Many years ago, Blackburn was known for body snatching. This was down to research into Anatomy, which flourished during the 19th century, using dissection of human bodies. Due to scientific breakthroughs, there was a growing demand for further experiments being carried out on human corpses.
Most of these cadavers were made up of dead bodies of people who were found in Blackburn. They were usually unidentified itinerants passing through and nobody knew, or cared, who they were. But this did not satisfy anywhere near enough demand for corpses. And so we had a situation were poor people, whose life was worthless, soon found death had its price. And so along came the body snatchers.
Vast amounts of money could be made from illegal practices. It usually entailed gangs hiding in cemeteries and pouncing once a burial had taken place. Some pauper’s body would then be at the mercy of these despicable tomb raiders. Not only did body snatchers carry out illegal activity, but their trade was fed by people prepared to pay a large bounty for unfortunate victims. Some of whom may have died in mysterious circumstances!
Rumours started to circulate about graves being disturbed in Blackburn. This made local police keep their eyes on events during and after burials. This really was the ‘Graveyard Shift’. It also made body snatchers more wary of their activities at night. On at least one occasion they were nearly rumbled. This led to a few cases were body snatchers, whilst making their escape from police, ended up losing some of their booty.
Decoys were made by one notorious gang of raiders. They were a collection of human bones put together as complete skeletons. One served its purpose for them on a particular occasion when they were nearly caught red-handed. But unfortunately for the authorities, this assemblage of human bones became a bigger distraction than anybody could ever have dared forecast.
When their decoy was found, there just happened to be a doctor accompanying police who took an interest in Anthropology. His interest was taken by this human skeleton they discovered. It had a bone structure he had never encountered before. As a great admirer of Charles Darwin’s works and like many of the great man’s disciples, he was searching for his famous missing link. This was around the time Neanderthal Man was discovered in Prussia, so excitement was in the air. Could we have our own Neanderthal Man in Blackburn?
At the time of the body’s discovery, one particular cemetery had been put in a state of lockdown to thwart grave robbers. So ‘Lockdown Man’ was what our mystery body became known as. It caused a sensation. Sadly, Blackburn’s famous Lockdown Man was eclipsed by another even more notorious so-called missing link.
In 1912 ‘Piltdown Man’ was announced to the world. Forty years later, this find proved to be an elaborate hoax. A combination of a human being and Orangutan consigned this forgery to history’s wastepaper basket. Unfortunately, they then had a bone to pick with our version too. Its discoverer was deemed to have lost the plot, meaning Blackburn’s Lockdown Man was soon dead and buried – once again!
