Unburied - by Hannah Priest (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book tells the true story of Hannah Beswick, the so-called 'Manchester Mummy'. Debunking the legends that have sprung up around this unusual case of modern mummification, it sheds light on the history of museums and the collection of human remains.

Book Synopsis

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.

From the Back Cover

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.

Review Quotes

'Part intriguing detective story, part chilling description of the cavalier treatment of human remains in nineteenth-century England, Hannah Priest's Unburied investigates the difference between fact and fiction, uncovering a truth stranger and more complex than 200 years of Gothic razamatazz. Thoroughly researched and engagingly told, here is a story hidden from history, of "an ordinary woman who made an extraordinary decision about her own body".'
Rosie Garland, author of The Palace of Curiosities

'A meticulously researched examination of both the truth and fictions of the "Manchester Mummy". Rich in detail, Hannah Priest's account provides an unflinching examination of a very strange corpse that is perhaps not so strange at all -- at least not for the reasons we might think.'
Bess Lovejoy, author of Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses

'A long overdue study of a Mancunian woman and her bizarre afterlife. Priest provides absolutely fascinating insights into eighteenth-century Manchester, its treatment of women and the dead, and our persistently morbid curiosity.'
Campbell Price, Curator of Egypt and Sudan, Manchester Museum

'Hannah Beswick has finally found her amanuensis. In Unburied, the extraordinary story of her mummified body is told at last.'
Viktor Wynd, author of The Unnatural History Museum

'In Unburied, Hannah Priest seeks to uncover the truth behind Beswick's story and in doing so contributes to histories of the body, museums, and death and dying - as well as the history of folklore... the reader is encouraged to ponder the human experiences of historical actors, the temporality of burial, and quite why stories like Beswick's continue to fascinate us in the modern day.'
4 stars from Jennifer Wallis, Fortean Times

About the Author

Hannah Priest, Heritage Manager at the Pankhurst Centre, is an independent researcher and speaker on Manchester history topics like the Blackley Deer Park and the Battle of Theale Moor. As Hannah Kate, she is a creative writer and radio presenter on North Manchester FM.