The morthouse, Udny Green
Introduction
The photograph on this page of The morthouse, Udny Green by Martyn Gorman as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
The morthouse, Udny Green
Image: © Martyn Gorman Taken: Unknown
In the early 1800s, corpses were in demand for dissection in anatomy schools. Body snatchers (resurrection men) supplied the demand by stealing fresh bodies from their graves. Morthouses, immensely strong buildings, were used to store bodies until corrupt and of no value to the anatomists. The one at Udny Green is unique. It is circular, constructed of granite blocks and has inside a turntable on which coffins were placed. By the time a body had gone full circle it was too rotten to be of interest. The opening is guarded by an inner iron door which rises vertically from a pit, and a stout outer door of oak.
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Image Location
Latitude
57.327083
Longitude
-2.200928