Finally, A Proper Burial for John Horwood
Yesterday, 190 years after his death, John Horwood was to finally receive a proper burial.
According to an article in the UK Metro (and also as reported on the SWNS.com website), Mr. Horwood was executed in New Bristol in 1821, after being found guilty of the murder of his erstwhile girlfriend. Apparently, he saw her walking with another boy, became enraged, and threw a pebble at her. The girlfriend subsequently died after the wound became infected.
Following his execution, his parents sought the release of the body for burial. However, inexplicably, the body was seized by a local surgeon who performed a public dissection on the body and, are you ready for this, turned his skin into a book cover. The skeleton was kept at the doctor’s home for a number of years, and was ultimately given to the Bristol University, where it remained suspended in a cupboard, with the original noose around its neck.
A relative of Mr. Horwood tracked the remains down, and after proving a familial relationship, was declared the legal owner of the skeleton.
The burial was scheduled for April 13, 2011 in Hanham, England.
