John Horwood was sentenced to death in 1821, but because his body was used for dissection classes at the Bristol Royal Infirmary he was never buried.His skeleton has remained in a cupboard at the University of Bristol.Mary Halliwell,from Leigh in Greater Manchester,was researching her family tree when she discovered she was related to Horwood.He was the brother of Mrs Halliwell's great-great-great grandfather and lived in the village of Hanham near Bristol.She discovered Horwood's skeleton was in a cupboard at the university,covered in cobwebs with a rope around its neck.She did some more research and found a surgeon at the Bristol Royal Infirmary Dr Richard Smith, had skinned the body,preserved and tanned it,using it to bind all the papers referring to the case.The book,known as the Horwood Papers,is currently held by the Bristol Record Office.Horwood was sentenced to death for the murder of Eliza Balsom,who also lived in the village.His remains have been buried as part of a Christian service in a family grave alongside his father Thomas Horwood.The burial took place at 1330 BST,on 13th April 2011,exactly 190 years to the hour when Horwood was hanged.
∼John Horwood was hanged above the gatehouse entrance, three days after his 18th birthday, for the murder of Eliza Balsum, an older girl with whom he had became infatuated and had openly threatened to kill. Eliza died from a fractured skull after being struck by a large stone thrown by Horwood as she crossed a stream.
Horwood's friends attempted to rescue the body on its route to Bristol Royal Infirmary for 'anatomisation' (dissection) and spirit it away on the river back to Hanham.
Dr Richard Smith second-guessed their plan and took the body by taxi during the night.
As part of the process of 'anatomisation' Horwood's skin had to be removed. In other cases the skin would have been incinerated as medical waste, but Dr Smith being an antiquarian chose to tan the skin, and use it to bind the papers documenting the murder, trial, execution and subsequent dissection. Horwood's remains were retained for medical dissection. The cost of the binding was £1.10 shillings, which is worth approximately £130 in the 21st century.
This book is held in the collections of Bristol Archives (Ref. 35893/36/v_i) (online catalogue) and is currently on display at M Shed museum in Bristol, alongside a contemporary dissection table, donated by Dr Richard Smith junior, which was used for surgical operations until 1890 when it was removed and re-used as a sideboard until 1999.[19] The skin on the front cover of the book is embossed with a gallows motif and skulls and crossbones,[20] with the Latin words Cutis Vera Johannis Horwood which translates to 'The True Skin of John Horwood'. The practice of anthropodermic bibliopegy is known to have been practiced since the 17th century, and it was common to use a murderer's skin in this manner during the 18th and 19th centuries. Smith kept the skeleton at his home until his death, when it was passed to the Bristol Royal Infirmary and later to Bristol University.The skeleton was kept hanging in a cupboard at Bristol University with a noose around its neck as an indication that the skeleton belonged to a convicted felon. Horwood's skeleton was eventually buried alongside his father on 13 April 2011 at 1.30 pm at Christchurch, Hanham, exactly 190 years to the hour after he was hanged. The funeral was arranged by Mary Halliwell, the great-great-great-granddaughter of Horwood's brother.
∼John Horwood was hanged above the gatehouse entrance, three days after his 18th birthday, for the murder of Eliza Balsum, an older girl with whom he had became infatuated and had openly threatened to kill. Eliza died from a fractured skull after being struck by a large stone thrown by Horwood as she crossed a stream.
Horwood's friends attempted to rescue the body on its route to Bristol Royal Infirmary for 'anatomisation' (dissection) and spirit it away on the river back to Hanham.
Dr Richard Smith second-guessed their plan and took the body by taxi during the night.
As part of the process of 'anatomisation' Horwood's skin had to be removed. In other cases the skin would have been incinerated as medical waste, but Dr Smith being an antiquarian chose to tan the skin, and use it to bind the papers documenting the murder, trial, execution and subsequent dissection. Horwood's remains were retained for medical dissection. The cost of the binding was £1.10 shillings, which is worth approximately £130 in the 21st century.
This book is held in the collections of Bristol Archives (Ref. 35893/36/v_i) (online catalogue) and is currently on display at M Shed museum in Bristol, alongside a contemporary dissection table, donated by Dr Richard Smith junior, which was used for surgical operations until 1890 when it was removed and re-used as a sideboard until 1999.[19] The skin on the front cover of the book is embossed with a gallows motif and skulls and crossbones,[20] with the Latin words Cutis Vera Johannis Horwood which translates to 'The True Skin of John Horwood'. The practice of anthropodermic bibliopegy is known to have been practiced since the 17th century, and it was common to use a murderer's skin in this manner during the 18th and 19th centuries. Smith kept the skeleton at his home until his death, when it was passed to the Bristol Royal Infirmary and later to Bristol University.The skeleton was kept hanging in a cupboard at Bristol University with a noose around its neck as an indication that the skeleton belonged to a convicted felon. Horwood's skeleton was eventually buried alongside his father on 13 April 2011 at 1.30 pm at Christchurch, Hanham, exactly 190 years to the hour after he was hanged. The funeral was arranged by Mary Halliwell, the great-great-great-granddaughter of Horwood's brother.
