The streets of Victorian Britain were crowded by poor and desperate people. Some broke the law just to survive, other became victims – even though over 200 crimes carried the death penalty. You could be hanged for anything from murder to pickpocketing and being out at night with a blackened face. Despite these harsh penalties, the criminal elements of society were still determined to make their living by ill-gotten gains.

Medical science had progressed slowly owing to religious restrictions on dissection, but by the early 1800s the study of anatomy was again at the cutting edge of science and surgeons needed bodies to examine. Laws of supply and demand created the grisly trade of the body snatchers or resurrectionists. Learn how and why these men crossed the boundaries of acceptability and what scandals brought about the Anatomy Act in 1832. Discover what was happening in Ewell on your very doorstep!

Time I pm to 2.30pm

Entry £5 per child (includes 1 accompanying adult)

Further information available from David Brooks, Bourne Hall Museum, Spring Street, Ewell, Surrey, KT17 1UF.

Tel: 020 8394 1734. Email: dbrooks@epsom-ewell.gov.uk

http://www.epsomandewellhistoryexplorer.org.uk/BourneHallMuseumClub.html

A pdf about the event is attached