Edinburgh coffin-doll mystery 'cracked at last'

In total, 17 of the ghoulish items were discovered, but despite the case being probed by the great and the good of the capital's learned society, no answer was ever found to explain where they came from.

Over the years it has been suggested the dolls were the work of witches, or represent the bodies of sailors lost at sea. 

It has also been suggested that they are a memorial to the victims of the notorious and murderous bodysnatchers William Burke and William Hare, who carried out their gruesome deeds in the capital during a 10-month spree in 1820.

Actors portraying Burke and Hare

Crime author Ian Rankin took inspiration from the story for his novel The Falls, and a selection of the coffins remains on show at the National Museum of Scotland.

But now an author and amateur historian believes he has cracked the mystery, and says that the dolls - eight of which survive - may be linked to an act of political insurrection which rocked Scotland before being largely forgotten.

Scottish-American writer Jeff Nisbet, who was born in Edinburgh before emigrating to the US aged 11, has spent months studying the case and has suggested it is a memorial to the event known as Radical war of 1820.

READ MORE: Grisly letter written in blood of Bodysnatcher Burke to be displayed for first time

During that year weavers and other workers across the Central Belt were moved to acts of civil disobedience because of worsening economic conditions and launched protests and strikes calling for better conditions and rights.   

The disturbances, which threatened to spiral into open revolt, came to an abrupt end when they were were put down by the authorities, and three of the ringleaders were executed while 20 more were transported to Australia.  

Unemployed weavers were later put to work building a path around Arthur's seat - known to this day as 'Radical Road' - and Mr Nisbet believes that the coffins were a coded memento left by those who wanted to see the movement 'rise again'.

The view from Arthur's Seat

He said: "By the time the coffins were discovered, the rebellion had been largely forgotten, save perhaps by those whose loved ones had been lost to either the hangman’s noose or a ship bound for Australia. 

"And so it's my theory that the artefacts’ raison d'être was to honor the Radicals, and that they were later "resurrected" in an attempt to keep the flame of rebellion lit in a land too quick to forget — an attempt that ultimately failed."

READ MORE: Radicals' history 'should be taught'

The author added: "Shortly following the uprising, Sir Walter Scott proposed that unemployed weavers be kept busy building a footpath around the Crags, since known as “The Radical Road.” 

"Scott's proposal was not born of his benevolent heart, however, since the hands of a weaver would have been punished by the work. 

"From the Radical Road, visitors can still look out upon all of Edinburgh and the one ocean that connects us all, no matter how far-flung we live. What finer spot to hide a tribute to the transportees than along a road planned by a Scottish nobleman, but built by Radicals?"

Mr Nisbet claims that the dolls, which all appear to be male and have their eyes open, represent men not yet dead. Another clue, he says, can be found in their clothes -  made from a type of cloth the weavers would have been familiar with.

The writer also points out that many of Burke and Hare's victims were women, making it unlikely the dolls are connected to them.

READ MORE: Mystery of Jacobite Lord's bones solved by forensic science after 270 years

However,  David Forsyth, Principal Curator of the National Museum of Scotland's Scottish History section, said while the new theory added a fresh twist to the myth surrounding the coffins' creation, he remained unconvinced.  

He said: "I wouldn't scoff at it, and it's interesting to hear another idea about where the coffins come from. He makes his argument well and certainly understands the zeitgeist of the time."

He added: "It's very interesting that the coffins continue to be talked about and remain among our most popular exhibits, even after all the debate about their origins.

"Mr Nisbet's idea is outside the established 'canon' that surrounds the coffins, but I wouldn't discount it completely.

"However, I think that the connection to the victims of Burke and Hare remains the most likely explanation".