Key Points
- Hannah Beswick, a rich lady from Birchin Bower in Hollinwood, Oldham, died in the month of February 1758.
- However, the body was not buried straight away but was embalmed by her family doctor, Dr. Charles White.
- The body was believed to be kept in the case of an old grandfather clock belonging to Dr. White in Sale.
- Although Hannah Beswick is known for her fear of being buried alive, historians believe that the legend is built into her story in later times.
- Dr Hannah Priest, the writer of Unburied: The True Story of Hannah Beswick, says there is no solid evidence regarding the common belief that Beswick’s brother was discovered alive in his coffin.
- There were no special directions regarding her burial in her will which mostly contained information about distribution of her property.
- The body then came into the possession of Dr Ollier, followed by the Manchester Natural History Society.
- The body was exhibited in the museum of Manchester Natural History Society on Peter Street along with a mummy from Egypt and another one from Peru.
Oldham (Manchester Mirror) October 25, 2026 — The story of Hannah Beswick, the 18th-century Oldham woman whose embalmed body was reportedly kept in a clock case for decades, has returned to public attention through renewed coverage of one of Greater Manchester’s most unusual historical cases.
As reported by The Oldham Times, Beswick died in 1758, beginning the mystery of how and why she was mummified and stored in a clock. The publication described her as a woman who spent much of her life haunted by the thought that she could be buried while still alive.
Beswick lived at Birchin Bower in Hollinwood, then part of Lancashire and now within Oldham. According to the BBC, her family’s wealth gave her a comfortable life, but she became widely known only after her death, when her body became the subject of local curiosity and later public display.
What Did Hannah Beswick Fear?
The best-known account says Beswick feared premature burial. The BBC reported that, like many people in the mid-18th century, she had a fear of being buried alive, and that claims linked this fear to her brother, who was said to have been revived after being believed dead and placed in a coffin.
However, Dr Hannah Priest, author of Unburied: The True Story of Hannah Beswick, told the BBC that there is no substantial evidence to support that version of events. As reported by the BBC, Dr Priest said:
“These stories have circulated frequently, and various iterations exist, resembling a sort of mixed bag.”
She added that the legends took several forms, including claims about hidden wealth, a spirit protecting Beswick’s riches, headless apparitions, and “a ghost that emits blue beams from her eyes”.
Before her death, Beswick is believed to have spoken to her physician, Dr Charles White, who was involved in establishing the Manchester Royal Infirmary. According to the BBC, she asked him to keep her body above ground and check it periodically for signs of life.
Was Mummification Written Into Her Will?
The exact arrangement between Beswick and Dr White remains unclear. The BBC reported that no instructions about her burial or preservation were written into her will.
Beswick did leave a will, but it primarily concerned her financial affairs rather than her funeral wishes. Dr Priest told the BBC that Beswick was an unmarried woman managing a significant fortune and needed to make the line of inheritance clear. Most of her wealth was left to the children of her cousin, with legal arrangements intended to ensure that female heirs were not excluded.
An inventory of her two residences was also required, recording possessions ranging from clothing to teacups and teaspoons. The BBC reported that one of the executors of her estate was another unmarried woman who lived with Beswick and received many personal belongings under the will.
How Did Her Body Become the “Manchester Mummy”?
When Beswick died on 8 February 1758, her body was not buried. The BBC reported that Dr White embalmed it, although it is not certain that this was what she had wanted.
The BBC stated that rumours suggested Dr White, who had a keen interest in anatomy, may have used uncertainty around her wishes to preserve the body and add it to his personal collection. That collection was said to include the skeleton of Thomas Higgins, described by the BBC as a notorious highwayman from Knutsford.
Dr White reportedly kept the embalmed body at his residence in Sale. It was placed in the case of an old grandfather clock, which he periodically opened. The BBC reported that he sometimes opened it simply to show visitors the mummy.
News of the case spread through Georgian England. According to the BBC, curious visitors travelled to Dr White’s home to see the body, which became known as the Manchester Mummy.
What Happened After Dr White Died?
After Dr White’s death, Beswick’s body was left to his colleague, Dr Ollier. The BBC reported that Dr Ollier later decided the body should have a more suitable place to be viewed.
Dr Ollier’s will transferred the body to the Manchester Natural History Society. It was displayed in the entrance hall of the society’s museum on Peter Street in Manchester, alongside an ancient Egyptian mummy and a Peruvian mummy.
The BBC reported that Beswick was one of three mummies displayed when the Manchester Natural History Society launched on Peter Street in 1835. Her body became known as the Manchester Mummy, the Mummy of Birchin Bower, and “the lady in the clock”, even after it was no longer displayed in a clock case.
When Was Hannah Beswick Finally Buried?
Public interest in the display eventually declined. In 1867, the Manchester Natural History Society donated its collection to Owens College, now the University of Manchester.
According to the BBC, it was then decided that, because Beswick was undoubtedly dead, the obligation linked to her request had been fulfilled and she should be buried. With the consent of the Bishop of Manchester and a government order, her body was interred at Harpurhey Cemetery on Wednesday, 22 July 1868.
That burial came more than 110 years after her death and ended more than a century during which her preserved body had been kept, viewed and displayed.
Background of the Development
Hannah Beswick was born in 1688 and died in February 1758. She was a wealthy resident of Birchin Bower in Hollinwood, Oldham, at a time when fears around premature burial were not unusual.
Dr Charles White was a prominent Manchester physician and a founder of the Manchester Royal Infirmary. After Beswick’s death, he embalmed her body and kept it at his home in Sale, where it was stored in an old clock case.
The body later passed to Dr Ollier and then to the Manchester Natural History Society. It was displayed at the society’s Peter Street museum before the collection was transferred to Owens College in 1867. Beswick was buried at Harpurhey Cemetery in 1868.
Prediction: How This Story May Affect Local Audiences
For Oldham and Greater Manchester audiences, renewed attention to Hannah Beswick may increase interest in local history, particularly the stories connected with Hollinwood, Birchin Bower and the area’s 18th-century past.
The case may also encourage discussion about how historical accounts are formed. Dr Priest’s comments to the BBC highlight the difference between documented facts and later legends, which could prompt readers to treat well-known local stories with greater historical care.
For museums, heritage groups and local historians, the renewed coverage may create an opportunity to examine Beswick’s life beyond the sensational details of her preservation. Her story also raises broader questions about burial practices, medical collections and the treatment of human remains in the 18th and 19th centuries.
