Whitechapel Flashcards
Where was Whitechapel situated?
To the east of London
How were lodging houses like in Whitechapel
lodgers paid a nightly fee for a bed and access to a kitchen. Most of the population lived here
What were rookeries?
They were the slum area of Whitechapel, extremely overcrowded + poor sanitation
What was the Peabody estate?
- An attempt to improve housing in Whitechapel
- George Peabody Estate paid for 11 blocks of flats
- Un-plastered walls
- Rents were too high
- Opened in 1881
What are the different types of sources?
OLD BAILEY WAS LONDON’S MOST IMPORTANT COURT
- Old Bailey Court reports : you can see patterns of criminal activity, tells us a lot of types crime in Whitechapel
- Census : only takes place every 10 years, show the population + people in it
- Local Newspapers: Gives info abt a specific area
What was flower+ dean street?
- A well know rookery
- Lots if ‘doss houses’
Why didn’t people just leave Whitechapel?
- Lots of job opportunities for men
- Pay was 6 to 12 shillings every week
- More opportunities for those who could not work to earn money eg prostitution
What were workhouses used for?
- Last resort for the poor
- Offered bed + food in return for hard labour
Who was Charles Booth?
- A businessman who was interested in poverty
- Produced a series of maps to show how poor each area was
Who were the Irish immigrants?
- Irish left Ireland for USA but ended up in London
- Most could only live in the least expensive parts of London
- Had a reputation for being associated with terrorism = Fenians
- They dominated many of the docks
Who were the Jewish immigrants?
- They came form Russia
- Cultural barriers
- Language barriers
Who were the socialists?
They wanted the end of Capitalism
Who were the anarchists?
They opposed organised government
What tensions were there in Whitechapel?
- Tensions between immigrants + local population
- violence against Jews
- ‘foreigners’ were blamed for many crimes
Who were the police recruits for the met?
- Most came from outside of London ( countryside)
- Good pay
- Some had been soldiers
- Were directly under the control of the Home Secretary
Who was the ‘beat’ constable?
- Patrolling a set route of streets to deter criminals from committing crime
- Break up fights
- Arrest suspects
Who was Sir Charles Warren + why was he important?
- Former army general was appointed Met commissioner in 1886
- Banned a planned protest in Trafalgar square
- Protestors ignored= deployed thousands of police
- J struck, Warren couldn’t catch him, cost him his job
What were attitudes to the police like?
- Police still had people’s trust in some areas
- Trafalgar Square incident lost some respect
- People were ‘against’ the met
Who was sir Edmund Henderson?
- Head of met police in 1870
- Made reforms= allowed police to vote in elections
When did the Irish fenians terrorists explode bomb + where?
1884-85
Damages the House of Parliament
What was the beat routine?
- During the day 30 min
- During the night 15mi
- Usually travelled beat alone unless in dangerous area
- After a month police moved to another beat to prevent corruption
What were some problems with policing in Whitechapel?
- The environment= dark, narrow alleys+ packed with people
- Prostitution= women in desperate situations, vulnerable to violence
- Alcohol= more crimes, pubs sold strong alcohol
- Gangs= ‘Besarbian gang’ threatened Jewish businesses, employed people to commit crime, demanded protection money
- Violent demonstrations= demanding higher wages for their working hours
- Immigrants
What was the Whitechapel vigilance committee 1888?
- Set up by George Lusk due to the lack of progress in catching the ‘Ripper murderer’
- Offered a reward for the information
- Patrolled the streets every night with torches
- Disrupted police investigation + sending them false leads
What were ‘sweated trades’?
- Tailoring, shoe-making + making matches
- The sweatshops= small, dusty, long hours + low wages
Where did Whitechapel residents find work?
- Railway construction
- Labourers In London docks
- Bell foundry- factory
Why were the workhouses set up?
- Set up early 19th century
- Part of poor relief system
- Last resort as terrible conditions
- Conditions deliberately made worse
What was life like in the workhouses?
- Tough manual labour
- Uniform
- Families were split up + punished for trying to talk to each other
- Vagrants stayed 1 or 2 nights, held separately from other residents
How did Dr Thomas Barnado help children avoid the workhouse?
- Schooled children whose parents died
- In 1870 he opened an orphanage for boys
- Later opened one for girls
Between what dates were the ripper murders committed?
31 August-9 November 1888 5 women were murdered in a similar way
Who was the Rippers first victim?
- Mary Nicholas, 31st August
- Prostitute
- Throat had been cut open
Who was the the Rippers second vicitim?
- Annie Chapman, 8 September
- Found near some steps in George’s yard
- Been strangles, throat cut
- Intestines pulled out of her body
Who were the victims of the Ripper’s double killing?
- Elizabeth Stride + Catherine Eddowes, 30 September
- Stride throat was cut
- Eddowes body mutliated, face had been cut, nose missing
- Women were a walk away from each other
Who was the Rippers last victim?
- Mary Kelly, 9th November
- Found in her room
- Parts of her body strewn across the room
Why did the killer became known as Jack the Ripper?
Police received an anonymous letter, signed Jack the Ripper
What Is the link between Whitechapel’s environment + crime?
- Low income levels meant stealing for those desperate to avoid the workhouses
- Unreliable work led to ‘spare time’ = alcohol
- Overcrowding led to tensions between residents
- High levels of prostitution, violence on women
How did the police use careful observation?
- Took detailed notes+ make sure no one disturbed the crime scene until notes takes
- Bruises + marks decided how the ripper killed his victims
How did the police use photography and sketches?
- Took pictures after death
- Doctors made sketches of the body
- Used to identify victim
How did the police use autopsy?
- Body temp taken - shows the time of death
- Newspapers reported them
- Ripper thought to be left handed
How did the Police use interviews?
- Questioned People who lived near where the bodies were found
- Printed hand bills + posters for the people of Whitechapel
How did the police identify suspects?
- Took notes given by witness
- Could be made up= people tend to forget
- Took time to not + follow up
- Blood hounds
- Criminal profiles
- Mug shots
How did the media make it more difficult for the police to investigate the ripper case?
- Full of criticism
- Lots of ideas on how to catch the ripper
What was sensationalism?
- Ripper cases= great story for press
- Fierce competition
- Printed ideas that weren’t true / exaggerated
- Cartoons made situation worse
What was the rival between the Met and the city police of London ( the police that managed the centre of London)?
- Each force wanted to solve the crime before the other = competition
- Met police force main station set up in Scotland Yard
