Whitechapel 7
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Whitechapel 7 In this session we will- Know the story of five women from Whitechapel ‘The Five’ by Hallie Rubenhold I wish to retrace the footsteps of five women, to consider their experiences within the context of the era, and to follow their paths through both the gloom and the light…They were children who cried for their mothers; they were young women who fell in love; they endured childbirth and the deaths of their parents; they laughed and celebrated Christmas. They argued with their siblings, they wept, they dreamed, they hurt and they enjoyed small triumphs…It is for them that I write this book. Family Born to parents Edward and Caroline Mary Ann ‘Polly’ Nichols Walker th st The middle child and only daughter. 26 August 1845 – 31 August 1888 Father was a blacksmith By 1854 her mother and younger Alone Education brother had died of tuberculosis Polly got an unofficial separation from Unusually for her Polly looked after her father and William with the help of the workhouse. gender and class brother after the death of her mother. William, it was ruled, should pay Polly a Polly attended weekly sum of 5 shillings. This would not school until she was Marriage have been the case if the workhouse 15 and could read 16th January 1864 Polly, age 18, married believed her to be a drunk as William and write. William Nichols, age 22, a printer. claimed. 8th Sept 1888 The Peabody Estate Instead of returning to her father and Illustrated Police Designed for the ‘most deserving of the brother Polly struck out on her own. Reputation News working poor’ William and Polly were Work Ellen Holland, a accepted as tenants after writing a letter of Polly could not afford to live on 5 shillings, friend of Polly’s, application, being visited by the Peabody jobs for working class women paid was questioned at trustees, providing proof of smallpox pittance for 70+ hours work per week. the coroners Polly and William’s inoculation, and shown to be sober and Eventually William stopped paying her the inquest as to children: lawful. allowance as he cited that she was in a whether Polly had William Edward - relationship with another man. The Peabody estate would have been the been a prostitute. 1864 (died 1866) nicest place Polly had lived. They had to Workhouses Ellen denied this When she lacked money for a room Polly Edward John - 1866 adhere to strict rules about being clean and clearly more than George Percy -1868 tidy. Breaking any rules would result in would go to the workhouses. This would once. As did her eviction have been deeply unpleasant and she father and husband. Alice Esther - 1870 likely was ashamed. Eliza Sarah - 1876 Marriage breakdown To avoid this she would also sleep rough. Henry Alfred - 1878 29th March 1880 Polly left her husband and children. Her father stated that William was having an affair with Rosetta Walls, the next Alcohol door neighbour, and had turned nasty. While she may not have been a William stated it was because Polly was drunk when her husband claimed, Coroner recorded profession on death drinking. William and Rosetta left Peabody she did start to drink, which lost certificate: so they could live as man and wife and had a her a job as a servant. ‘Wife of William Nichols, Printing Machinist’ child of their own. Family Father, George Smith, was in the Annie Chapman military in the 2nd regiment of the Life th Guards who would guard the monarch September 1841 - 8 September1888 against crowds. Work Education Mother, Ruth Chapman was a servant. By 1861 Annie was a housemaid, as was Annie attended the Annie was born out of wedlock, but common among women of her age. She regimental school at George was given permission to marry would have had a room of her own, worked the barracks. She by the military later the same year long hours and only had a day or half a day would have been able Annie had 6 siblings, all younger. 4 off each month which made visiting her to read and write and died in childhood. The family moved family difficult. experienced a higher around when George was posted to quality of education different areas, living in or near Alcohol than most of her barracks which were unhygienic, damp Annie’s father had been an alcoholic and according working class peers. Annie, 1869 around and cramped. to her sister Annie ‘inherited the curse’. It is likely the time of her George was promoted and became a that Annie started to drink more after marriage wedding when she had free time. Annie had a child with high ranking servant when he retired Annie and John’s foetal alcohol syndrome and more than one baby from the army. He committed suicide children that died young, possibly linked to drinking. After he in 1863. In order to keep a roof over Reputation Emily Ruth daughter Emily died Annie developed a reputation her families head Ruth invested the There is no Chapman, 25 June for drunkenness, which eventually led to John’s last of George’s pay into renting a evidence Annie 1870 (died age 12 employer making it clear that she could not stay on house and taking lodgers was ever a meningitis) his property. John and Annie decided to separate so prostitute, she Annie Georgina he didn’t lose his job. crocheted and Marriage Chapman, 5 June sold matches to John Chapman was a lodger at Annie’s Whitechapel 1873 mothers house. They married in 1869 John paid Annie 10 shillings a week with the earn money. when Annie was 27. John was a expectation she would live with family. But her She was very John Alfred gentleman's coachman, driving horse alcoholism meant that this was not possible. John unwell at the Chapman, 21 and carriage for his employer. This was died and Annie was distraught. The loss of money also time of her November 1880 murder. a job quite high on the hierarchy of made her choices of accommodation much worse. (disabled and servants and as a result the couple had She took up with Edward Stanley and they would needed specialist nice rooms by the stables on their share a room in a lodging house over the weekends care) employers land. Annie rose to the and get drunk. She was not known to see any other Coroner recorded profession on position of lower middle class, having a men at this time and wore rings to give the impression death certificate: day maid to help in the house and her she was married. She would sleep rough on nights she ‘Widow of John Chapman, a children were educated. could not afford lodging houses. coachman’ Family Elizabeth Stride Born in Torslanda, Sweden. She was th th the daughter of a Swedish farmer, 27 November 1843 – 30 Gustaf Ericsson, and his wife, Beata Carlsdotter. She had an older sister September 1888 and two younger brothers. Just Marriage Michael Kidney before she turned seventeen she In March 1869 she married John After John’s death Elizabeth moved to the city of Gothenburg to Thomas Stride, a ship's carpenter took up with the dock worker seek employment as a servant from Sheerness who was 13 years her Michael Kidney. They did not senior. They opened a coffee house have a happy relationship. together, but went out of business. In Both drank heavily and Kidney Pregnancy 1877 the couple separated for a time was violent towards her. It is Illustrated Police In 1865 Elizabeth was pregnant with and she was picked up by the police also likely that relationship News 6th October an illegitimate child. Nothing about for vagrancy and taken to a problems came from Kidney’s 1888 the father is known. Elizabeth was workhouse. After this the couple were infidelity – he caught syphilis placed on a police register for reconciled temporarily, splitting up for but Elizabeth would no longer Education prostitution. She was found to have good in 1881. have been contagious. Limited – could syphilis and the 19th century ‘cure’ Making a living in London not read and in unhygienic wards caused the When John was unable to bring in write. Her miscarriage of her child. enough money Elizabeth used her Reputation parents focused wits to make money – she claimed From 1886 – death Elizabeth’s on teaching her Work in Sweden to be a survivor of a recent, behaviour seems to have how to run a Upon arriving in Gothenburg Elizabeth devastating ship sinking where over changed dramatically. With farm and house. found work as a servant, but left for 600 people died. She claimed her several arrests for drunk and After moving to reasons unknown in Feb 1864. She husband and children had perished disorderly behaviour and England she continued to describe herself as a and appealed for charity. She also obscene language. One spoke English so servant. After her miscarriage she found pretended to be a woman's possibility is that the syphilis she well people work again as a servant in Gothenburg estranged sister so the woman caught 20 years ago was in the didn’t realise before taking an opportunity to leave would occasionally give her money final stages, where it attacks the she was not Sweden for London and escape her brain and nervous system native. reputation as a fallen woman. Prostitution in London In October 1884 John Stride died. The Coroner recorded profession on death London next month Elizabeth was arrested for drunk and disorderly behaviour and certificate: Moved to London in 1866 soliciting.