, and the bodies of malefactors had a market value. The
following entries from the _Annals of the Barber Surgeons_ are
illustrative of this:

"6th March, 1711.[5] It is ordered that William Cave, one of the Beadles
of this Company, do make Inquiry who the persons were that carryed away
the last body from Tyburne, and that such persons be Indicted for the
same.

"9th October, 1711. Richard Russell, one of the persons who stands
Indicted for carrying away the last publick body applying himself to this
Court and offering to be evidence against the rest of the persons
concerned It is ordered that the Clerk do apply himself to Her Majesty's
Attorney Generall for a Noli p'sequi as to the said Russell in order to
make him an evidence upon the s{d} Indictment and particularly ag{st} one
Samuell Waters whom the Court did likewise order to be indicted for the
said fact."

Often there were riots caused by the Beadles of the Company going to
Tyburn for the bodies of murderers. This rioting was carried to such an
extent that it was found necessary to apply for soldiers to protect the
Beadles.

"28th May, 1713. Ordered that the Clerk go to the Secretary at War for a
guard in order to gett the next Body [from Tyburn.]"

The dissection of these bodies was made known by public advertisement. The
following is from the _Daily Advertiser_ of January 15th, 1742: "Notice is
hereby given that there being a publick Body at Barbers and Surgeons Hall,
the Demonstrations of Anatomy and the Operations of Surgery will be at the
Hall this evening and to-morrow at six o'clock precisely in the
Amphitheatre."

In 1752 it was ordered that bodies of murderers executed in London and
Middlesex should be conveyed to the Hall of the Surgeons Company to be
dissected and anatomized, and any attempt to rescue such bodies was made
felony.

In 1745 the Barbers and Surgeons, who from 1540, until that date, had
formed one Company, separated, and the latter were incorporated under the
title of "The Masters, Governors, and Commonalty of the Art and Science of
Surgery." To the Surgeons naturally fell the duty of dissecting the bodies
of the malefactors handed over for that purpose. The building of the
Surgeons' Company was in the Old Bailey; there was, therefore, no
difficulty in removing the bodies from Newgate. In 1796 the Company came
to a premature end through an improperly constituted Court having been
held. It was attempted to put matters right by a Bil