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Colinton Mortsafe

This iron mortsafe stands near the entrance to Colinton Parish Church. It is the only one remaining of six purchased by the church, probably in the 1820s, to protect newly buried bodies from the attentions of the "Resurrectionists" or bodysnatchers who made money by selling bodies to the Edinburgh medical school. This example weighs about 1,000 kilos - and fortunately is no longer required for its original purpose.