Author: Richard Jones

In early May 1889, numerous references to Jack the Ripper were cropping up in various newspapers across the country. Although none of the reports featured the news that many Victorians must have been desperate to hear, that the […]

From October, 1888, when the authorities released the “Dear Boss, Jack the Ripper” letter, people all over the country – in fact, it is more accurate to say people all over the world – were receiving missives that […]

One of the most harrowing things about reading the newspaper accounts of life in the Victorian East End around the time of the Jack the Ripper murders is when you come across an article that really brings home […]

A point that was often made during the autumn of 1888, when the Jack the Ripper murders were both fascinating and terrifying the people of Victorian London in equal measure, was that violent crime was an inevitable consequence […]

The “Bloody Sunday” unrest of 13th November, 1887, was, arguably, one of the most shameful occurrences during the tenure of Sir Charles Warren as the Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. Many newspapers were united in their condemnation […]

The people of East London were certainly not short of entertainment to help them while away their leisure time in the late 19th century. From the penny gaffs to theatres such as The Pavillion, on Whitechapel Road, from […]

During early October, 1888, the Whitechapel murderer had acquired two important things which have remained an intricate part of his persona ever since. The first, of course, was the name “Jack the Ripper.” This was the chilling signature […]

There can be little doubt that the citizens of Victorian Whitechapel were a rough and ready lot – or, at least, a large majority of them were. Life was tough, poverty was rife, and violence was commonplace. Yet, […]

It’s time for another Jack the Ripper Quiz. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to answer ten questions on the history of the Whitechapel murders, and, more importantly, to see how many of them you […]

In April, 1889, the newspapers were up in arms (quite literally) at the news that a prisoner in the East End of London had died in police custody whilst being “frog marched” to the police station. The “frog’s […]