. . . The Diary of A Resurrectionist, 1811-1812 is a window on to the world of the Regency – a personal record written BY a bodysnatcher, rather than ABOUT one.

The diary was presented to the Royal College of Surgeons of England by Sir Thomas Longmore in the mid-19th-century; Longmore himself had been handed the written account by resurrectionist Joshua Naples, who had supplied famous surgeon Sir Astley Cooper (1768-1841) with corpses. Longmore had been assisting in the writing of Cooper’s biography, and Naples had been one of Cooper’s most trustworthy suppliers.

Here’s a taster of Naples’ working life:
Friday 7 Feb 1812, “Met together me & Butler went to Newington, thing bad.” [ie putrid]

Tuesday 25 Feb 1812: “The moon at full, could not go.”
“Rules for finding the moon on any given day.”

Tuesday 11 August 1812, “At night went to Hoxton, 1 Large Yellow Jaundice sold at Brookes [anatomy
school].”

The original diary is still housed at the Royal College of Surgeons. It’s a unique snapshot of Regency life – and not an Empire-line dress in sight.