Tobar an Dualchais - Kist O Riches

Title - A narrow escape from burkers and their dogs.
Contributors - Alec Stewart
Reporters - Prof. Kenneth Goldstein

Summary - A narrow escape from burkers and their dogs.

Alec Stewart and his cousin were hawking pot lids and basins around Inverkeithing. They were trying to find a night's lodging, when the burkers' coach appeared behind them. They ran into a farm steading and hid in a half-dismantled stack. There were two men and four dogs. Knowing that the dogs would soon find them, Alec reached out and cut the tail off one of the dogs. It ran away howling, and the burkers followed, thinking the dog had the scent. The farmer gave them a place to sleep for the night, and took the dog's tail to give to the police, but Alec never returned to that house.


Track Duration (h:m:s) - 00:02:56
Date Recorded - 1969.12.29
Language - English
Genre - Story
Collection - School of Scottish Studies

Track ID - 4314
Original Tape ID - SA1969.195
Original Track ID - SA1969.195.A2
Audio Quality - Good
Audio Format - R2R



Recording Location:
  County - Perthshire
  Parish - Blairgowrie
  Village - Blairgowrie

Item Notes - Burkers were murderers who killed to sell the bodies to anatomists. The name is from the notorious Burke (of Burke and Hare), who was hanged in 1829.

Permanent Link - http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/4314/1


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