Whitechapel Flashcards
What were the problems with the Census in Whitechapel in the late 19th Century, and why does it not aid historical research very much?
- The Census only took place every 10 years
- The community of Whitechapel was very mobile, so people can easily be missing from the Census or living in a different area on the night of the Census
- The enumerators (people who wrote the records) also made many mistakes, so much of the information was inaccurate.
As a result, Census records of this time are not accurate, and it is very difficult to track the movements and life of an individual in this time.
Who was Charles Booth and how does his work aid a historical enquiry into Whitechapel?
- Booth was a successful businessman who became interested in poverty
- He hired 80 researchers to explore poverty, living conditions and religious faith in London.
- His researchers also talked to School Board Visitors, who visited children before schooling age
- Using this information, Booth made maps of London in the late 19th Century, labelling different areas and buildings with different amounts of poverty.
- This included a map of Whitechapel, detailing where poverty was concentrated and which areas were likely to be targeted for criminal activity. This gives historians an insight into why certain events took place in certain locations in Whitechapel, and why criminals could easily get away with crime. Whitechapel had a mix of wealth, with poor people living doors away from groups of middle class people.
What was Flower and Dean Street and what was it like?
- Flower and Dean Street was a well-known rookery in Whitechapel in the 1870s
- 902 lodgers were crammed in 31 doss houses, which dated back to the 1600s and were in terrible condition
- There were narrow streets at the front and poor hygiene with regards to toilets
- Had a terrible reputation of being a haunt of thieves, drunkards and prostitutes.
- The conditions caused desperation amongst people to make money, leading to large amounts of crime.
What was the Whitechapel Workhouse and Casual Ward, and what were they like?
- The Whitechapel Workhouse was seen as an alternative if you could not afford to stay in a doss house and were too young, old or unwell to work.
- However, people were very reluctant to go due to the strict rules with regards to what people ate, how they worked and the time they went to bed and got up.
- Families were segregated and there was a Casual Ward near the workhouse which although only had space for 60 people, accepted 400, all of whom wanted a bed for one night.
- The inmates in the workhouses were expected to work to earn their bed for the night, otherwise people thought that they would be tempted to stay on at the expense of taxpayers, who funded the Workhouse Union.
Large amounts of people working together may have created gangs, causing crime to rise
What was the Peabody Estate and what was it like?
- The Peabody Estate was built by a wealthy American banker, it was an improvement from previous accommodation but it was more expensive.
- Each block of flats was separate from each other. They were separated by a yard, to improve ventilation
- They were built from brick and had un-plastered walls, to ensure no lice lived in the walls
- This lead to more overcrowding elsewhere, as it had replaced a building that had housed many, although unhygienically.
- Tenants who were behind in their expensive rent rates were instantly thrown out
What caused an increase fear of crime in the East end?
- Belief in a criminal underclass
- Lodgings, houses and pubs were seen as places that spread crime
- Alcohol: Became responsible for many crimes committed and also caused people to become victims of crime
- Immigration: Brought political ideas such as socialism and anarchism (belief that people would be better off without a government and laws), and the police were worried about Jews committing crime due to their inability to understand their language. The press felt threatened by these political ideas and blamed many assassinations on their emergence, causing the fear of crime to increase.
- Difficulty of reform: It was difficult to reform buildings as it often caused overcrowding elsewhere
What were three moments of difficulty for the Metropolitan Police in the 19th Century?
- 1866: 3200 policemen were used to control a riot in Hyde Park, but the army had to be called in after a commissioner was injured
- 1867: Irish Fenians wanted independence and planted a bomb in Clerkenwell, and the police ignored warnings of the attack
- 1888-1889: Jack the Ripper attacks occurred and he was not caught by the police
What were two changes that were made to increase the quality of police recruits in the 19th Century?
- 1870: Commissioner Edmund Henderson introduced rules to raise the standards of reading and writing in the police and relaxed rules about military drill.
- 1895: Applicants had to be between 21 and 27, they had to be able to read and write, and had to be taller than 5”9.
What were two improvements made to organisation or investigation techniques in the Metropolitan Police?
- 1894: New system for identifying suspects - physical measurements, photographs and the mug shot (photo from waist up).
- 1901: Fingerprint identification was introduced
What factors caused Commissioner Edmund Henderson to resign?
- Increased criticism for relaxing police discipline
- 1877 scandal: Trial of the Detectives - Many cases of mistaken identity and many detectives had accepted bribes to protect gangs
- Irish bombings of 1884 and 1885 were not prevented despite there being a Special Irish Branch in the police
- There was an uncontrolled riot in Trafalgar Square, and shortly after Henderson was replaced with Charles Warren in January 1886
What factors caused Commissioner Charles Warren to resign?
- The new Home Secretary, Henry Matthews, disliked him and preferred his deputy, who also undermined and criticised his work
- Warren’s heavy handed military style caused the public to worry that the police were becoming like an army used to control people
- Warren was made to look incompetent at the time of the Jack the Ripper murders
Warren eventually resigned in 1888, after criticising the government in a magazine article that was not approved by the government.
What was the main structure of police forces in the late 19th Century?
The Metropolitan Police was divided up into different divisions, each responsible for policing different parts of London. Whitechapel came under H Division, and had one police officer for every 300 members of the public.
- Each division was run by a Superintendent constable who had a hierarchy of policemen working under him.
- The majority were constables, some were sergeants and even less were inspectors
What did the uniform of the beat constable consist of?
- Top hat to stand out amongst the crowd and designed to protect blows to the head
- Dark lantern provided light and warmth at night, flame could be hidden to creep up on criminals
- Truncheon was carried to help beat people who attacked them
- Handcuffs were used for bringing unwilling citizens back to the station
What were the advantages to the Beat Routine?
- Officers could arrive at the crime scene relatively quickly
- Timing was specific, so officers had to be at certain locations exactly on time, increasing its success
- Constables could receive messages from sergeants as the sergeant would know the specific location to deliver the message to, as the constable would have to be there in the beat routine
What were the disadvantages to the beat routine?
- Criminals could easily watch the beat pattern and time their crime accordingly
- Limited personnel in a beat area
- Paper wedge were used by constables to track which doors had been broken into instead of looking through windows, but actually made access easier for criminals, as the paper was wedged in the door and provided space to break in.
