{"id":3124,"date":"2019-04-06T19:34:22","date_gmt":"2019-04-06T19:34:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/?p=3124"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T17:00:00","slug":"Were-Cages-Placed-Over-Graves-in-Victorian-Times-to-Trap-the-Undead?","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/?p=3124","title":{"rendered":"Were Cages Placed Over Graves in Victorian Times to Trap the Undead?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>This story was first published on May 9, 2013 &#8211; Above image courtesy: \u00a0<a style=\"color: #808080;\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Mortsafe,_Greyfriars_Kirk.jpg\">Kim Traynor\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"noMargin\">Outline<\/h3>\n<p>Circulating message that features an image depicting a grave covered by a sturdy iron cage claims that the cages were used in Victorian times to keep vampires and zombies from escaping should they rise from the dead. \u00a0 <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- HS Net Top Content Responsive --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-0355887770822260\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"4870821038\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"noMargin\">Brief Analysis<\/h3>\n<p>The claim in the message is fanciful nonsense. In fact, the cages were used to stop grave robbers from stealing corpses for use by medical students and anatomists. The cages &#8211; known as mortsafes &#8211; were regularly used in Scotland in the early 19th century.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"noMargin\">Example<\/h3>\n<div class=\"example\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/zombie-grave-cage.jpg\" data-rel=\"penci-gallery-image-content\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"19647\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/were-cages-placed-over-graves-in-victorian-times-to-trap-the-undead\/zombie-grave-cage\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/zombie-grave-cage.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"500,333\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"zombie-grave-cage\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/zombie-grave-cage-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/zombie-grave-cage.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-19647\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/zombie-grave-cage.jpg\" alt=\"Grave Crate Cover\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/zombie-grave-cage.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/zombie-grave-cage-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This is a grave from the Victorian age when a fear of zombies and vampires was prevalent. The cage was intended to trap the undead just in case the corpse reanimated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"noMarginDA\">Detailed Analysis<\/h3>\n<p>This message, which features an image of a grave entirely covered by a heavy iron cage, circulates via blogs, forums and social media posts. According to the message, the cages were used in Victorian times as a means of keeping the &#8220;undead&#8221; from escaping their graves should the corpses reanimate. Supposedly, people of that era had a widespread fear of zombies and vampires. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-0355887770822260\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"9162856233\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p>However, while the image itself is genuine, the explanation in the message is utter nonsense. In fact, the cages &#8211; known as mortsafes &#8211; were used to protect newly interred bodies from being stolen by body snatches. In the 18th and early 19th century, an increasing need for fresh corpses by medical schools fueled a burgeoning trade in bodies. Anatomists and medical students needed a constant supply of fresh bodies to practice on. Legitimate supplies of bodies, such as those of executed criminals, could not keep up with the demand. Enterprising people known as \u00a0<a class=\"norm\" title=\"Resurrectionists\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Resurrectionists_in_the_United_Kingdom\">resurrectionists<\/a> \u00a0would thus dig up the bodies of the recently interred to supply this market. Because a supply of bodies was seen as vital to the advancement of medical science, authorities tended to turn a blind eye to the activities of the grave robbers. Bodies and body parts became a commodity.<\/p>\n<p>Concerned family and friends of people who had died began to take measures to protect the graves of their loved ones. \u00a0<a class=\"norm\" title=\"Mortsafes\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mortsafe\">Mortsafes<\/a>, invented around 1816, were one such measure. \u00a0<a class=\"norm\" title=\"New Morbid Terminology: Mortsafe\" href=\"http:\/\/bonesdontlie.wordpress.com\/2012\/09\/11\/new-morbid-terminology-mortsafe\/\">Mortsafes<\/a> \u00a0were mainly used in Scotland. The steel cages came in a variety of designs and were intended to make it difficult for grave robbers to get to the bodies. The mortsafes were often left on graves for a few weeks until the bodies they protected were sufficiently decayed so that they were no longer of interest to resurrectionists.<\/p>\n<p>The \u00a0<a class=\"norm\" title=\" Anatomy Act of 1832\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Anatomy_Act_1832\">Anatomy Act of 1832<\/a> \u00a0in the United Kingdom meant that bodies could be more easily procured for medical dissection, although the stealing of corpses still continued for some years after.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, as is often the case, it seems that some prankster has simply invented a fanciful tale to fit an interesting image. Ironically, as is also often the case, the real story is actually a lot more interesting than the made up one.<\/p>\n<p>The \u00a0<a class=\"norm\" title=\" Anatomy Act of 1832\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Anatomy_Act_1832\">Anatomy Act of 1832<\/a> \u00a0in the United Kingdom meant that bodies could be more easily procured for medical dissection, although the stealing of corpses still continued for some years after.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, as is often the case, it seems that some prankster has simply invented a fanciful tale to fit an interesting image. Ironically, as is also often the case, the real story is actually a lot more interesting than the made up one.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- HS Net Top Content Responsive --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-0355887770822260\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"4870821038\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/br><\/br> Original Source : <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/were-cages-placed-over-graves-in-victorian-times-to-trap-the-undead\/\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/were-cages-placed-over-graves-in-victorian-times-to-trap-the-undead\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This story was first published on May 9, 2013 &#8211; Above image courtesy: \u00a0Kim Traynor\/Wikimedia Commons Outline Circulating message that features an image depicting a grave covered by a sturdy iron cage claims that the cages were used in Victorian times to keep vampires and zombies from escaping should they rise from the dead. \u00a0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6890,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hoax-inggris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3124"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3124\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}