Whitechapel Flashcards
Housing in Whitechapel
- rookeries
- lodging houses - doss houses
What were rookeries
- an area filled with lodging houses
- overcrowded + unhygienic
- shared toilets + many families in one room
- poor could only afford to spend one or two nights at a time
Eg, Flower and Dean street/ Peabody estate
Flower and dean street
- well known rookery - near ten bells pub = drunk men
- 900 lodgers staying in 30 doss houses - 1870
- buckets + pots used as indoor toilets
- had a terrible reputation - thieves + drunks + prostitutes
- some lodgings worked in an 8 hour shift - rent a bed for 8 hours - three shifts in a day- unsanitary
Whitechapel population
- 188 people living in 1 acre
- across London - average was 45
Whitechapel workhouse
- can’t afford lodgings - workhouse
- people were reluctant because of very strict rules - what you ate, what time you woke up, how they worked
- families segregated - parents allowed to see child once a day
Whitechapel casual ward
- take about 60 people
- for people who only wanted a bed for one night
- very harsh rules - work to earn their bed
- made to pick Oakum + work in kitchen + clean the workhouse
Peabody estate
- rookery
- Annual death rate in 1870 was 50/1000
- small/ crowded houses
Attempts to improve -
- 1876 - met bought area for slum clearance but couldn’t find commercial developers to build on it
- 1879 - sold this to the Peabody trust - a charity
- built new affordable flats each surrounded by a yard to improve ventilation
- built from brick + had unplastered walls so lice couldn’t live
BUT… rents too high + displace the locals - caused more overcrowding elsewhere
When did Peabody trust buy the Peabody estate
1879
Annual death rate in Peabody estate
50/1000
How many spaces did the casual ward have
60
Overcrowding in flower and dean street
900 lodgers staying in 30 doss houses - 1870
Work in Whitechapel
- most people worked in small, dark + overcrowded sweatshops
- work as labourers in railway construction or London docks
- work given on a day to day basis
- people would line up at 4am on the docks just to get a job
What was the residuum
Some people thought there was a criminal underclass called residuum - natural criminals
Why did Whitechapel attract immigrants
- jobs + cheap residence + for Irish and Jews already communities of similar backgrounds
When did a lot of Jews immigrate
After 1801, from Russia, as they were being prosecuted in Russia following assassination of last tsar
How many Jews came to England between 1881 + 1891
30,000 immigrants
Jews in Whitechapel
- Often found it harder to integrate into society due to language Barriers + cultural differences
- worked for Jewish employers - they were segregated + target for prejudice
Why were Irish targets of prejudice
- Roman Catholic Religion
- rise in ‘Fenian’ nationalism - they wanted independence from Britain
- bombings + attempted assassinations in Ireland
What was anarchism
Revolutionary political idea which said that people would be better off without their government and without laws
Did Jews bring radical ideas like the government feared
- some did - set up socialist organisations such as international workers educational club
- strikes + demonstrations demanding better pay + working hours
Why were the authorities suspicious of the Jews
- anarchism was developed in Russia + Jews immigrated from russia
Why did Whitechapel not have enough watchmen
Couldn’t afford it
Public attitudes top the met
- many thought centralisation of a police force could be used to spy on + and limit their freedom
How did alcohol make policing in Whitechapel difficult
- made people more vulnerable to becoming victims of crime - reduces inhibitions + effects judgment
- can make small disputes much worse - make police work more difficult
- increases domestic violence
Victim of alcohol vulnerability
- John Watson
- had fallen in with a couple of young woman
- he was highly intoxicated
- women were caught stealing his watch
Why did policemen check on pubs
- in case of illegal gambling or illegal boxing
When was it illegal to serve alcohol to someone who is already drunk
1870
Examples of gangs
Bessarabian Tigers
What were protection rackets
Gangs demanded protection money from small businesses + those who didn’t pay had their property destroyed
Why was it difficult to prosecute gangs
Not enough evidence as people feared speaking out against them
Was prostitution a Crime
NO - but after 1885 keeping a brothel was illegal
When did keeping a brothel become illegal
1885
How many prostitutes were there in Whitechapel
By 1888, estimates 1200
Why did woman turn to prostition
- necessity - lives had been ruined by alcohol - no income
- made them more vulnerable to crime BUT more likely to break the law under ‘being disorderly’
How did immigration make it harder to police Whitechapel
- anti- Semitic attacks on Jews and clumsy attempts by Christian’s to convert them
- recently arrived Jews unlikely to trust + ask police for help - only spoke Yiddish + feared the police from Russian persecutions
What language did the Jews typically speak
Yiddish
Factors that made policing in Whitechapel difficult
- environment
- gangs
- prostitution
- alcohol
- immigration
How did the environment make it more difficult to police and
- narrow streets + alleyways
