Author: Richard Jones

The murder of Mary Nichols, who many now believe to have been the first victim of the killer we now know as “Jack the Ripper”, took place in Buck’s Row – now called Durward Street – in the […]

Although the Jack the Ripper murders were dominating the columns of newspapers throughout the country towards the end of September, 1888, it is worth reading stories of other crimes that were featuring in the press at the time, […]

It’s time for another quiz. Yes, it’s May already, so we’re well into our stride with these monthly conundrums. If you are a regular quiz take you probably won’t need any guidance about how the quiz operates. That […]

Throughout September, 1888, the Whitechapel murders began to dominate the newspapers throughout the country. The murders of Mary Nichols and Annie Chapman were receiving a great deal of coverage, although, of course, other stories were also being published. […]

As London came to terms with the murders of Mary Nichols and Annie Chapman, which had taken place on the 31st of August and the 8th of September respectively, other deaths were occurring in London, which were overshadowed […]

In a previous article, I brought you the story of the attack on Helen Watt, that took place in Aberdeen in October 1888, which the press was quick to attribute to Jack the Ripper. Helen Watt’s ordeal left […]

Once the infamous “Dear Boss” letter was made public in early October 1888, the name Jack the Ripper caught on amongst the press and public alike. Indeed, throughout October numerous letters from Jack the Ripper were sent to […]

The 1888 Jack the Ripper murders, exposed the horrific social conditions in the area where the atrocities occurred, and laid bare the plight of the many homeless women in the district. However, many philanthropic endeavours were being undertaken […]

In early August, 1888, the American actor Richard Mansfield brough his performance in the dual role of Dr. Jekyll ad Mr. Hyde to the London stage, where it opened at the Lyceum theatre on the 4th of August. […]

As the Jack the Ripper atrocities increased with such alarming ferocity, people began looking for any motive that could have driven somebody to carry out such atrocious crimes. At the time the study of mental illness was a […]