One of the most popular stories on the Witchery Murder and Mystery Tour concerns the gruesome tale of the notorious bodysnatchers, William Burke and William Hare. Two Irishmen, who in 1828, supplied the Medical School with dead bodies for dissection.

Our guides in recent days have noticed a heightened interest in William Burke and William Hare, probably due to the recent release of John Landis’s new movie Burke and Hare starring Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis.

This case remains one of the most terrible in our long and bloody history, and now you can see it through the eyes of the people at the time as we have produced a full replica of the four-page newspaper, which dedicates an unprecedented two pages to covering the bizarre and gruesome case of Burke and Hare. More details of the newspaper can be found here.

After his public execution in January 1829, Burke was publicly dissected (like his victims) and a card case was made from skin taken from the back of his left hand. In 1988, we purchased this card case at auction and loaned it to the Police Information Centre in the Royal Mile. If you are in Edinburgh, it is worth taking a jaunt down there to have a look (it is free).

Halloween falls on a Sunday this year which means that spaces on our tours during the last weekend of October are keenly sought after. Please book early for the evenings of Friday 29th October, Saturday 30th October and Sunday 31st October (Halloween).

Canadian TV show “A World of Wonders” (WOW) was filming at the Cadies shop in West Bow and on the Witchery Murder & Mystery Tour on Sunday 8th August. “A World of Wonders” a TV series that allows viewers to become armchair travellers as they criss-cross the globe, delighting in its wonders, people, cultures, colours, sounds and flavours.

More details of WOW HERE.

Our main Ghost, Mr Adam Lyal (deceased) is now on Facebook. Considering he was executed in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket in March 1811, this is a significant achievement. It’s good to see our 225-year-old ex-highway robber keeping up to date.

His Facebook page is found HERE.

From The Cadies & Witchery Tours back book catalogue comes Grave Robbers. Available on this site or in our shop.

After years of sleeping peacefully, the deceased dignitaries of Old Edinburgh are about to get a nasty surprise…

Grave-digger and funeral enthusiast Cameron Carter lives a relatively quiet life. Until a misplaced shovel cracks open a coffin lid and reveals a hidden fortune, that is. Nearly one hundred and seventy years after the trial of Scotland’s notorious body snatchers, William Burke and William Hare, the ancient trade of grave robbing returns to the town’s cemeteries.

Forming an unholy union with a small time crook, Adam, Cameron is drawn into a web of crime that involves a bogus American Scholars’ Society, chocolate chip ice cream and Steve McQueen. Their sacriligious scheming doesn’t quite go to plan however, and events begin to spiral dangerously beyond Cameron’s control.

Will our hero pull the tour guide of his dreams?
Will his partner in crime ever shift those microwaves?
Is there an afterlife?
In Robin Mitchell’s rude and darkly comic novel, all the answers will be exhumed.

Warning – This book contains strong language and may not be suitable for younger readers.

Adam Lyal Edinburgh DVD

This new disc combines Adam Lyal’s first two haunting travelogues — Adam Lyal’s Royal Mile and Georgian Edinburgh — in a feature-length adventure through the history of Scotland’s Capital.

In the first part Adam delves into the Old Town’s bloody beginnings, rough justice and brushes with the Plague and other disasters (and the odd ghost story). In the second part, we follow the exodus of Edinburgh’s elite into the Georgian New Town, finding that not all of the unpleasantness was left behind…

This disc is an excellent way to learn about Edinburgh’s past, direct from those who were there. The double-sided disc includes both PAL and NTSC TV formats.

Many moons ago, Scottish actor Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting, Rome, Grey’s Anatomy) worked with Edinburgh’s Witchery Tours. This is unique footage of Kevin playing the part of ghostly tour guide Adam Lyal (deceased) on a wet winter’s night in 1994. It was shot on a steam-powered video camera by film enthusiast Derek Stores. The ‘jumper-ooter’ that evening was the legendary Witchery Tours stalwart Brian Mitchell.

Do you like ghosts and cereal?

Witchery Tours stalwart Cameron Pirie has made a a 60-second short film as part of the Dorset Cereals Film competition. He has included two characters that appear on our walking tours within his film, namely the Mad Monk of the Cowgate and Agnes Fynnie the Witch. At this stage of the competition Cameron needs to garner as many votes as possible. Can you help?

To vote, click on the following link to view the film. Scroll down the large list to HAPPY GHOSTS and click on VOTE. It’s as easy as that!

The happy ghosts thank you in advance.

Take a glimpse behind the scenes of the Murder & Mystery Tour with a little film we made, entitled Jumper-Ooter. The curious title is the name given to our hardest-working staff: those who run around the Old Town all evening in a range of outlandish guises, always staying one step ahead of (or behind) our unsuspecting guests. In the film, top ghouls Liam and Euan reveal a little of what it takes to put the frights into a Witchery Tour.

Click below to have a look, and be sure to leave a comment on the YouTube page for Jumper-Ooter or drop us a line to tell us what you think!

It’s Adam Lyal (deceased) on the plinth!

The sculptor Antony Gormley has invited people from all over the UK to help create an astonishing living monument. He is asking the people to occupy the empty Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square in London, a space normally reserved for statues of Kings and Generals.

Every hour, 24 hours a day, for 100 days without a break, a different person will make the Plinth their own.

On Friday 21st August 2009, between 9am and 10am, Robin Mitchell (illustrious founder of the legendary Cadies & Witchery Tours) in the guise of the pale-face highwayman Adam Lyal (deceased) will take his place on the 4th Plinth.

Pledge your support for the forebear of all Lyals on his One and Other Participants Page and then watch him live on the plinth at www.oneandother.co.uk.

Spread the word!