- lodging houses attracted people moving through Whitechapel and didn’t know community. Eg sailors
- cheap accommodation attracted drunks + criminals
- overcrowded + cramped
Who paid for the met
Local London authorities
Was was Henderson accused of
- relaxing rules on police discipline
When was Edmund Henderson appointment commissioner
1870
When was Edmund Henderson forced to resign
1886
What did Henderson do
- allowed policemen to grow beards
- reduced amount if military drill service
- took action to raise standard of reading and writing in the force
- allowed prisoners to vote
- set up a charity to look after widows + orphans
When and what was the trial of detectives
1877
- detectives took bribes from gang in return for protecting them as they stole thousands of francs from French gamblers
Case of Thomas titley
- 1880
- some thought police made him break law
- they had posed in plain clothes wanting to buy chemical for an abortion
Reactions to titleys sentence
- 3800 people signed a petition against his 18 month sentence
When did the fenians set off bombs
1884/5
Why was the fenian terrorist attack embarrassing
- special Irish branch set up in 1883 failed to stop plot
When and who replaced Edmund Henderson
1886 - Charles warren
Who is Charles warren
- adventurous
- joined royal engineers at 17
- tracked down the murders of an archeological team + arrested them
- commissar from 1886 -1888
Who was the Home Secretary during warrens time
Henry Mathews
Mathews and Warrens relationship
Mathew disliked warren and wanted to promote Munro instead
Warrens approach to the met
- increased military drill practise
- tightened rules for recruitment
- military discipline
What was warren accused of
- making the force into an army and being too harsh
- used too much force in controlling crowds in Trafalgar Square
When and why did warren resign
- 1888 + his reaction to public accusations of his forcefulness seemed like a critique to Mathews + had to resign
What division was Whitechapel in
H- division
Who were the divisions run by
Superintendent constable
Who were new constables recruited by
By the headquarters of the met police - from 1890 was at Scotland yard
Where were the headquarters for the met
From 1890 - Scotland yard
Who were recruits
- typically those who lived outside of London (I’m countryside) - seen as bigger + healthier
- character important - good personal discipline + honesty
Why was being a policeman attractive
- offered a steady income in an age where work was temporary + low paid
- senior positions would be given to long term serving policeman
- after 1860 a pension was given after 30 years in the service
How many years in the police did it take for you to receive a pension
30 years - ( attracted a lot of people)
In 1885 how many inspectors/ sergeants/ constables were there in the H division
19 inspectors
44 sergeants
441 constables
How many Whitechapel policeman were there in its peak
575 - 1 policeman for every 300 people
Where was the main police station for H division
Leman street police station
Why did warren face further criticism
- late 1888s - Ripper began his murders+ appeared to run rings around police
What was the court for the whole area of Whitechapel
Thames police court - crimes of forgery + assault + attempted drownings can be found
Role of the constable
to prevent crime by being an obvious presence
What was the beat constables uniform
- woollen trousers + jacket = deep blue
- shiny buttons
- meant to stand out
- stovepipe helmet before 1863 + custodian helmet after 1863
What did the beat constables carry
- truncheon - defence
- handcuffs
- oil - fired lamps -‘dark lantern’ - heat + light
What was the first helmet of a police man
Stovepipe helmet
When and why did they change the helmet
1863 - wasn’t protective enough changed it to custodian
What was the new helmet called
Custodian - aimed to deflect a downward blow from the side
What was the beat
A specific route the constable would have to patrol - expected to reach certain places at certain times
What was the beat routine
- during day - walked every 30 minutes
- during night - walked every 15 minutes
- each shift would last 9 hours
How long did a beat shift last
8-9 hours
What were beat constables expected to do
- memorise route + know local businesses/ pubs / shops
- know alleyways/ thin roads around area
- check buildings at night
what was a trick constables used during the beat
at night the constables would hold open a building door with a wedge, and when they returned to that spot after completing one round - if it had moved = crime
When were policemen moved on to another beat
Changed every month to prevent corruption between officers + locals eg, giving them a cup of tea to bribe them
Disadvantages of the beat
- criminals would be able to work out the route fairly quickly + commit crime when police officer was on another part of the beat
- constables sometimes walked beat backwards or alter their route slightly to be less predictable
why was the CID initially ineffective
- cases of mistaken identity - arrest of wrong person
- found guilty of taking bribes from gangs in return for protection - trial of the detectives
Who lead the CID
Edward Howard Vincent
How did Howard Vincent change the CID
- centralised control
