Unburied - The True Story of Hannah Beswick, 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.

About the author

Hannah Priest is an Honorary Research Fellow at Swansea University

Product details

• Authors: Hannah Priest
• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.02.2025
• EAN: 9781526175922
• ISBN: 978-1-5261-7592-2
• No. of pages: 264
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Natural sciences (general); Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical, Manchester, Social & cultural history, ART / Museum Studies, History of Medicine, Social and cultural history, Early 19th century c 1800 to c 1850, Biography: Science, Technology & Engineering, Museology and heritage studies, Sociology: death and dying, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Medical (inc Patients), Museums & museology