Key Object Page

Souvenir letter opener, made from wood taken from Hare's house.

The handwritten inscription reads: "made from wood from Hare's house who murdered "Daft Jamie" in West Port of Edinburgh 1828. Burke hanged in January 1829". 'Daft Jamie' was a crucial victim, often seen as a key factor in the duo's capture. He was an 18 year old disabled man, who was well known around the streets of Edinburgh, particularly the Grassmarket. Hare, infamously part of the 'Burke and Hare' had murdered 16 people by 1828, selling their bodies for anatomical dissection. The sensation of the trial created a market for such memorabilia.