During the 18th and 19th century, there was a high demand for human cadavers for medical students to use in their studies. At that time, however, people weren’t as open to donating their bodies to science as they are nowadays. Typically, the bodies of executed inmates were used for these studies but there wasn’t a steady enough stream and there was a backlash from the public.
As a result, grave robbing became a common occurrence in Britain. Determined to protect the graves of their loved ones, mortsafes became very popular. A mortsafe was a iron coffin or framework placed on top of the grave which would protect the grave from potential grave robbers. In 1832, The Anatomy Act was passed which announced that surgeons could only legally obtain cadavers and as a result, the need for mortsafes diminished.
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