Case Study 8: Jack the Ripper

Question 1

What were the names of the 5 women who were murdered by Jack the Ripper?

Answer 1

1. Mary Ann Nichols
2. Annie Chapman
3. Elizabeth Stride
4. Catherine Eddowes
5. Mary Kelly

Question 2

When were these women murdered?

Answer 2

In Autumn of 1888.

Question 3

What investigative techniques did the police use to capture the murderer?

Answer 3

• Photography and sketches
• Interviews
• Post mortems + coroners’ reports
• Appealing for information
• Going undercover

Question 4

How did the police use photography and sketches to track down Jack the Ripper?

Answer 4

Photographs were taken at the scene of Mary Kelly’s murder and crime scenes were sketched.

Question 5

How did interviews help the police investigate the Ripper murders?

Answer 5

Police visited houses, pubs and opium dens and interviewed more than 2000 people.

Question 6

How did post mortems and coroners’ reports give the police more background on the murderer?

Answer 6

The mutilated bodies showed that Jack the Ripper had good anatomical knowledge.

Question 7

How did the police appeal for information from the public?

Answer 7

They set up soup kitchens and distributed 80,000 leaflets about the Ripper case.

Question 8

How did the police go undercover to catch Jack the Ripper?

Answer 8

Some policemen were even sent to the streets disguised in female clothing in the belief they may be able to lure the Ripper into a trap.

Question 9

What three problems led to the police’s failure of catching Jack the Ripper?

Answer 9

1. Rivalry between police forces
2. Media
3. Vigilance Committee

Question 10

How were problems in the Ripper case caused by the rivalry between police forces?

Answer 10

At first, the Met and the City of London didn’t cooperate. On the night of one of the murders, anti- Semitic graffiti was found by City of London officers. Warren made a copy of the graffiti and washed it off the wall to prevent a riot against Jews. However, some believe he did this so they could capture the killer first.

Question 11

What problems did the media cause for the Jack the Ripper case?

Answer 11

Attracted thousands of hoax letters such as the ‘Leather Apron’ which wasted the police’s time. Newspapers also criticised the police and stirred up racial hatred towards migrants.

Question 12

Who was the leader of the Vigilance Committee?

Answer 12

George Lusk.

Question 13

What did the Vigilance Committee do?

Answer 13

• Offered a small reward for information leading them to the killer
• Patrolled streets every night with torches
• Sent false leads and encouraged criticism of the police in local papers.

Question 14

Why was the Vigilance Committee set up?

Answer 14

Due to the police’s lack of progress in catching the Ripper.

Question 15

What is a local source in the context of Whitechapel?

Answer 15

Local sources cover the history of Whitechapel in the late 19th century.

Question 16

Name some local sources used in Whitechapel.

Answer 16

• Housing and employment records
• Council records
• Census returns
• Charles Booth’s surveys
• Workhouse records
• Local police records
• Coroners’ reports
• Photographs

Question 17

What is a strength of using housing and employment records as a source?

Answer 17

• Details where individuals stayed and worked

Question 18

What are two weaknesses of using housing and employment records as a source?

Answer 18

1. Homeless people in Whitechapel would not be able to be traced
2. Relies on individuals using the correct name

Question 19

What is one strength and one weakness of using council records as a source?

Answer 19

• Provides information about the details of events in Whitechapel
• Doesn’t document the experiences of individuals

Question 20

What are two strengths of using census returns as a source?

Answer 20

1. Historians can find out how many people lived in the area (overcrowding)
2. Shows who was living where at the time the census was taken

Question 21

What are two weaknesses of using census returns as a source?

Answer 21

1. Individuals moved around a lot, making it difficult to trace their whereabouts
2. Can be mistakes in the census

Question 22

What was Charles Booth’s work centred around?

Answer 22

In 1889, he employed 80 researchers to record poverty and living conditions across London.

Question 23

What are two strengths of using Charles Booth’s surveys as a source?

Answer 23

1. The maps show where the poor lived and where Jewish migrants settled in ghettos
2. Dedicated to his job

Question 24

What are two weaknesses of using Charles Booth’s surveys as a source?

Answer 24

1. Doesn’t give reasons for poverty
2. Doesn’t provide any detail about living conditions

Question 25

What is one strength of using workhouse records as a source?

Answer 25

* Tell us the type of people who sought help at the workhouse

Question 26

What are two weaknesses of using workhouse records as a source?

Answer 26

1. Do not tell us what happened to people after they left the workhouse 2. Doesn't record the individual experiences as inmates

Question 27

What are two strengths of using local police records as a source?

Answer 27

1. Shows what duties were expected of police officers 2. Provide information about victims and the crimes committed in Whitechapel

Question 28

What are two weaknesses of using local police records as a source?

Answer 28

1. Witnesses might not have told the full story (if they were drunk) 2. Might not include details leading up to an arrest

Question 29

What is a coroners' report?

Answer 29

Information recorded by a coroner for investigations into a suspicious death.

Question 30

What is one strength and one weakness of using coroners' reports as a source?

Answer 30

* Documents the condition of the body when found * Doesn't provide information about events causing the death

Question 31

What is one strength and one weakness of using photography as a source?

Answer 31

* Provides an accurate, visual image of history * Doesn't provide context to situation

Question 32

What is a national source?

Answer 32

A source that covers the whole history of Britain.

Question 33

What is a strength of using national newspapers as a source?

Answer 33

* Provides information about notorious crimes in London

Question 34

What are two weaknesses of using national newspapers as a source?

Answer 34

* Reported news in a sensationalist (exaggerated) style * Only extreme crimes made the national news

Question 35

What is one strength and one weakness of using records of crimes and police investigations as a source?

Answer 35

* Contain information about criminal offences across the country * Petty crime was unlikely to be recorded

Question 36

What is the Old Bailey?

Answer 36

Was London's most important criminal court.

Question 37

What are two strengths of using Old Bailey records as a source?

Answer 37

1. Official documents that provide detail infromation about crimes 2. Were created by someone who was impartial

Question 38

What are two weaknesses of using Old Bailey records as a source?

Answer 38

1. Defendants may not have had good representation by lawyers 2. Records can lack context of crime

Question 39

What was the Punch Magazine?

Answer 39

It was a weekly humorous magazine in the 19th century.

Question 40

What is one strength and one weakness of using Punch cartoons as a source?

Answer 40

* Shows events in a simplfied way * Might show the views of the artist, so it lacks typicality