Podcaster digs into the truth about Biggleswade Body Snatchers

I started my podcast Weird in the Wade, in May 2023 and I cover local history of Biggleswade and Bedfordshire. I am interested in history and contemporary stories that are on the unusual or strange side. I knew I was going to cover the body snatcher story from the very start.

Many like me, have heard the rumours that in the early 19th century, shadowy body snatchers known as resurrection men, were stealing freshly buried bodies from St Andrews church yard. The bodies were then transported in secret underground tunnels to the Catherine Wheel pub, which once stood on the Market Square where Boots and Poundland are today. The bodies were then taken by wagon down to London to be dissected by student doctors.

At the turn of the 19th century the number of doctors training was increasing and the only way to get bodies for dissection was from execution victims. Supply was not meeting demand, so a murky black market emerged where the recently deceased were dug up and sold.

Through researching local newspapers, court records and genealogy sites, I discovered that the truth to these rumours is stranger and more satisfying than fiction. Yes, there were body snatchers, but they were two Biggleswade lads, George Lester and William Smith. And the town’s response to these criminals meant that no one was foolish enough to try stealing bodies from Biggleswade again.

These events all took place in December 1826. There was a shadowy figure possibly from London directing Lester and Smith’s actions because they don’t seem like very competent criminals at all. Their unusual behaviour of buying a shovel and a trunk, when they were usually skint, piqued the suspicions of some of the town’s folk. Meanwhile Joseph Cooper, a local labourer, kept vigil at his father’s recently dug grave. He was convinced it was his father’s body that was to be snatched. After 48 hours of waiting in the snow in the church yard, Joseph Cooper decided to go home, which was when the resurrection men struck.

Luckily the townsfolk of Biggleswade had plotted, and had a plan ready and waiting.

You can hear all about it on the latest episode of Weird in the Wade, Ghostly Crime Part 2: Biggleswade Body Snatchers. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or you can find it here: https://weirdinthewade.podbean.com/

The people of Biggleswade should be proud of what they did. I love shining a light on these forgotten fragments of the town’s history and heritage.

Weird in the Wade has listeners from all over the world as well as local to Biggleswade, and has now gained over 20,000 downloads. My episodes have covered topics like Biggleswade’s “Murder Bridge”, the haunted pound stretcher, the flying saucer hoax of 1957, and a local Victorian poisoner.

I’d love to hear from you, especially if you have any suggestions for stories for me to cover in future episodes. You can reach me on most social media platforms as weird in the wade, and this link shows you where you can get in touch: https://linktr.ee/weirdinthewade

I’ll be back next month where I plan to shed some more light on the mysterious tunnels said to run under the Market Square, High Street, and down to the church and river.

Until then keep it weird in the wade!