Author: Richard Jones

Murder was not uncommon in Whitechapel throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The difference between the Jack the Ripper murders, and the other homicides in the district, however, was the sheer brutality of the crimes, coupled […]

An important aspect of the solving of Victorian crimes was that of witness identifications. In an age before even fingerprinting was not a widely used means by which to identify suspects, the testimony of those who may have […]

One of the intriguing things about the Jack the Ripper mystery is, just how many police officers went on record to claim – or were quoted as claiming – that they knew the identity of the Whitechapel Murderer. […]

The Metropolitan Police came into being as a result of the passing of the Metropolitan Police Act, 1829. The man who steered the Bill through Parliament, in the face, it must be said of much opposition, was the […]

Life inside the Workhouses of Victorian London was deliberately made harsh; the theory being that, if the conditions inside were as unwelcoming as possible, then people would avoid them at all costs, and would, therefore, be encouraged to […]

One of the big problems that confronted and frustrated the police in their hunt for Jack the Ripper, was the fact that the murders were occurring in an area that was made up of lots of narrow unlit […]

It’s time for another of our quizzes, so, if you are ready, get your thinking caps on, crouch over that keyboard, and prepare to be bamboozled by the April 2019 Jack the Ripper Quiz. If you are an […]

There was little to save those Victorian citizens of the East End who, by a twist of fate or a conspiracy of circumstances, found themselves cast onto the scrapheap of life in London. There were numerous charitable institutions […]

Two police forces – the Metropolitan police and the City of London Police –  were responsible for investigating the Jack the Ripper crimes. All but one of the murders took place within the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police, […]

Although the majority of the residents who resided in the East End of London in the 19th century, were sober, law-abiding citizens, it cannot be denied that the area did have more than its fair share of ne’er-do-wells […]