Whitechapel Flashcards
(43 cards)
1
Q
Where was Whitechapel situated?
A
To the east of London
2
Q
How were lodging houses like in Whitechapel
A
lodgers paid a nightly fee for a bed and access to a kitchen. Most of the population lived here
3
Q
What were rookeries?
A
They were the slum area of Whitechapel, extremely overcrowded + poor sanitation
4
Q
What was the Peabody estate?
A
- An attempt to improve housing in Whitechapel
- George Peabody Estate paid for 11 blocks of flats
- Un-plastered walls
- Rents were too high
- Opened in 1881
5
Q
What are the different types of sources?
OLD BAILEY WAS LONDON’S MOST IMPORTANT COURT
A
- Old Bailey Court reports : you can see patterns of criminal activity, tells us a lot of types crime in Whitechapel
- Census : only takes place every 10 years, show the population + people in it
- Local Newspapers: Gives info abt a specific area
6
Q
What was flower+ dean street?
A
- A well know rookery
- Lots if ‘doss houses’
7
Q
Why didn’t people just leave Whitechapel?
A
- Lots of job opportunities for men
- Pay was 6 to 12 shillings every week
- More opportunities for those who could not work to earn money eg prostitution
8
Q
What were workhouses used for?
A
- Last resort for the poor
- Offered bed + food in return for hard labour
9
Q
Who was Charles Booth?
A
- A businessman who was interested in poverty
- Produced a series of maps to show how poor each area was
10
Q
Who were the Irish immigrants?
A
- Irish left Ireland for USA but ended up in London
- Most could only live in the least expensive parts of London
- Had a reputation for being associated with terrorism = Fenians
- They dominated many of the docks
11
Q
Who were the Jewish immigrants?
A
- They came form Russia
- Cultural barriers
- Language barriers
12
Q
Who were the socialists?
A
They wanted the end of Capitalism
13
Q
Who were the anarchists?
A
They opposed organised government
14
Q
What tensions were there in Whitechapel?
A
- Tensions between immigrants + local population
- violence against Jews
- ‘foreigners’ were blamed for many crimes
15
Q
Who were the police recruits for the met?
A
- Most came from outside of London ( countryside)
- Good pay
- Some had been soldiers
- Were directly under the control of the Home Secretary
16
Q
Who was the ‘beat’ constable?
A
- Patrolling a set route of streets to deter criminals from committing crime
- Break up fights
- Arrest suspects
17
Q
Who was Sir Charles Warren + why was he important?
A
- Former army general was appointed Met commissioner in 1886
- Banned a planned protest in Trafalgar square
- Protestors ignored= deployed thousands of police
- J struck, Warren couldn’t catch him, cost him his job
18
Q
What were attitudes to the police like?
A
- Police still had people’s trust in some areas
- Trafalgar Square incident lost some respect
- People were ‘against’ the met
19
Q
Who was sir Edmund Henderson?
A
- Head of met police in 1870
- Made reforms= allowed police to vote in elections
20
Q
When did the Irish fenians terrorists explode bomb + where?
A
1884-85
Damages the House of Parliament
21
Q
What was the beat routine?
A
- During the day 30 min
- During the night 15mi
- Usually travelled beat alone unless in dangerous area
- After a month police moved to another beat to prevent corruption
22
Q
What were some problems with policing in Whitechapel?
A
- The environment= dark, narrow alleys+ packed with people
- Prostitution= women in desperate situations, vulnerable to violence
- Alcohol= more crimes, pubs sold strong alcohol
- Gangs= ‘Besarbian gang’ threatened Jewish businesses, employed people to commit crime, demanded protection money
- Violent demonstrations= demanding higher wages for their working hours
- Immigrants
23
Q
What was the Whitechapel vigilance committee 1888?
A
- Set up by George Lusk due to the lack of progress in catching the ‘Ripper murderer’
- Offered a reward for the information
- Patrolled the streets every night with torches
- Disrupted police investigation + sending them false leads
24
Q
What were ‘sweated trades’?
A
- Tailoring, shoe-making + making matches
- The sweatshops= small, dusty, long hours + low wages
25
Where did Whitechapel residents find work?
- Railway construction
- Labourers In London docks
- Bell foundry- factory
26
Why were the workhouses set up?
- Set up early 19th century
- Part of poor relief system
- Last resort as terrible conditions
- Conditions deliberately made worse
27
What was life like in the workhouses?
- Tough manual labour
- Uniform
- Families were split up + punished for trying to talk to each other
- Vagrants stayed 1 or 2 nights, held separately from other residents
28
How did Dr Thomas Barnado help children avoid the workhouse?
- Schooled children whose parents died
- In 1870 he opened an orphanage for boys
- Later opened one for girls
29
Between what dates were the ripper murders committed?
31 August-9 November 1888 5 women were murdered in a similar way
30
Who was the Rippers first victim?
- Mary Nicholas, 31st August
- Prostitute
- Throat had been cut open
31
Who was the the Rippers second vicitim?
- Annie Chapman, 8 September
- Found near some steps in George’s yard
- Been strangles, throat cut
- Intestines pulled out of her body
32
Who were the victims of the Ripper’s double killing?
- Elizabeth Stride + Catherine Eddowes, 30 September
- Stride throat was cut
- Eddowes body mutliated, face had been cut, nose missing
- Women were a walk away from each other
33
Who was the Rippers last victim?
- Mary Kelly, 9th November
- Found in her room
- Parts of her body strewn across the room
34
Why did the killer became known as Jack the Ripper?
Police received an anonymous letter, signed Jack the Ripper
35
What Is the link between Whitechapel’s environment + crime?
- Low income levels meant stealing for those desperate to avoid the workhouses
- Unreliable work led to ‘spare time’ = alcohol
- Overcrowding led to tensions between residents
- High levels of prostitution, violence on women
36
How did the police use careful observation?
- Took detailed notes+ make sure no one disturbed the crime scene until notes takes
- Bruises + marks decided how the ripper killed his victims
37
How did the police use photography and sketches?
- Took pictures after death
- Doctors made sketches of the body
- Used to identify victim
38
How did the police use autopsy?
- Body temp taken - shows the time of death
- Newspapers reported them
- Ripper thought to be left handed
39
How did the Police use interviews?
- Questioned People who lived near where the bodies were found
- Printed hand bills + posters for the people of Whitechapel
40
How did the police identify suspects?
- Took notes given by witness
- Could be made up= people tend to forget
- Took time to not + follow up
- Blood hounds
- Criminal profiles
- Mug shots
41
How did the media make it more difficult for the police to investigate the ripper case?
- Full of criticism
| - Lots of ideas on how to catch the ripper
42
What was sensationalism?
- Ripper cases= great story for press
- Fierce competition
- Printed ideas that weren’t true / exaggerated
- Cartoons made situation worse
43
What was the rival between the Met and the city police of London ( the police that managed the centre of London)?
- Each force wanted to solve the crime before the other = competition
- Met police force main station set up in Scotland Yard