- increased detectives pay to attract best constables
When was the CID set up
1877 following a scandal
What was the detectives main job
To observe and gather information - plain clothed
What did the detectives receive every day
- a report from the chief inspector with a list of unsolved crimes and habitual criminals
What were habitual criminals
Those who repeatedly committed crimes
How did detectives gather evidence
- starting to use photography
- no reliable fingerprint methods
- most common way was to gather descriptions + witness reports + casts of footprints + receive an anonymous tip
When did the ripper murders start and finish
31st August - 9th November 1888
How many women were murdered by the ripper
5
What was the killer nicknames
Jack the Ripper
What was special about the ripper murder
- killed in a brutal way - open the bodies + taking organs
Who was the first victim of the ripper
Mary Nichols - 31st august
- she was found in bucks row
- throat cut and intestines cut open
Second victim of the ripper
Annie chapman - 8th September
- found on steps near commercial street
- strangled + throat was cut
- intestines pulled out
Third + fourth victim of the ripper - DOUBLE EVENT
Elizabeth stride + Catherine Eddowes - 30th September
- stride found first at Dutfields yard
- only throat was cut - perhaps interrupted
- Eddowes body - Mitre square
- body badly mutilated = cut at face + nose and ear taken
Who was the last victim of the ripper
Mary Kelly - 9th November
- takes place inside her room
- parts of her body was cut completely out - terrible injuries
What was common with all the girls
All prostitutes
What are the rippers 5 victims known as
Canonical five
Observations of ripper murders
- never any blood at the front - cut from behind
- bruises on necks/ face - they were dead before cut open
Importance of observations
- police code stated that area of a crime should be kept clear
- observations not always possible Nicolas - went in an ambulance first but chapman had a very detailed observations - number of blood splashes
Photography
Photography- very limited - bodies pictured before and after a post-mortem - used more for identification
Sketches
- city of London police collected detailed drawings of Mitre square (Eddowes) + doctor made a sketch of her position + state before she was moved
Why weren’t Identikit sketches used for ripper murders
Technique not used till 1890s
What are coroners inquests
- offices meetings in which the coroner decided if it was murder or natural death - newspapers reported them
Temperature as an observation
- body temp + discovered how quickly body lost heat
- new technique - used with Stride - still very warm - recently killed
What did the autopsy of ripper victims show
- left hand murderer
- surgical skill + detailed knowledge into the anatomy of the body to know where the organs are
Interviews
- visited houses + businesses
- after double event - set up a full-scale search of lodging events
- questioned over 2000 people + focused on butchers + slaughter men
- printed out posters
How many people did the Police question about the ripper
Over 2000
Witness statements
- unreliable - lies just to get involved or what they saw wasn’t accurate
- Statements were written using ONLY their words + read back to them
- errors crossed out with one line - still see original mistake
How many policemen were temporarily transferred to Whitechapel for ripper murders
Approx 50
List of ripper murders
Mary Nichols - 31st august
Annie Chapman - 8th September
Elizabeth Stride + Catherine Eddowes - 30th September
Mary Kelly - 9th November
Identification techniques
- witness statements
- mug shits + facial measurements = not available to Whitechapel police
- identity parades
- criminal profiles
Why were bloodhounds not used
- Warren ordered use of bloodhounds from mr Edwin borough
- press mocked used of dogs - eventually police didn’t use them
How did papers respond to ripper murders
- hoaxes - sending in letters to the press pretending to be murders
- full of criticism - police force were incapable
- sensationalism - fierce competition between newspapers
What was sensationalism
- newspapers exaggerated/ made things up about Whitechapel murder to sell copies
- added to list of victims to the 5 canonical victims
Example of sensationalism
- Annie chapmans rings had been taken off some newspapers claimed they were arranged at feet of body
Example of a cartoon
- pall mall gazette - critiqued warren for not capturing murderer
What gave Jack the Ripper his name
- one of the fake letters sent in to the newspapers
What was Whitechapel vigilance committee
- hired two detectives to investigate the killings
Who set up Whitechapel vigilance committee
George Lusk - felt not enough was being done
What did the committee do
- hired detectives
- Published posters offering a small reward - after asking the government to offer an official award which they refused
Why did the government refuse to introduce an award for catching the ripper
- they thought it would create allegation made on suspicion
- people would completely lie + waste time + rescources of police
When did Lusk receive his letter
16th October - containing human kidney
What did Lusks letter contain
A human kidney
Who was in charge of the Whitechapel investigation at Scotland Yard
Donal Swanson
