An articulated skeleton in Edinburgh University's Anatomy Museum of “Howison, The Cramond Murderer”, shares a show-case with the articulated skeleton of “William Burke, The Murderer”. While the murderous activities of William Burke are well known, because of his association and activities with William Hare, and because they sold the bodies of their victims to Dr Robert Knox, the anatomist, little these days is recalled of Howison. He was executed for the murder of a woman in Cramond in December 1831, and was hanged on 21st January 1832. The case is important because he was the last individual executed before the implementation of the Anatomy Act of 1832. Accordingly, under the conditions of the previous Act, of 1752, entitled “An Act for better preventing the horrid Crime of Murder”, his body had to be handed across to the surgeons to be “dissected and anatomized”, before it could be buried.
RougheadW. (ed) Burke and Hare. William Hodge & Co. Ltd., Edinburgh and London, 1921.
2.
BallingallG.Catalogue of The Museum Attached to the Class of Military Surgery in the University of Edinburgh. R. & R. Clark, Edinburgh, 1855; 1.
3.
A Collection of the Public general Statutes, passed in the Second and Third Year of the Reign of His Majesty King William the Fourth: Being the Second Session of the Tenth Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Cap. LXXV An Act for Regulating Schools of Anatomy. 1st August 1832. George Eyre & Andrew Spottiswoode, London, 1832; 713–718.
4.
The Statutes at Large From Magna Charta [sic] to the end of the Last Parliament, 1761, in 8 Volumes. Mark Basket, Robert Basket, Henry Woodfall & William Strahan, London, 1763–1764. [Volume 1: From Magna Charta [sic] to the end of the Reign of King Henry the Sixth (1763); 2: From First Year of the Reign of King Edward the Fourth to the end of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth (1763); 3: From First Year of the Reign of King James the First to the Tenth Year of the Reign of King William the Third (1763); 4: From Tenth Year of the Reign of King William the Third to the end of the Reign of Queen Anne (1763); 5: From First Year of the Reign of King George the First to the Third Year of the Reign of King George the Second (1763); 6: From the Third Year of the Reign of King George the Second to the Twentieth Year of the Reign of King George the Second (1764); 7: From the Twentieth Year of the Reign of King George the Second to the Thirtieth Year of the Reign of King George the Second (1764); 8: From the Thirtieth Year of the Reign of King George the Second to the end of the Second Year of the Reign of King George the Third (1764) For the Act referred to here, see: Cap. XXXVII. An Act for better preventing the horrid Crime of Murder. Volume 7. Mark Basket, Robert Basket, Henry Woodfall & William Strahan, London, 1764;440-441.
5.
The Statutes at Large from the twentieth year of the reign of King George the Second to the thirtieth year of the reign of King George the Second. Cap. XXXVII. An Act for better preventing the horrid Crime of Murder. Volume 7. Mark Basket, Robert Basket, Henry Woodfall & William Strahan, London, 1764; [Section 1, p.440; Section 2, p.440; Section 5, p.441; Section 9, p.441; Section 10, p.441].
6.
2 Geo 2, cap. 21; this abbreviation refers to the Act of Parliament dating from the second year of the reign of King George the Second, Chapter (i.e. Act) 21 of 1729, entitled: An Act for the Trial of Murders, in Cases where either the Stroke or Death only happens within that part of Great Britain called England. The Statutes at Large From First Year of the Reign of King George the First to the Third Year of the Reign of King George the Second. Volume 5. Mark Basket, Robert Basket, Henry Woodfall & William Strahan, London, 1763; 688.
7.
5 H 3 cap. 25 of 1218. This abbreviation refers to the Act of Parliament dating from the fifth year of the reign of King Henry the Third, Chapter (i.e. Act) 25; 6 Ed 1. cap. 9 of 1278. This abbreviation refers to the Act of Parliament dating from the sixth year of the reign of King Edward the First, Chapter (i.e. Act) 9; 3 H 7 cap. 1 of 1486. This abbreviation refers to the Act of Parliament dating from the third year of the reign of King Henry the Seventh, Chapter (i.e. Act) 1; 1 Ed 6 cap. 12 of 1547. This abbreviation refers to the Act of Parliament dating from the first year of the reign of King Edward the Sixth, Chapter (i.e. Act) 12; 1 Jac 1 cap. 8 of 1604. This abbreviation refers to the Act of Parliament dating from the first year of the reign of King James the First, Chapter (i.e. Act) 8; 21 Jac 1 cap. 27 of 1623. This abbreviation refers to the Act of Parliament dating from the twenty-first year of the reign of King James the First, Chapter (i.e. Act) 27.
8.
The Scotsman. Execution. Volume 16. No. 1256, 1832 [p. 3, col 5].
9.
A similar incident occurred more recently. See: The Scotsman, No. 32,257, 16th October 1946. Article entitled: “11 Nazi leaders hanged. Executions carried out this morning. Report from U.S. News Agency.” [See p. 5, columns 1 and 2]. It is interesting to note that this article described in detail the execution of Hermann Goring, unaware that he had cheated the hangman by committing suicide by swallowing cyanide. This error was corrected in the Scotsman of the following day. For details, see: Goulding, O. The Scotsman, No. 32,258, 17th October 1946. Article entitled: “Mystery of Goring's suicide. U.S. Board of Inquiry investigating Nuremberg theories, [p.5, cols 1 and 2] According to this second report, while the reporters were aware that Goring had committed suicide at 10.45 p.m., local time, they were not allowed to submit their reports until after their papers had gone to press.
10.
The Edinburgh Evening Courant. Issue of Monday January 23, 1832 [p.3, column 4].
11.
The Edinburgh Advertiser. Issue of Tuesday January 24, 1832 [p.2, column 4]
12.
Howison Case. High Court E 27; 9 November 1831 to 7 March 1832; Reference Number J.C. 8/27,1831.
13.
HowisonJohn, Accused of Murder. Reference Number: AD 14 31/ 387, 1831.
14.
HowisonJohn, Accused of Murder. Reference Number: AD 14 31/ 387, 1831 [p.80]
15.
A Collection of Public General Statutes. (1832). Cap. LXXV. [p. 718]
16.
A Collection of Public General Statutes. (1832). Cap. LXXV. [pp. 713–14].
17.
A Collection of Public General Statutes. (1832) Cap. LXXV. [p.715].
18.
A Collection of Public General Statutes. (1832) Cap. LXXV. [p.716- 17].
19.
A Collection of Public General Statutes. (1832). Cap. LXXV. [p.717]
20.
Anon. A list of the criminals who have been executed in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling. Perth, Dumfries, Ayr, Greenock, Paisley, Aberdeen, Inverness, &c. for the last 130 years, with their names, crimes, and the dates of their execution. Printed for the Booksellers, Edinburgh. Price One Penny, 1833 [Pamphlet, Edinburgh Room, Edinburgh Central Library, Accession Reference No.: B 9400].
21.
LonsdaleH.A Sketch of the Life and Writings of Robert Knox The Anatomist. Macmillan & Co., London, 1870; 92.
22.
YoungA. F.The Encyclopaedia of Scottish Executions 1750–1963. Eric Dobby Publishing Ltd., Orpington, 1998; 7.
AbbottG.Hanging. In: The Book of Execution. An Encyclopedia of Methods of Judicial Execution. Headline Book Publishing, London, 1994; 234–279.
25.
PatersonA.M.Fracture of cervical vertebrae. Proceedings of the Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland, August 1889. J Anat Physiol1890; 24: ix.
