police and Clergy to museums, the Women’s Institute, and Gothic and Steampunk events across the UK.

THE RESURRECTION MEN
Body Snatching and the Birth of Modern Medicine with Emma Sparre-Newman
on Saturday the 24th October 2026 at 3:30 pm

For generations, the freshly buried dead were at risk from an unexpected threat. Under cover of darkness, gangs of professional body snatchers exhumed newly buried corpses to satisfy the growing demands of Britain’s anatomy schools, supplying surgeons and medical students with the bodies they needed to advance the study of medicine. However unsettling the practice may seem today, many of the medical breakthroughs we now take for granted owe something to this shadowy trade.

Join us as we uncover the extraordinary world of the resurrection men. Discover who they were, how they operated beneath the cover of night, the ingenious measures families took to protect the graves of their loved ones, and how one of the darkest chapters in Britain’s medical history was finally brought to an end. From mortsafes and watch houses to murder, anatomy and the passing of the 1832 Anatomy Act, this is the fascinating story of the trade that forever changed our understanding of the human body.

Tickets £12.50 including a delightful gin cocktail and a 20% donation to the Kings Chaplaincy Trust. Please click here to purchase.

Emma Sparre-Newman
Emma Sparre-Newman developed an early interest in funerals as the daughter of a country parson, observing firsthand how her father supported bereaved families. After a detour into costume work at the BBC, she joined a South London funeral firm where she worked for nearly 30 years, including roles as senior funeral director, training manager, and service centre manager. In 2024, she became Cemetery Services and Business Development Manager at Brompton Cemetery. Emma regularly gives talks to diverse audiences, from the Police and Clergy to museums, the Women’s Institute, and Gothic and Steampunk events across the UK.