William Corder: The book bound in a killer’s skin
Serial killer memorabilia, also known as murderabilia, is big business, fascinating curious collectors with tales of the macabre. The more disturbing, the better; paintings by John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer's signed pay check and locks of Charles Manson's hair often fetch tens of thousands of pounds.
However, there's one piece of murderabilia that stands out for its gore — a book bound in the skin of killer William Corder. Keep reading as the team at Crime+Investigation shares the story behind this controversial artefact.
Secret lovers
1827, Polstead in Suffolk: A horrific murder shocked the small, tight-knit community. 22-year-old William Corder was accused of shooting his lover, 24-year-old Maria Marten, dead in a ramshackle barn on the outskirts of the village.
Corder was known to be a fraudster and ladies' man, often getting into trouble for selling his father's animals and passing forged cheques. In many ways, he and Maria were kindred spirits. She was an attractive woman who had plenty of relationships and three illegitimate children — the youngest being with Corder.
It was this incident that set the wheels of Maria's murder in motion. Worried about persecution, Maria asked Corder to elope and the two planned to flee to Ipswich. On that fateful night, Maria arranged to meet Corder at the Red Barn, which was about half a mile from her home. That was the last time anyone would see her alive.
The Red Barn Murder
Suspicions soon grew when friends and family couldn't contact Maria. They knew Corder would have been one of the last people to see her, and they didn't particularly like the notorious womaniser.
A little coincidentally (some people would later claim she was involved), Maria's stepmother began having strange dreams of Maria being murdered and buried in the nearby Red Barn. When she convinced her husband to search the area, they soon uncovered the partially decomposing body of their daughter.
Corder was immediately arrested and charged with killing his lover. He was sentenced to hang and afterwards be dissected by students and physicians at Cambridge University.
A skin-bound book
Corder's crimes attracted widespread attention. Curious bystanders created articles, songs and plays about the doomed lovers, with many details of the case being lost in the countless retellings of the story. The Red Barn became a must-visit tourist attraction, stripped bare by souvenir hunters looking to cash in on the tragedy.
Adding insult to injury, Corder's body was desecrated and immortalised by his dissectors. They made masks and busts for collectors and museums. One surgeon even tanned his skin and used it to bind a book of the murder, which is currently on display at Moyse's Hall Museum in Bury St Edmunds.
Dealing with controversy
Understandably, not everyone is entirely happy that a skin-bound book is being treated like a coveted treasure. Horrible Histories creator Terry Deary told reporters that he believed the book was 'particularly sick' and 'shouldn't be on display'.
Daniel Clarke, a heritage officer at West Suffolk council, countered: 'Do we think all books bound in skin should be on display? That would be debated on a case-by-case basis. [It is] uncomfortable history, yes, but if we are to learn from history, we must first face it with honesty and openness.'
Whatever side you take, these items undoubtedly provoke a visceral reaction.
Why is murderabilia so popular?
The murderabilia market is surprisingly buoyant, with people willing to spend thousands of pounds on items. Some of the most disturbing include dirt from the burial site of John Wayne Gacy's victims, locks of Charles Manson's hair and sketches by Dennis Nilsen — a Scottish serial killer and necrophile who murdered at least 12 young men and boys in the 1970s and 80s.
Why do people gravitate towards these relics? It isn't always clear, but psychologists believe humans simply have a desire to understand the evil and unusual. Slightly more sinisterly, some collectors think these items 'absorb' the aura of the killer, meaning they can emotionally experience the events from a safe distance.
The availability of these items has been called into question. However, selling sites, such as eBay, have stated that as long as the seller is working within the law, they will permit and promote the sale.
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Image: Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
