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Unburied

The true story of Hannah Beswick, the Manchester Mummy

By Hannah Priest

Unburied
Hardcover -
  • Price: £25.00
  • ISBN: 9781526175922
  • Publish Date: Feb 2025
  • Publisher: Manchester University Press
  • Pre-Order £25.00

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    Book Information

    • Format: Hardcover
    • ISBN: 978-1-5261-7592-2
    • Pages: 288
    • Price: £25.00
    • Published Date: February 2025

    Description

    The macabre tale of an eighteenth-century woman immortalised in folklore as the 'Manchester Mummy'.

    In 1835, the Manchester Natural History Society opened the doors of its museum. Taking pride of place in its collection were three mummies: one was Egyptian, one was Peruvian and one was a woman from Cheetham Hill.

    This is the first time the true story of Hannah Beswick, the so-called 'Manchester Mummy', has been told. Over the years, explanations for the Manchester Mummy have ranged from the chilling - Hannah's fear of being buried alive - to the downright bizarre - the legend of her buried gold - but the truth is more complex.

    Exploring this fascinating episode from museum history, Unburied sheds light on the Victorian turn to the macabre and changing attitudes to the display of human remains. It debunks the legends and asks what Hannah Beswick can tell us about death and dying, mummies and museums.

    Contents

    Prologue
    Part I: Afterlife
    1 The cabinet of insects
    2 Behind the giraffe
    3 The ungenteel fate
    4 What was her name?
    5 Madame Beswick's supernatural pranks
    6 Tinned salmon
    7 Ms Beswick
    Part II: Life and death
    8 Hannah
    9 Sundry odd things
    10 Oil of lavender
    11 The pious band
    12 Four hundred pounds
    13 Unremarkable
    Epilogue
    Index

    Author

    Hannah Priest is Heritage Engagement Officer at the Pankhurst Centre and an independent researcher. She gives talks and writes on subjects from Manchester history, including the medieval Blackley Deer Park, the Manchester Mummy and the Battle of Theale Moor. Under the name Hannah Kate, she is a creative writer and radio presenter on North Manchester FM.

    Unburied

    By Hannah Priest

    Hardcover £25.00 / $36.95

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