Charles White: How the Royal Infirmary’s founder became the guardian of The Manchester Mummy
On 20 February 1785, Charles White passed away. He is best-known as the co-founder of Manchester Royal Infirmary. But he was also the guardian of the legendary Manchester Mummy.
The physician has gone down in history as one of the most important medical figures in Manchester, co-founding the Royal Infirmary and being appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition of his work.
He published influential papers and was well regarded by his peers. Yet, for all his great achievements in medicine, White’s legacy has also been defined by the fact he kept a mummified body in a clock case.
The body in questioned belonged to one of his former patients, Hannah Beswick, and remained in White’s home in Sale for more than half a century.
Unsettling, for sure. But the story is not quite as sinister as it seems.
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Charles White / Image: Wikipedia
Firstly, it’s worth noting that this was what Beswick wanted.
The wealthy woman had been at her brother John’s funeral some years prior, with White in attendance as the physician, when something remarkable happened.
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Just as John was about to be put underground, someone noticed his eyelids fluttering.
He was still breathing.
It turned out that Beswick’s sibling was just in a coma, and had been mere seconds away from being buried alive.
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John went on to make a full recovery and live for ‘many more years’. But the experience had shaken Ms Beswick to her core.
She made her doctor promise that, when the time came, her body would not be immediately buried.
Beswick urged White to conduct regular checks for signs of life until he was absolutely certain she had passed away, and only then should her body be placed below ground.
When Beswick passed away in 1758, White embalmed her body instead of burying it.
Initially, Beswick’s body was stored in Ancoats Hall, which was owned by a member of her family. But eventually she was moved to White’s house – where he put her inside a grandfather clock.
In his blog, author David Castleton suggests White may have revelled in his newfound celebrity status as the guardian of the body, stating: “White entertained [guests] by whipping back a curtain that covered where the clock’s face would have been – to reveal the embalmed face of Hannah.”
Writer Jan Bondeson claims, however, that White would only open the clock face once a year “to see how his favourite patient was doing.”
White died in 1813, and several years later Beswick’s body was put on display at The Museum of the Manchester Natural History on Peter Street: Becoming known as ‘The Manchester Mummy’.
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The Museum of the Manchester Natural History Society c. 1850, where Beswick’s mummified body was displayed / Image: Wikipedia
Despite her relative youth compared to other artefacts in the venue, Beswick was nonetheless the star attraction at the front entrance.
Visitors flocked from all over town to catch a glimpse of the corpse – which remained in the museum for nearly forty years.
By 1867, it was finally agreed that Beswick was not coming back.
The body was finally buried in an unmarked grave in Harpurhey Cemetry in 1868 – over 110 years after Beswick’s death.
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You can get a mobile massage treatment in your office – just like us
Thomas Melia
We’d like to introduce you to the pioneering personalised service offering massage treatments on the move at practically any location including direct from your office– including to those of us here in Manchester.
In a world where you can get practically anything delivered straight to your door, it wasn’t going to be long until some genius invented a way to get a massage from the comfort of your own office.
Named ‘London’s first digital beauty concierge’, Ruuby have been pampering the nation’s capital for almost a decade before branching out to further locations.
The gorgeous set up provided by RuubyLook at that lovely branding on the towels.They did wonders with our otherwise plain downstairs office space. (Credit: The Manc Group)
In October 2024, the company expanded beyond its domestic reach in the likes of the capital, the Cotswolds and Surrey into Europe, making its first mark Switzerland: the perfect country for both luxury and essential beauty treatments with a tailored experience.
The month following saw the group moving up North and all the way to Manchester, where people can now book professional treatments best suited to them, right on their doorstep.
If you’re feeling scepticalstill, you can take it from us here at The Manc; we couldn’t tell you how relaxing and comforting these massages are.
There are a range of treatments available and we opted for two bespoke massages, a sports massage and a deep tissue massage.
Each experience is suited to your personal needs meaning each massage therapist will be able to fine-tune their relaxation abilities to what benefits you best.
After choosing the bespoke massage that I felt would work best for me, I went into this with no prior massage experience and I came out feeling taller, broader and more refreshed. Highly recommend.
Mid-day office massage? Yes, please.How relaxing. What a shame you have to go back to work after!Credit: The Manc Group
My masseuse guided me throughout the whole process and we soon discovered that I was able to tolerate much harder pressure than I thought which helped release tension I didn’t even know I had!
The same applies to how firm you’d like your session to be, as the masseuse can help with a brief overview of your time together, but the amount of pressure you like is down to personal preference.
It’s not just massages either: there’s everything from waxing, nails and hair to physio and IV drips; how about getting Marbella ready in less than an hour with a spray tan service set up wherever you are?
As Ruuby is a mobile and remote work environment, there are a number of at any time up and down the country, meaning your next beauty slot could be as little as an hour away, find out more HERE.
Farm shops are cool now – and Albion Farm Shop is the best of the best
Daisy Jackson
At some point in life, your idea of a great day out switches from drinking and clubbing to visiting a farm shop, or a garden centre, or something similarly wholesome.
And up in the hills above Manchester is surely one of the best in the UK – Albion Farm Shop.
This Saddleworth favourite is half-cafe, half-shop, with produce all either grown right outside, or sourced as locally as possible.
And while places like Hollies Farm Shop in Cheshire pull in seriously big, glamorous crowds (maybe it’s the Molly-Mae effect), there’s something much more charming and authentic about Albion Farm Shop.
Maybe it’s the tractors parked outside, the fact the produce section is in a drafty barn, the mismatched shelves and cabinets. It’s not curated like this – it just is.
The food in the cafe itself is up there with the best British grub in the North West, and I say that with my hand on my heart.
Whether it’s a full breakfast spilling over the edge of a plate, sandwiches served in a doorstop of bread, or a full menu of burgers made with British beef cap and smoked bone marrow patties, you can’t steer far wrong.
Rag pudding at Albion Farm ShopChips with a side of bone broth gravy Those huge burgers
There are chunky chips served with a full bowl of bone stock gravy on the side (hello, this is Oldham), onion rings so big you can wear them as a bangle, and big bowls of homemade soup.
And it would be remiss of me not to mention the rag pudding, a traditional dish from this neck of the woods. Famously, she’s not a pretty menu item, but this steamed suet pastry stuffed with braised beef shin is comforting and delicious.
If you want to stick northern fare but don’t fancy rag pudding, you can also grab a wedge of cheese and onion pie, lambs liver with mash, or any number of seasonal specials (for us, it was roast pork).
There are cracking views of the surrounding countryside, a resident cat who’s usually sleeping in the entranceway, and charm packed into every square foot.
Albion Farm Shop is at Oldham Road, Delph, Saddleworth OL3 5RQ.
The resident cat at Albion Farm ShopRoast pork in the cafeThe Albion Farm Shop cafeAlbion Farm ShopInside the shop itselfThe produce barn Local cheesesBakery itemsThe produce barn