Dark deeds inspire a series of grisly events

THEY were the most notorious criminals of their time, murderers who killed simply for the profit they could get selling the corpses to Edinburgh's medical school.

But while the dark deeds of William Burke and William Hare struck horror into the hearts of the masses at the time, they have inspired generations of writers, including Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Ian Rankin.

Their legacy is just one inspiration behind a series of events in Edinburgh next week which celebrates the city's grim past.

To historian Owen Dudley Edwards, a Burke and Hare expert, it is no surprise the grisly case continues to fascinate.

"The real reason for the terror inspired by Burke and Hare is that they invited people to parties in their houses and if they had had too much to drink and they fell asleep well then they might never wake up," says Owen. "The murderous host is the most terrifying tale there is.

"When Burke went to the gallows in 1828, 25,000 people turned up to stand in front of him and scream damnation – not necessarily because of the murders but because he played the gracious host before murdering his guest. It was particularly horrible."

Owen, 69, of Liberton, is about to give a lecture on the influence of Burke and Hare on Scottish fiction and storytelling.

The lecture is part of a series of three events organised by the National Library of Scotland to complement the finale of the Crime Scene Edinburgh: 20 Years of Rankin and Rebus exhibition which ends next Sunday .

The major exhibition and tie-in events are lifting the lid on the life of Ian Rankin, his detective Rebus and the darker side of Edinburgh.

Visitors to the George IV Bridge library will get a glimpse of how policing has changed over the years and also glean an insight into how fingerprinting, DNA and forensic tests are carried out. Also tied to the exhibition is a tour of the Royal College of Surgeons museum, home to disturbing exhibits like the death mask of William Burke and the wallet made of his skin. Visitors will have a tour of the museum's gruesome artefacts.

But if your love of Edinburgh crime novels extends beyond just reading, then Ken Cockburn can help you put pen to paper at a workshop that marks the final event in the series.

Ken will use the works of James Hogg and Rankin, as well as grizzly events in the city, to breathe life into visitors' creative writing.

Bruce Blacklaw, marketing officer for the library, said: "One of the aims of Rebus 20 is to show the links between the Edinburgh of the present and the past in terms of its crime and its literature.

"As the exhibition enters its final week, we look forward to this trio of events which will expand further on these themes, while also telling people some cracking stories and encouraging them to come up with their own."

Burke and Hare, Rebus and Friends, with Owen Dudley Edwards, takes place on Tuesday at 7pm; the Royal College of Surgeons tour is the following evening at 6pm; the two-hour Gothic in the City writing workshop is on Thursday at 5.30pm. To book a place on one of these free events call 0131-623 4675. The exhibition will be open to the public from 10am until 5pm from Monday to Saturday and 2pm to 5pm on Sunday.