English: Mort-Safe In Alloway Auld Kirk In the early 19th century, fresh bodies were of great value to the university medical schools of the time. Grave robbers used to dig up newly buried bodies and sell them to the schools. Presumably, not too many questions were asked about the source of the corpses. One way to deter the grave robbers was to protect the coffin with a mort-safe. This heavy iron frame was buried with the coffin, and then removed when the body had decayed enough to be of no value. Mort-safes could be used over again and again. To see Ayr's other surviving mort-safe, look at 1020693.