Historic%20Yorkshire

166
YORKSHIRE RESURRECTION MEN.
the spot by a wall,which was done, the wall being low
and surmountedby palisading, in order that it might not
afford future resurrection men any protection from the
view of passers-by.
The intense indignation and alarm which was felt
throughout the country upon the operations of the bodysnatchers
coming to light,ledto the formation of societies
to prevent the atrocious thefts being carried into effect.
These societies werecalled " Grave Clubs," andthey were
formed inmost towns and villages. Some of these clubs
assumed the regulationof the graves, insisting on them
beingof a depth of twelve feet, as at Rothwell. In order
to render the stealing of bodies still more difficult, the
graves had iron bars placed at intervals transversely.
In many places no regular club was organised, but the
relatives and friends of deceased persons watched the
graves for a period of about five weeks,by which time a
body would in the ordinary course have become decomposed.
Manypeoplehiredwatchmento remainbycertain
graves during that period. At Hull and thedistrictmany
cases have been brought before us, in which a fortnight
only was deemed necessary for watching. The statements
to us of people who have watchedin the churchyards
of Hessle, Cottingham,Beverley, etc., show how
widespread was the terror inspired by the grave-robbers,
and how determined the public were to defeat their
measures. A pitiful story is related by a medical man,
who in his youth had played the part of body-snatcher.
Upon one occasion,on the partyof resurrectionistsentering
a churchyard for the purpose of openinga particular
grave, they were astonishedto see wavingin the hazy air
a shroud-like cloud from the identicalgrave. Havingno
fear of friends watching after midnight, for (so says the
doctor) through terror, cold, and whisky "their watches
were generally terminated early," two of the party drew
near to investigate, when it was found that the white
object was the skirt of a woman's dress. She was the
widow of a harvester who had died on his wayhome to