What was a morthouse or a watch box?

A morthouse (from the Latin word mors, mortis, meaning ‘death’) or watch box was a structure erected for the temporary security of the dead, until decomposition started and the body was in no danger of being stolen by resurrectionists. In 1818 an undertaker, Edward Bridgman, patented a wrought-iron coffin, to deter bodysnatchers. However, it met with controversy, as people were worried that iron caskets would block burial plots.