Whitechapel (2) Flashcards
What was the population of Whitechapel? How many were homeless?
Population = 30 000
Homeless = 1 000
What were conditions like in Whitechapel?
High crime rate
Poor sanitation
No sewage system
Little clean drinking water
Heavily polluted
What were ‘rookeries’? What was an example of a rookery?
Overcrowded slum areas where houses were divided into apartments, where 30 people would live in one apartment at a time
Flower and Dean Street was one such rookery
What happened in 1875?
The government started a slum clearance programme
When was the Peabody Estate opened? What was it considered to be? How many flats did it provide?
1881
Considered to be the model housing solution
It provided nearly 300 flats
What were the Whitechapel workhouses?
A part of the poor relief system, they offered food and shelter for those too poor to live in the outside world
What were conditions like in the Whitechapel workhouses? Why?
The conditions were harsh and appalling, in order to ensure that they were used only as a last resort - hence reducing costs.
These conditions were criticised by many, including famous authors such as Charles Dickens
Who opened up an orphanage for boys? When and why? What was this shortly followed by?
Dr Barnardo
1870 - opened after seeing the number of orphaned street children
Shortly followed by an orphanage for girls
What was employment like in Whitechapel?
Most worked in ‘sweated trades’ like tailoring and shoemaking.
Hours were long, and wages low
Called the ‘sweated trades’ due to the conditions - small, damp and dusty with little natural light
Others worked in railway construction or as labourers on docks. Work was often seasonal so incomes were uncertain
When did the number of Irish immigrants rapidly expand?
1840s
Where did the Irish immigrants settle and what did they do?
Settled into areas near the river and worked as ‘navvies’ or ‘navigators’ - men who did labouring work on canals, roads and railways
They also worked as dockers
What were Irish people like?
They were often violent people who weren’t very well liked
When were bomb attacks carried out in England? By who? What did this lead to, and why were they carried out?
Bomb attacks were carried out by IRISH FENIANS in 1867 and 1885. These were people who wanted freedom away from English rule - nationalists
This led to a wave of anti-Catholic and anti-Irish sentiment. The media often portrayed all Irish people as potential Fenians
When and why did the Jews arrive from England?
1880s, after being persecuted by the Russian Tsar
In some parts of Whitechapel, what proportion of the population had grown to be Jewish? When was this? What did this lead to?
In some areas, by 1888, the Jewish population grew to be 95% of the total.
This led to some areas becoming self-segregated Jewish communities
What were attitudes towards Jews like? Why?
Resented and disliked by everyone. By 1888, anti-Semitic attacks were commonplace:
Jewish settlers were willing to accept lower wages, and so took jobs from the native inhabitants of Whitechapel. They also didn’t learn English, and stood out because of rules on clothing and food.
The Ripper was also suspected to be of Jewish origin - this was epitomised in the anti-Jewish articles and cartoons published at the time
What type of businesses did Jews run? Why? What would this result in?
They often ran tailoring businesses on the sweatshop model, allowing them to charge lower prices.. This would reduce income for native businesses
What was anarchism? When did anarchists become to come into London and from where?
Anarchism is the belief that a country’s issues could be solved by overthrowing the current government
Anarchists came to London form Europe in the 1870s
Given the rise in anarchism, who was suspected as a potential terrorist? What did the Met do?
Anyone with an Eastern European accent
The Met began an undercover operation to monitor revolutionary activity
What was the SDF? When was it founded?
The Socialist Democratic Federation was a group (of socialists) who wanted to bring down the existing political system
Founded 1881
When did the Socialists find popularity? How?
In the 1888 elections, the Socialists found some popularity by highlighting the police’s incompetencies at catching the Ripper
How many divisions was the Metropolitan Police split into? Which one patrolled Whitechapel?
20 divisions as a whole
H-division was the division in charge of Whitechapel
What was the police force for Whitechapel composed of?
27 inspectors
37 sergeants
500 ordinary ‘beat constables’
15 detectives
What was the ‘beat’? What was it like?
Where a constable would walk a set route around the area. Work was often boring and pay was low. This meant that the quality of recruits was low
Why were the police seen in a negative light in Whitechapel?
They upheld unpopular laws, and had a reputation of heavy-handedness and violence
What were the main difficulties of policing Whitechapel?
Prostitution
Alcohol
Geography of the area
Protection rackets
Violent protests and anti-Semitism
Why did women become prostitutes? How did this make upholding the law difficult?
