Hi everyone,
How does everyone feel now that the presentation is over. I found it really nerve racking, despite all the work we had done I still felt unprepared.
That said, I felt I have learnt alot, particularly about the time and place of Jack the Ripper. Through that information I can imagine the hell of the poor in Victorian London, and how much life has changed for the 'Joe Bloggs' of society. Jack the Ripper caused questions to be asked then and I think reflecting on the events and their surroundings can cause us to assess life today.
An example of this - in the 1980's I worked in a geriatric hospital called St Edmunds, in Northampton. I can remember the distress of some of the people that were admitted there, either from home or from the wards of the general hospital (infact the staff used to dread telling the over 60's that they were going to St Edmunds, they used to swear that it killed them off). Why? well it used to be the old workhouse. I didn't relise at the time that most of the patients, probably all of them, remebered this. To them it was a fearful and shameful place. One that reflected your inability to look after yourself and your family. Perhaps had i known then what I known now I would have done less eye rolling and sighing.
Is it important or relevent? well if Jack the Ripper existed because of the times, the technology, the politics etc. If his existence can be tied into certain events that created a unique moment, then we may be able to stand back and review our world now and look to see which events are occurring that may create thos unique moments when apparently seperate and disparate events collide to create the 'perfect' time for an event. Good or bad, small or large, beneficial or devastating. Perhaps in recognising the cusp when all things collude to create those moments we can adjust our attitudes and our outlook to accomodate them.
If we put to much distance between subjects then the connections are not made. The sociological history of victorian is linked to the technological history, which in turn is linked to scientific history, Which I think is the point that we hoped to make. One did not happen without the other.
I gained, not just a knowledge but an understanding through this presentation...so although it was scary, the process was really useful. I hope that I can use that in the coming semester.
Thanks everyone
Polly X
Pauline
Thursday, 13 December 2007
Wednesday, 12 December 2007
Victorian education
In 1860, 20 years before the ripper murders, the government began to take interest in secondary school eduction in England and Wales.
In 1861 a Royal commission under Lord Clarendon was appointed to inquire into the opening of nine schools, classified as public schools.
This was followed on by a second commission by Lord Tauton which inquired inquired into grammar schools and secondary schools.
The two commissions were the first evidence for classical education in Victorian Britain.
Grammar schools had ceased to play any important part in the life of the country, so pupils attending these schools were not awear of the white chapel murders, due to the luck of general knowledge as part of an education system.
Despite, the luck of technology, pupils were to attend school and return to there domes or return home to house work.
The education consisted of, conventional teaching fro out of date grammar books.
Only boys were expected to attend and , any if a few boys, would get anything out of the classical education, which was all that was provided.
The highest class read aloud the begging of Latin grammar without having known the meaning, just to satisfy the founders.
The main universities at the time were, Oxford and Cambridge...
Students learnt that a degree was not only for private ambition, but also for public good.
Victorian educators advocated to pupils that, high places were reserved for the educated to fulfil the duties of leadership.
This enables students to find justification through good works, of history of Europe, philosophy and languages, which were the main literacy.
History promised to cultivate the best qualities for those who studied it, the subject recorded, that the selfish suffered and lost.
This illustrated that educated people were the borgoursie of the eighteenth century and the poor always suffered because, they were force to do labour jobs, or prostitution.
The twenty first century, saw a different approach to education, students are given a curriculum that explores all aspects of society whether it is history or sociology.
The Victorians were in small societies, that were reserved and never rejoiced or spoke of things ad quaint from society, for example murder.
Today society is bombarded with so much information that everything is worth studying.
The governmenthave introduced a video conference for students at key stage 4, between the age of 13 - 14 years old.
The conference is designed for students on the Edxcelle GCSE course work option, 'jack the ripper'.
The study consists of a study of original correspondence take from the metrotian police letter books and jack the ripper letters, held at national archives.
students are to investigate why the police didn't catch the murderer.
http://www.learnigcurve.govuk/workshops/jacktheripper.htm learn more about thr ripper conference for GCSE students.
http://www.victorianweb.org/history/education/london
additional imformation on vi
ctroian education.
