eagerly consumed by the public through books and articles. A popular account, The Extraordinary Life and Character of Mary Bateman was published, which was already in its twelfth edition two years after her execution. The episode of the prophetic eggs was cited by Charles Mackay as a minor example of the credulity of the public in his Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds. Bateman's skeleton was on display to the public at the Thackray Medical Museum in Leeds until 2015, when it was moved to Leeds University. A BBC-TV programme about Bateman, featuring a modern-day descendant of hers (Tracy Whitaker), showed Bateman's skull being laser-scanned to demonstrate how her face may well have appeared. It was first shown on 12 April 2001, entitled The People Detective – 1. Witch and presented by historian and curator Daru Rooke. Historiography As early as 1867, William Knipe suggested that she was "addicted" to crime. Historian Owen Davies describes Bateman as having a "pathological need to steal", implying that there was a psychological reason behind the motivations for some of her crimes. See also List of serial killers by country References Further reading External links The Newgate Calendar – Mary Bateman The Witching Hours: Mary Bateman by Roy Stockdill Crime & Punishment in Leeds 1768 births 1806 murders in the United Kingdom 1809 deaths 19th-century apocalypticists 19th-century English criminals 19th-century executions by England and Wales British female murderers Cunning folk Date of birth unknown English fraudsters English people convicted of murder Executed English women Executed people from North Yorkshire Human trophy collecting People from the Borough of Harrogate People from Thirsk Poisoners Witchcraft in England Suspected serial killers