Tobar an Dualchais - Kist O Riches

Title - Family history: Traveller woman is rescued from burkers.
Contributors - Alec Stewart
Reporters - Prof. Kenneth Goldstein

Summary - Family history: Traveller woman is rescued from burkers.

Alec Stewart's great grandmother was burkered [burked] into a black bag. The family were sleeping in a row in a cart shed. Two men came in, and snatched the old woman away. They put a plaster over her mouth, and put her into the bag. The father and grandfather woke and chased them. The farmer fired a shot over the heads of the burkers; they dropped the bag and went off in their machine [i.e. coach].


Track Duration (h:m:s) - 00:01:13
Date Recorded - 1969.12.29
Language - English
Genre - Story, Information
Collection - School of Scottish Studies

Track ID - 4328
Original Tape ID - SA1969.195
Original Track ID - SA1969.195.A9
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/4328/1


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