A Story of a Grave Robber

¨Although this scene titled ¨Grave Robber Flees from a Corpse That Has Come to Life¨ was originally published in 1746, grave robbers were common in many times and places. In the case of Margaret Halcrow Erskine, a grave robber unintentionally saved her life. When Erskine appeared to have died in Chirnside, Scotland, in 1674, the sexton buried her in a shallow grave so that he could return at night and steal her jewelry. However, Erskine revived as the sexton was cutting off her finger to remove her ring. Although there´s no information about what happened to the sexton, Erskine lived a long and productive life.¨

REFERENCE

Penny Colman. Corpses, coffins and crypts: a history of burial. New York, 1997