▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁with ▁the ▁great ▁increase ▁in ▁numbers ▁of ▁schools ▁and ▁students , ▁there ▁was ▁contin ual ▁rif ling ▁of ▁lon ely ▁gra vey ards , ▁f ights ▁in ▁city ▁bur ial ▁grounds ▁and ▁other ▁dist urban ces . ▁Men ▁were ▁employed ▁to ▁ste al ▁bodies ▁and ▁transport ▁them ▁from ▁place ▁to ▁place , ▁even ▁across ▁the ▁sea , ▁for ▁sale ▁to ▁medical ▁schools . ▁Re vel ations ▁led ▁to ▁public ▁out rage , ▁particularly ▁in ▁Scotland , ▁where ▁there ▁was ▁great ▁rever ence ▁for ▁the ▁dead ▁and ▁a ▁literal ▁belief ▁in ▁the ▁Res urre ction . ▁It ▁was ▁popular ly ▁believed ▁that ▁the ▁dead ▁could ▁not ▁rise ▁in ▁an ▁incomplete ▁state . ▁ ▁Pre ca utions ▁ ▁Many ▁people ▁were ▁determined ▁to ▁protect ▁the ▁gra ves ▁of ▁newly ▁dece ased ▁friends ▁and ▁relatives . ▁The ▁rich ▁could ▁afford ▁heavy ▁table ▁tomb st ones , ▁v ault s , ▁ma us ole a ▁and ▁iron ▁c ages ▁around ▁gra ves . ▁The ▁poor ▁began ▁to ▁place ▁flowers ▁and ▁p eb bles ▁on ▁gra ves ▁to ▁detect ▁dist urban ces . ▁They ▁d ug ▁he ather ▁and ▁branches ▁into ▁the ▁soil ▁to ▁make ▁dis inter ment ▁more ▁difficult . ▁Lar ge ▁stones , ▁often ▁coff in - sh aped , ▁sometimes ▁the ▁gift ▁of ▁a ▁wealth y ▁man ▁to ▁the ▁parish , ▁were ▁placed ▁over ▁new ▁gra ves . ▁Fri ends ▁and ▁relatives ▁took ▁turns ▁or ▁h ired ▁men ▁to ▁watch ▁gra ves ▁through ▁the ▁hours ▁of ▁darkness