The Resurrection of Joram Cox - an Apocryphal Tale?

The Resurrection of Joram Cox - an Apocryphal Tale?

This tale is told in 'What's On' by a writer who said that he was told of it by an old Oakridge inhabitant, who heard the details from his grandfather, who was alive at about the time of the occurrence in the early 1800s.

The story goes that Joram Cox, a cobbler, was both double-jointed and visually ugly - indeed he was invoked by mothers to frighten their wayward children into obedience.

When Cox died he was interred in Oakridge chapelyard, but a pair of rascals living together at Lillyhorn had taken notice of his potential for anatomical research and negotiated with a surgeon in London for a considerable sum of money if they produced the body.

The 'resurrection men' apparently removed the bodv from the chapelyard at dead of night and returned with it to Lillyhorn.

However, their crime was discovered before they could escape to London with the body. They abandoned the body the following night, but were caught fleeing and in due course were sent to Botany Bay.

In the meantime the body was reburied inside the chapel to prevent a recurrence of the scandal and outrage.

The above is an extract from 'Oakridge a History' by Pat Carrick, Kay Rhodes and Juliet Shipman, available from Oakridge History Group, price £15 through the ‘Contact Us’ page or from the Oakridge Village Shop.

Oakridge History Group