On 24 November 1740 William Duell, who had been hanged at Tyburn for sexually assaulting Sarah Griffin, revived on the anatomy table in the Anatomy Theatre at Barber-Surgeons’ Hall. The Old Bailey’s account of Duell’s trial can be read here.
This was not the first time someone had revived on the anatomy table. An entry in the Court minute book for 13 July 1587 reads:
"Item. Vt ys agreed that yf any bodie which shall at anie tyme here after happen to be brought to o'r hall for the intent to be wrought uppon by Thanathomistes of o'r Companie, shall revve or come to lyfe agayne, as (has) of late hathe been seene, the charges aboute the same bodie so revivinge, shall be borne, levied, and susleyned, by such person, or persons, who shall, so happen to bringe home the bodie. And further shall abide suche order or ffyne, as this Howse shall award.”
Duell’s case is however, the only one where details of the event have been recorded. This is thanks an entry at the back of the Company’s Rough Court minutes covering 1738 to 1742, which briefly describes what happened (see image at the bottom left of this page), and a journal entry by Sir Richard Hoare (1709-1754). Sir Richard served as Sheriff of London in 1740 and was Lord Mayor in 1745. He kept a journal of his year as Sheriff which was published after his death as Journal of his Shrievalty. Sir Richard was involved with the Duell case in his capacity as Sheriff and wrote about it in his journal on 24 November 1740 as follows:
“This day, (in pursuance of a warrant from his Majesty), was appointed for the execution of the following malefactors in Newgate, condemned the last sessions:- William Duell, William Meers, Thomas Clack, alias Clarke, Eleanor Mumpman and Margery Stanton, alias Raggety Madge. But two other men, viz. Abraham Hancock and George White, condemned the sessions before, received a reprieve for eight day longer. At this execution a most extraordinary event happened; for William Duell aged 17 years, indicted for a rape, robbery, and murder, and convicted of the rape, after having been hung up by the neck, with the others as above, for the space of twenty-two minutes, or more, was cur down, and being begged by the Surgeons’ Company, was carried in a hackney-coach to their hall, to be anatomized. But just as they had taken him out of the coach, and laid him on a table at that place, in order to make the necessary preparation for culling him up, he was, to the great astonishment of the surgeon and assistants, heard to groan; and upon examination, finding he had some other symptoms of life, some of the surgeons let him blood, and after having taken several ounces, he began to stir, and in a short space of time was able to rear himself up, but could not immediately speak, so as to be heard articulately. Upon this, messages were sent to my brother sheriff and me, and, the news was soon spread about, insomuch that by about five o'clock in the afternoon, a very great mob had gathered about the hall, which intimidated us and our officers from attempting to carry him back to Tyburn this same day, in order to hang him up again, and complete his execution; as we might have done by virtue of our warrant, which was to execute him any time in the day. Therefore we kept him here till about twelve o’clock in the night, when the mob being dispersed, we signed a warrant for his recommitment to Newgate; whither he was carried in a hackney-coach, and being put into one of the cells and covered up, and some warm broth given him, he began so far to recover as to be able to speak, and ask for more victuals, but he did not as yet seem so sensible as to remember what had happened."
Two days afterwards the sheriffs waited on the Duke of Newcastle, Secretary of State, to know his Majesty’s pleasure regarding the disposal of the criminal who had thus strangely escaped dissection and death; and who was then in Newgate, “fully recovered in health and senses." His Grace desired them to draw up a narrative of the circumstances, in writing, which was done accordingly; and it was added, that the prisoner had been found guilty on no other evidence but his own confession before a Justice of Peace.
“The story of the lad's recovery was now become the common topic of conversation, numbers of people going every hour to Newgate to see, and ask him questions; and though he was at best but a poor senseless, illiterate boy, and remembered nothing, (as I was told by several who saw him) of his being carried to execution, no, nor even of his being brought to trial; yet there were abundance of Grub-street papers cried about the streets, giving an account of the wonderful discoveries he had made in the other world, of the ghosts and apparitions he saw, and such like invented stuff, to get a penny.
"The conjectures of his not dying under the execution are various; some suggesting it was because he was nor hung up long enough; others, that the rope was not rightly placed; others, from the light weight of his body. But the true reason, as I was informed, and which was accounted for physically, was, that he had been in a high raging fever since his commitment to Newgate, and was for the most part light headed and delirious, and consequently having no impression of fear upon him, and his blood circulating with violent heat and quickness, might be the reason why it was the longer before it could be stopped by suffocation; and this likewise accounted for his not knowing anything that had happened (he being so ill) either at his trial or execution."
Sir John does not say whether Duell received a pardon, but the Gentleman's Magazine for December in 1740, informs us that he was ordered to be transported for life. It also states that when one of the servants at Barber-Surgeons' Hall was washing the body for dissection, he found the breath to come quicker and shorter, on which a surgeon took some ounces of blood from him, and in two hours he was able to sit up in a chair.
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