Reproduction
Object numberRCSHM/Osteo. 336
Scientific nameHomo sapiens
CollectionCollege Museum
CategoryDry preparations
Object nameSkeleton, Skeleton, articulated
DescriptionThe skeleton of the thief-taker Jonathan Wild, executed at Tyburn in 1725.
Jonathan Wild earned notoriety as a leading figure in the London criminal underworld in the early 18th century. For much of his career as a 'thief-taker' and receiver of stolen goods Wild enjoyed a measure of popular support, despite (or perhaps because of) his notoriety. However in 1724 popular opinion shifted when Wild's evidence resulted in the conviction and execution of two of the most famous criminals of the day, Jack Sheppard and Joseph 'Blueskin' Blake. Soon after Wild was himself arrested and convicted, and was hanged at Tyburn on 24 May 1725.
The crowd at Wild's execution was unusually hostile and pelted him with stones during the hanging. Afterwards, in a reversal of the usual situation, the crowd cheered the news that Wild's body was to be handed over to the surgeons for dissection. In fact Wild's body was not sent to the Company of Barber-Surgeons but was buried in St Pancras Churchyard. The next night, however, the body was removed and carried away. It was later claimed in some of the newspapers that Wild's flesh and skin had been found, but that his skeleton had been removed.
The precise fate of Wild's skeleton is unknown. However, in 1797 it surfaced in a sale of the possessions of the surgeon Peter Rambin (d 1797). It later came into the possession of Frederick Fowler, who bequeathed it to the College.
Patient/subject
Owner/user
Owner/user
bequeathed
Physical Location
Location
Not on public display: contact museum for access conditions
Physical Information
Physical descriptionDrym articulated with a metal support and a wooden base. Dimensions with stand: 1830mm h x 370mm w x 400mm d.
Dimensions
whole height: 1830 mm
whole width: 370 mm
whole depth: 400 mm
whole width: 370 mm
whole depth: 400 mm
Bibliography
SourceOwen 1853 Vol. 2
913
NotesMs. addition to interleaved copy HMO 5.13, opp. p. 913.
Transcript5904. A. The skeleton of Jonathan Wild, the notorious thief taker. Presented by Frederick Fowler Esq. 1847 (see letter)
SourceDobson 1951e
NotesGives short history of Wild's life.