Women sold themselves into prostitution because it was the only way they could make enough money to survive
Though not illegal, it was seen as a big social issue which needed to be addressed. It was sensitive, and it was difficult to govern as the police couldn’t just stop someone from making money
How many prostitutes were there in Whitechapel in 1888?
1200
How did alcohol cause problems in policing Whitechapel?
Many escaped the harshness of poverty and life as a whole through drink. Very strong drink was available to most.
Drunkenness often turned into violence; alcoholics would often turn to violence to get the money they needed to buy drink
How did the geography of Whitechapel make it difficult to police?
Narrow streets, as well as rookeries and small courts with poor lighting made it easy for criminals to hide and attack their victims
How did protection rackets make policing difficult?
The gangs of Whitechapel attacked each other or demanded protection money form small business areas. Anyone who refused to pay would have their shop or stall smashed up. People would often be too scared to report these gangs, making it difficult to prosecute these gangs
How did violent protests and anti-Semitism lead to difficulties in policing?
Overall, in the area, tensions rose due to communities such as the Jewish. This led to anti-Semitic attacks, which the police would need to intervene in and stop
The violent protests meant that the police would have to draft in reinforcements, in order to prevent rioting. This meant taking the police focus away from crime which may be taking place elsewhere, under the radar (relatively speaking)
Which were the five ‘Ripper’ murders? When were they?
Aug 31: Mary Ann Nicholls
Sept 8: Annie Chapman
Sept 30: Elizabeth Stride + Catherine Eddowes (The Double Event)
Nov 9: Mary Jane Kelly
How did the police use sketches and photographs in investigating murders?
During the Ripper murders, the Met took some photos of the scene - a recent development. They were used particularly used after Mary Kelly’s body was found. Photos were taken outside her room, then inside her room and of her body.
Sketches of the area were also used, or of the positioning of the victim’s body
How did the police use sketches and interviews in investigating murders?
Very few people claimed to be eye witnesses, though one claimed to have seen a man talking to Annie Chapman minutes before her death. This was ignored, however, as it conflicted with the doctor’s report of the time of her death
Soup kitchens were also set up to encourage poor people to come forward if they knew anything about the murders. Money couldn’t be used, as it may encourage hoaxes or time wasters
Which three forces needed to co-operate to try and solve the Ripper murders?
Metropolitan Police Force
City of London Police Force
Scotland Yard
How did police force rivalry affect investigation of the Ripper murders?
Though the co-operation was often a good thing, there were still some times when the relationship faltered - e.g. on the night of the Double Event (Sept 30th), a piece of anti-Semitic graffiti was found above a piece of apron, believed to have belonged to the Ripper. This became known as the Goulston Street graffito, and was technically in the City of London police force’s area. Charles Warren, leader of the Met, rubbed the writing out to avoid further anti-Semitic attacks. This led to criticism from the press and the Met, that eventually led to his resignation
How did the media make investigating the Ripper cases more difficult?
There were a total of 21 different newspapers in London. This resulted in competition. Since often the most interesting story would sell the best, newspapers would be sensationalised, causing further panic.
They also criticised the police, making it out to be incredible that the Ripper still hadn’t been found
How did the police follow up leads in order to investigate the murders?
These included both direct leads from the public and indirect leads from the media. They also followed up a lead from the newspapers about a man named ‘Leather Apron’ but realised he had solid alibis for the two murders that had been already committed
How did the police follow up coroner’s reports in order to investigate the Ripper murders?
Following the report on Annie Chapman’s body, police became interested in investigating hospitals and vets. After Catherine Eddowes was murdered, they became a bit more doubtful about the murderer’s skill, so they looked at butchers and slaughterhouse workers.
They also used coroner’s reports to deduce the fact that the Ripper must’ve been left-handed
How did the Ripper letters make dealing with the murders more difficult?
The letters received by the press were what gave the Ripper his name. However, numerous letters were received, and many were fakes - making it difficult to discern what was real from what wasn’t.
One of the letters was the ‘From Hell’ letter, sent to George Lusk with half a “Kidne” (kidney)
Who were the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee? Who was their leader and how was the Ripper case harder to investigate?
The Whitechapel Vigilance Committee, led by George Lusk, was a group set up by a builder that felt not enough was being done for the Ripper case.
The group hired two private detectives to investigate the murders, and talked to witnesses, whose stories were reported to the media
They offered rewards for information, which the police thought was a waste of time as it’d encourage hoaxers.
Many members of the group were determined to humiliate the police by sending them false leads and disrupting their work. This may’ve been done by members of the socialist party within the committee, who wanted to gain seats in upcoming elections
