Arthur’s Seat Coffins

Morbid

04/13/23

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75m

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In late June 1836, a group of boys hunting rabbits on a hillside on Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh, discovered a small cave hidden behind three slabs of slate, each piece carved into a rough conical shape. When they moved the pieces of stone, they found hidden within seventeen hand-carved miniature coffins, each containing hand carved figures. For nearly two hundred years, the mystery of the miniature coffins has baffled and delighted tourists and locals alike, all wondering who carved the coffins and why. Theories have been put forth claiming they’re everything from a satanic spell or witchcraft to an ancient custom or even the work of notorious Scottish serial killers and body-snatchers Burke and Hare.

Many thanks to the smashing David White for research assistance :)

References

Blackburn Standard. 1836. "Strange discovery." Blackburn Standard, 07 27.

Brown, Allan. 2000. "Coffins that came back from the grave." Sunday Times, September 17.

Chapman, Robert. 1958. "Seventeen Tiny Coffins." Derby Evening Telegraph, July 04: 18.

Dash, Mike. 2013. Edinburgh’s Mysterious Miniature Coffins. April 15. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/edinburghs-mysterious-miniature-coffins-22371426/.

Dundee Courier. 1836. "The Lilliputian coffins." Dundee Courier, August 25.

Harrison, Jody. 2018. "Edinburgh coffin-doll mystery 'cracked at last', claims writer." The Herald, April 17.

Horton, Julia. 2005. "Buried secrets of the city murder dolls." Edinburgh Evening News, December 2.

National Museums of Scotland. n.d. The mystery of the miniature coffins. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/scottish-history-and-archaeology/mystery-of-the-miniature-coffins/.

O'Neill, Emma. 2019. Sevene facts you may not know about Arthur's Seat. February 28. Accessed March 19, 2023. https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/seven-facts-you-may-not-know-about-arthurs-seat-1494785.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Previous Episode

The Murder of Daniel Brophy

April 10, 2023

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73m

On Saturday June 2, 2018, students at the Oregon Culinary Institute (OCI) arrived at class that morning to find their instructor, sixty-three-year-old Daniel Brophy, dead from gunshot wounds to the back and chest. With more than fifty years’ experience in the culinary field, Brophy was a popular chef and instructor and, while detectives couldn’t rule out a disgruntled student, no one could imagine his killer was a member of the OCI community.

A massive thank you to Caleb for joining Ash on today's episode! Go check out Scream! and Horrorsoup anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Thank you to the incredible David White for research assistance!

References

Court TV. 2022. OR v. Crampton-Brophy: Romance Novelist Murder Trial. June 15. Accessed March 8, 2023. https://www.courttv.com/news/or-v-crampton-brophy-romance-novelist-murder-trial/.

Flynn, Meagan. 2018. "Novelist who wrote about 'How to Murder Your Husband' charged with murdering her husband." Washington Post, September 12.

Green, Aimee. 2019. Details of murder case against romance writer should become public in 2 weeks, judge rules. April 5. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2019/04/details-of-murder-case-against-romance-writer-should-become-public-in-2-weeks-judge-rules.html.

Karimi, Faith. 2022. "This romance novelist is on trial in her husband's killing. It's like a plot twist from one of her books." CNN Wire, April 7.

Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon. 2019. Gun parts bought online at center of Oregon romance novelist’s suspected spouse slaying. April 4. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2019/04/gun-parts-bought-online-at-center-of-oregon-romance-novelists-suspected-spouse-slaying.html.

—. 2018. "Romance novelist suspected of slaying husband." Longview Daily News, September 7: B2.

—. 2020. No coronavirus ‘guest house’ for Oregon romance writer charged with murdering husband, judge rules. April 10. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/04/no-coronavirus-guest-house-for-oregon-romance-writer-charged-with-murdering-husband-judge-rules.html.

NBC News. 2022. Dateline. Television, New York, NY: NBC News.

O'Rourke, Ciara. 2019. A Beloved Culinary Instructor Was Murdered. What Happened Next Was Stranger Than Fiction. May 31. Accessed March 10, 2023. https://www.pdxmonthly.com/news-and-city-life/2019/05/a-beloved-culinary-instructor-was-murdered-what-happened-next-was-stranger-than-fiction.

Paul, Maria Luisa. 2022. "'How to Murder Your Husband' writer sentenced to life for." Washington Post, June 14.

Sparling, Zane. 2022. Love vs. money: Lawyers make final arguments in Oregon romance writer’s murder trial. May 22. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2022/05/love-vs-money-lawyers-make-final-arguments-in-oregon-romance-writers-murder-trial.html.

—. 2022. Oregon romance novelist grilled on amnesia claim, missing gun barrel on crucial day in her murder trial. May 18. Accessed 2023 12, 2022. https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2022/05/oregon-romance-novelist-grilled-on-amnesia-claim-missing-gun-barrel-on-crucial-day-in-her-murder-trial.html.

—. 2022. Spotlight shines on Oregon romance novelist accused of killing chef husband. May 23. Accessed March 8, 2023. https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2022/05/spotlight-shines-on-oregon-romance-novelist-accused-of-killing-chef-husband...

Next Episode

The Legend of Lavinia Fisher with RedHanded

April 17, 2023

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81m

Some say Lavinia would lure men to the inn and lull them into a false sense of calm, before robbing and killing them, then dumping their bodies in the cellar under Six-Mile House. Others say Lavina would drug the weary travelers with a special tea, before pulling the lever on a trap door and dropping the men into the basement, where they would be robbed and killed by John Fisher. And still others believed Lavina guilty of much darker practices involving the devil.

But stories—especially local legends—have a way of shifting and changing over time, exchanging mundane facts for sensational speculations, and in this case, begging the question, who was the real Lavinia Fisher and just what was she guilty of?