For centuries the East End had been a great melting pot, and until this massive flood of immigrants it had dealt well with incomers, but now it was stretched to breaking point, and anyone who could afford to move away did, leaving a population who were, by and large, scraping by. Survival was the key, food and lodging the most…
The man who claims to have identified the real name of Jack The Ripper has visited Shropshire as part of his research into one of the killer’s victims. Jack The Ripper killed at least five women in the East End of London during the “autumn of terror” of 1888. Russell Edwards hit the headlines last…
The foundation stone for Leavesden Asylum was laid on 31st October 1868 by the Chairman of the Management Committee, William Henry Wyatt, J.P. The first patients were not admitted until 9th October 1870, the same date as the opening of Caterham Asylum. Both Asylums were built and run by the recently constituted Metropolitan Asylums Board…
Aaron Kosminski was registered at Leavesden Asylum Hospital on the 19th April 1894. The following are the details of his admission; Registered No. Of Admission: 7367 Name: Kozminksi Aaron Date of Admission: 19th April 1894 Age: 29 Parish: Mile End Married, Single, or Widowed: left blank Previous Occupation: Hairdresser Religion: Jew When and where under…
A week before the 7th February 1891, Aaron Kosminski was sent to Mile End Workhouse shortly after the attack on his own sister with a knife. He was then sent to Colney Hatch Asylum suffering with a form of disorder diagnosed at the time known as mania. No member of his family challenged this decision…
The first, who is formally acknowledged as being one of the Jack the Ripper’s victims, was a woman by the name of Mary Ann Nichols commonly known as, “Polly Nichols”. She was regarded as an unfortunate, a prostitute, who lived in the Whitechapel area. William Nichols, lived in Coburn Street and worked as a Printer…
