The Burke Family

The Burke family was an ancient, wealthy, and staunchly Pure-blood wizarding family, recognized as one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight (Pottermore). They are most famous for co-founding Borgin and Burkes, a notorious shop in Knockturn Alley that specialized in dealing with Dark Artefacts. The family played a small but crucial role in the history of Lord Voldemort, as it was through their shop that Salazar Slytherin's Locket passed from the Gaunt family into the hands of a collector, from whom Tom Riddle would later steal it to create one of his Horcruxes.

As one of the families listed in the Pure-Blood Directory of the 1930s, the Burkes maintained a long and proud lineage, avoiding intermarriage with Muggles or Muggle-borns for centuries. Their primary contribution to wizarding history was the establishment of Borgin and Burkes. Founded by Caractacus Burke and Mr. Borgin, the shop quickly gained a dark reputation as the foremost purveyor of dangerous and questionable magical objects in Great Britain. The family's most significant historical interaction occurred around 1926 when a destitute and pregnant Merope Gaunt came to Caractacus Burke to sell her only valuable possession: Salazar Slytherin's Locket. Recognizing the artifact's immense historical value, Burke exploited Merope's desperation, purchasing the priceless heirloom for a mere ten Galleons. Borgin and Burkes later sold the locket to a wealthy collector, Hepzibah Smith. Years later, a young Tom Riddle took a job at the shop after leaving Hogwarts. He used his position to gain access to wealthy clients, and he ultimately murdered Hepzibah Smith to steal back his ancestor's locket, alongside Helga Hufflepuff's Cup.

The Burkes were fervent believers in Pure-blood supremacy, a core tenet of their family identity. Their business dealings and personal conduct suggest they were opportunistic, shrewd, and possessed a distinct lack of scruples. This is best exemplified by Caractacus Burke's cold and predatory treatment of Merope Gaunt. Their deep fascination with and expertise in the Dark Arts was not just an academic interest but the very foundation of their family's wealth and influence. They profited from the trade of objects that were often illegal and always dangerous, catering to a clientele of Dark Wizards and witches.

While the Burkes did not possess many famous heirlooms of their own, they were temporary owners of some of the most significant magical artifacts in history.

• Salazar Slytherin's Locket: The family's most notable possession, albeit a temporary one. They acquired it from Merope Gaunt and later sold it to Hepzibah Smith.
• Borgin and Burkes Inventory: The shop's stock reflected the family's interests and included items such as a Hand of Glory, a cursed opal necklace that would later almost kill Katie Bell, and a Vanishing Cabinet that was the twin of the one in Hogwarts.

• Caractacus Burke: Co-founder of Borgin and Burkes. He is the only member of the Burke family seen directly in the series, appearing in a memory viewed by Harry Potter in Albus Dumbledore's Pensieve. He is described as a small, stout man with a sweep of black hair.
• Relations: As customers of their shop, the Burkes were connected to many prominent Pure-blood families with an interest in the Dark Arts, including the Malfoys and the Blacks. Their history is forever entwined with the Gaunt family due to their acquisition of the locket.

The surname “Burke” likely alludes to William Burke of the infamous “Burke and Hare” duo. Burke and Hare were serial murderers in 19th-century Edinburgh, Scotland, who sold their victims' corpses to an anatomist. This association fits perfectly with the Burke family's morbid, opportunistic nature and their business of profiting from dark and often deadly objects. Furthermore, the verb “to burke” means to suppress something quietly or to murder by suffocation, adding to the sinister connotations of the name.

• The Burke family's status as a “true” Pure-blood family was officially confirmed by J.K. Rowling in an essay on Pottermore (now WizardingWorld.com) about the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
• The scene from the novel Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince where Dumbledore shows Harry the memory of Caractacus Burke buying the locket from Merope Gaunt was cut from the film adaptation.