CHAPTER 3: SKELETON IN THE CUPBOARD PART TWO

BRISTOL: IT’S CRIMINAL Chapter 3: Sheila Hannon, Creative Producer of Show for Strength Theatre, is joined once again by Dr Rose Wallis from the University of the West of England to find out what happened to the Skeleton in the Cupboard – an extraordinary conclusion to this dark tale.
Sheila and Rose discuss:

• The afterlives of John Horwood and Eliza Balsum, and the impact on their families
• Post-mortem punishment and the Murder Act of 1752
• Medical research in the early 19 th century
• Body snatchers in Bedminster
• The extraordinary part played by Dr Richard Smith
• Phrenology
• And the book of skin

What happened to John and Eliza was not usual. Even after death, they were taken up and used, their stories retold and remade. Did Richard Smith’s actions go beyond the letter of the law? What were his motives? Why was John subject to such extraordinary treatment? You decide…