In 1861 a Royal commission under Lord Clarendon was appointed to inquire into the opening of nine schools, classified as public schools.
This was followed on by a second commission by Lord Tauton which inquired inquired into grammar schools and secondary schools.
The two commissions were the first evidence for classical education in Victorian Britain.
Grammar schools had ceased to play any important part in the life of the country, so pupils attending these schools were not awear of the white chapel murders, due to the luck of general knowledge as part of an education system.
Despite, the luck of technology, pupils were to attend school and return to there domes or return home to house work.
The education consisted of, conventional teaching fro out of date grammar books.
Only boys were expected to attend and , any if a few boys, would get anything out of the classical education, which was all that was provided.
The highest class read aloud the begging of Latin grammar without having known the meaning, just to satisfy the founders.
The main universities at the time were, Oxford and Cambridge...
Students learnt that a degree was not only for private ambition, but also for public good.
Victorian educators advocated to pupils that, high places were reserved for the educated to fulfil the duties of leadership.
This enables students to find justification through good works, of history of Europe, philosophy and languages, which were the main literacy.
History promised to cultivate the best qualities for those who studied it, the subject recorded, that the selfish suffered and lost.
This illustrated that educated people were the borgoursie of the eighteenth century and the poor always suffered because, they were force to do labour jobs, or prostitution.
The twenty first century, saw a different approach to education, students are given a curriculum that explores all aspects of society whether it is history or sociology.
The Victorians were in small societies, that were reserved and never rejoiced or spoke of things ad quaint from society, for example murder.
Today society is bombarded with so much information that everything is worth studying.
The governmenthave introduced a video conference for students at key stage 4, between the age of 13 - 14 years old.
The conference is designed for students on the Edxcelle GCSE course work option, 'jack the ripper'.
The study consists of a study of original correspondence take from the metrotian police letter books and jack the ripper letters, held at national archives.
students are to investigate why the police didn't catch the murderer.
http://www.learnigcurve.govuk/workshops/jacktheripper.htm learn more about thr ripper conference for GCSE students.
http://www.victorianweb.org/history/education/london
additional imformation on vi
ctroian education. posted by Barbara namulondo, aka jack the rippest x
Thursday, 6 December 2007
Photography
Photography was still in its relative infancy during the investigation of the Whitechapel murders.
Although the police used photography, it was only Mary Kelly who was actually photographed at the scene of the crime. The others were photographed once their bodies had been removed to the mortuary and cleaned up.
This was likely because the other 4 women were murdered in the street and the bodies were removed quickly to prevent the preying eyes of the public - which the use of the large camera would inevitably prevent.
Patricia Cornwell states:
Mortuary photographs were made with a big wooden box camera that could shoot only directly ahead… the camera could not be pointed down or at an angle.
Without the graphic and disturbing photographic evidence of the killer’s crimes, it is unlikely the mystery of the ‘Jack the Ripper’ would continue to fascinate people today.
Photographs from 'Casebook' website: http://photos.casebook.org/index.php?cat=19
Claire
Newspapers / Press
‘Jack the Ripper’s’ murders took place at a time when there was a lot of social change and immense growth within the press industry. The number of newspapers grew from a mere 14 to 168 papers throughout the UK – contributing to the publicity of the ‘Ripper’ murders.
Even at an early stage the newspapers were carrying theories as to the identity of the killer, including doctors, slaughterers, sailors, and lunatics of every description - fuelling the sensationalism of the murders.
Some papers became more popular. For instance ‘The Star’ really took off after its coverage of the crimes.
On September 4, 1888 - 4 days after the first murder of Polly Nichols - initial press reports of a ‘Ghastly Murder’ and a man named 'Leather Apron' appeared in the press
Each day newspapers chronicled the activities of the Ripper as well as inquiry results and actions taken by the police - according to the Ripper casebook it is reported that over 291 different newspapers throughout the world carried regular updates about the Whitechapel murders.
In the book ‘Jack the Ripper and the London Press’ author Perry Curtis suggests that “journalists played on the fears of readers about law and order by dwelling on lethal violence rather than sex, offering gruesome details about knife injuries but often withholding some of the more intimate details of the pelvic mutilations.” He also considers how the Ripper news affected public perceptions of social conditions in Whitechapel.
