Author: Richard Jones

Clementina Maria Black (1853 – 1922) was an English writer, feminist and pioneering Trade Unionist, who worked tirelessly for women’s rights at work and for women’s suffrage. She wrote numerous articles about the conditions of the poor in […]

If there was one type of story that the Victorians enjoyed as much as a good crime story, it was a tale of romance. Indeed, sentimentality was a trait that featured time and time again in Victorian newspaper […]

Throughout 1888, the newspapers published numerous letters in which the writers begged that people give funds to help alleviate the sufferings of the destitute poor of the East End of London. Many of these missives were written by […]

By December 1888, the Metropolitan Police had seen a major change at the top. The much-maligned Chief Commissioner, Sir Charles Warren, had resigned, and his position had been taken by James Monro, an officer who was interested in bringing […]

Many of the poverty-stricken families who lived in the East End of London had, in fact, come to the area from other parts of the country in order to seek a better life. Some did manage to improve […]

Reading through the reams of newspaper reports that appeared in 1888, it is quite incredible how, from early October 1888 onwards, the name of Jack the Ripper had, well and truly, entered the national consciousness. Indeed, the name […]

Well, the year has almost passed, and soon 2018 will be consigned to the pages of history. And, what a year it has been! But, there is still time for one more quiz. So, without further ado, here […]

Although the Jack the Ripper murders were truly horrible, they were not the only crimes of this nature that took place in London in 1888. Indeed, there were other gruesome murders that year, and a host of other […]

On 21st November, 1888, a woman by the name of Annie Farmer was attacked at a Common Lodging House in Spitalfields. Although the perpetrator of the attack was caught, almost red-handed, he was able to escape from the […]

Joseph Isaacs is one of those who, for a time in 1888, found himself suspected of being Jack the Ripper, largely as a result of his unusual behaviour. He was a Polish Jewish cigar-maker, who, just prior to […]