John Horwood was sentenced to death in 1821, but because his body was used for dissection classes at the Bristol Royal Infirmary he was never buried.His skeleton has remained in a cupboard at the University of Bristol.Mary Halliwell,from Leigh in Greater Manchester,was researching her family tree when she discovered she was related to Horwood.He was the brother of Mrs Halliwell's great-great-great grandfather and lived in the village of Hanham near Bristol.She discovered Horwood's skeleton was in a cupboard at the university,covered in cobwebs with a rope around its neck.She did some more research and found a surgeon at the Bristol Royal Infirmary Dr Richard Smith, had skinned the body,preserved and tanned it,using it to bind all the papers referring to the case.The book,known as the Horwood Papers,is currently held by the Bristol Record Office.Horwood was sentenced to death for the murder of Eliza Balsom,who also lived in the village.His remains have been buried as part of a Christian service in a family grave alongside his father Thomas Horwood.The burial took place at 1330 BST,on 13th April 2011,exactly 190 years to the hour when Horwood was hanged.
∼John Horwood was hanged above the gatehouse entrance, three days after his 18th birthday, for the murder of Eliza Balsum, an older girl with whom he had became infatuated and had openly threatened to kill. Eliza died from a fractured skull after being struck by a large stone thrown by Horwood as she crossed a stream.
Horwood's friends attempted to rescue the body on its route to Bristol Royal Infirmary for 'anatomisation' (dissection) and spirit it away on the river back to Hanham.
Dr Richard Smith second-guessed their plan and took the body by taxi during the night.
As part of the process of 'anatomisation' Horwood's skin had to be removed. In other cases the skin would have been incinerated as medical waste, but Dr Smith being an antiquarian chose to tan the skin, and use it to bind the papers documenting the murder, trial, execution and subsequent dissection. Horwood's remains were retained for medical dissection. The cost of the binding was £1.10 shillings, which is worth approximately £130 in the 21st century.
This book is held in the collections of Bristol Archives (Ref. 35893/36/v_i) (online catalogue) and is currently on display at M Shed museum in Bristol, alongside a contemporary dissection table, donated by Dr Richard Smith junior, which was used for surgical operations until 1890 when it was removed and re-used as a sideboard until 1999.[19] The skin on the front cover of the book is embossed with a gallows motif and skulls and crossbones,[20] with the Latin words Cutis Vera Johannis Horwood which translates to 'The True Skin of John Horwood'. The practice of anthropodermic bibliopegy is known to have been practiced since the 17th century, and it was common to use a murderer's skin in this manner during the 18th and 19th centuries. Smith kept the skeleton at his home until his death, when it was passed to the Bristol Royal Infirmary and later to Bristol University.The skeleton was kept hanging in a cupboard at Bristol University with a noose around its neck as an indication that the skeleton belonged to a convicted felon. Horwood's skeleton was eventually buried alongside his father on 13 April 2011 at 1.30 pm at Christchurch, Hanham, exactly 190 years to the hour after he was hanged. The funeral was arranged by Mary Halliwell, the great-great-great-granddaughter of Horwood's brother.
∼John Horwood was hanged above the gatehouse entrance, three days after his 18th birthday, for the murder of Eliza Balsum, an older girl with whom he had became infatuated and had openly threatened to kill. Eliza died from a fractured skull after being struck by a large stone thrown by Horwood as she crossed a stream.
Horwood's friends attempted to rescue the body on its route to Bristol Royal Infirmary for 'anatomisation' (dissection) and spirit it away on the river back to Hanham.
Dr Richard Smith second-guessed their plan and took the body by taxi during the night.
As part of the process of 'anatomisation' Horwood's skin had to be removed. In other cases the skin would have been incinerated as medical waste, but Dr Smith being an antiquarian chose to tan the skin, and use it to bind the papers documenting the murder, trial, execution and subsequent dissection. Horwood's remains were retained for medical dissection. The cost of the binding was £1.10 shillings, which is worth approximately £130 in the 21st century.
This book is held in the collections of Bristol Archives (Ref. 35893/36/v_i) (online catalogue) and is currently on display at M Shed museum in Bristol, alongside a contemporary dissection table, donated by Dr Richard Smith junior, which was used for surgical operations until 1890 when it was removed and re-used as a sideboard until 1999.[19] The skin on the front cover of the book is embossed with a gallows motif and skulls and crossbones,[20] with the Latin words Cutis Vera Johannis Horwood which translates to 'The True Skin of John Horwood'. The practice of anthropodermic bibliopegy is known to have been practiced since the 17th century, and it was common to use a murderer's skin in this manner during the 18th and 19th centuries. Smith kept the skeleton at his home until his death, when it was passed to the Bristol Royal Infirmary and later to Bristol University.The skeleton was kept hanging in a cupboard at Bristol University with a noose around its neck as an indication that the skeleton belonged to a convicted felon. Horwood's skeleton was eventually buried alongside his father on 13 April 2011 at 1.30 pm at Christchurch, Hanham, exactly 190 years to the hour after he was hanged. The funeral was arranged by Mary Halliwell, the great-great-great-granddaughter of Horwood's brother.
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