Even the feelings of the people living in the East End, and editorials that attacked the various establishments of Society appeared for both the people of London and the whole world to read.
Popular and lengthy inquests held on the victims by Coroner Wynne Baxter fuelled the press coverage to fever pitch – making the series of murders a ‘new thing’, something that the world had never known before and this could be argued as the beginning of “sensationalist” tabloid journalism.
The press was also partly responsible for creating many myths surrounding the Ripper and firmly established him as one of the most unlikely romantic figures in history.
Press reports from casebook: www.casebook.org/press_reports
Letters from Jack
Throughout the time of the murders, police and the local press received 100s of letters.The name ‘Jack the Ripper’ was first signed in the ‘Dear Boss’ letter dated September 25 - written in red ink it was received on the 27 by the Central News agency, supposedly from the killer himself.
On October 1 1888, the morning issue of the Daily News first printed the text of the ‘Dear Boss’ letter.
The ‘Saucy Jack’ postcard marked October 1 followed. Also written in red ink and referring to both a "double event" and the first letter it was thought by police to have come from the same source.
It is possible the Whitechapel Murderer may have written them but there is no evidence and police seemed convinced they were the work of a London journalist.
Jack the Ripper letters from casebook: www.casebook.org/ripper_letters
Claire
Sunday, 2 December 2007
was jack the ripper an American doctor called Tumlety
unidentified suspect.
These were the four main recorderd suspects from the ripper case at metropolitan police history website.
In 1888, ex-Detective Chief lspector John George Littlechild. He confided his thoughts in a letter dated 23 September, 1913, to the criminological journalist and author George R Sims.
A documentry video called the 'white chapel murders', Potrayed inspecter Littlechild as a hero who revealed the name of the final and most suspected serial murderer of the east end murders.
The video speaks of the outstanding evidence linking Tumblety to the first and second murders.
He was a borgus doctor, who practiced back street abortions. He fitted, the identy of a man who decieved people through his charm and cunning manour.
For example, gold rings, clock, hat.
He was sited by his land lady to be wearing a bloody shirt and having disappeared a numerous of times after being arrested and released on bail.
The video explains, why it was okay for the police to cover up there mistakes arresting Tumblety and loosing him before there could charge him.
It is not conformed whether Tumblety was responsible for the murders, but history records him as the biggest suspect at the time.
- Kosminski, a poor Polish Jew resident in Whitechapel;
- Montague John Druitt, a 31 year old barrister and school teacher who committed suicide in December 1888;
- Michael Ostrog, a Russian-born multi-pseudonymous thief and confidence trickster, believed to be 55 years old in 1888, and detained in asylums on several occasions;
- Dr Francis J. Tumblety, 56 Years old, an American 'quack' doctor, who was arrested in November 1888 for offences of gross indecency, and fled the country later the same month, having obtained bail at a very high price.
Stuff For Presentation
Hey All,
This is what I was gonna say during the presentation, In the meeting tomorrow let me know how to shorten it as I think its to long at the moment
Slide 1
This is what I was gonna say during the presentation, In the meeting tomorrow let me know how to shorten it as I think its to long at the moment
Slide 1
- "The upper class would earn £30,000 where as the lower class would earn £25, however this was not guarenteed"
- "The Gin Palace were a haven for the lowerclass compared to their homes"
- And the contagious disease act was very gender and class bias
Slide 2
- On average proffesional men and their families would live an extra 39 years than the lower class
- "1000 less upperclass people died than the lower class in one year"
- "The age of the Ripper victims were 44,48,45,46 and 25 respectivley"
Slide 3
- "The Police force was established in 1829"
- There was a lot of dicsiplinery problems with 238 men released in 1847"
- "Springheeled Jack was a precursor to Jack the Ripper and like the Ripper the perpertrator was not discoverd"
Slide 4
- "Division H was the White Chappel Division which is where the Ripper Killings took place"
- "In 1857 there were 1803 Prostitutes in the H division"
- In 1888 there were 548 Police officers in the H division.
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