Studied by 2 people
What was Whitechapel’s housing like?
Over-crowded, over-populated and chaotic
What were rookeries?
Areas that were densely over-populated areas filled with lodging houses
What were temporary homes?
Homes paid on a weekly basis, in which entire families lived in one room
What is slum living?
Multiple families living one building, sharing facilities
Why was Whitechapel a hotspot for crime?
It was densely populated and hard to navigate enabling criminals to evade detection.
What was a Workhouse?
Free homes for people, mostly elderly and ill, who could not work any longer. It was separated by age and gender.
What were rules in the Workhouse?
Curfews of when you could sleep, eat and wake
Expected to complete tasks in return for your boards
What was a Casual Ward?
Free homes for a night accompanied by 400 other people
What were rules in the Casual Ward?
Worked for what you had already received by Oakham picking or working in the infirmary and in the kitchens
What was the Doss House?
4d for sleeping on a uncomfortable bed, if you could afford you would sleep on the ropes for the night.
What did George Peabody do?
In 1881, he built 286 flats for Whitechapel residents.
What were the flats like?
Surrounded by yard for ventilation
Built from brick and unplastered to stop damp and lice
Shared bathrooms and kitchens
Why did Peabody Estate fail?
Rents were too high and they were evicted if they couldn’t afford
Who was Charles Booth?
Businessman and social reformer
What did Charles Booth do?
Created maps highlighting the situation of poverty in Whitechapel
What did the maps do?
Influenced government policy makers
Why was alcohol popular in Whitechapel?
Helped to cope the pressures of life leading to people becoming dependent
How did the rise of alcohol affect crime?
Resorted to alcohol to fund their needs and left them vulnerable to crime
Why was Whitechapel popular for Immigrants?
There was lots of places to sleep and offering work
Where did Immigrants work?
Tanneries (leather houses), Sweatshops, Slaughter houses and butchers
Why did Russian Jews immigrate?
The death of the Tsar made them vulnerable to persecution
Why were Russian Jews targeted?
Language barriers and religious rituals made them susceptible to prejudice.
Why did Irish people immigrate?
Opportunities for employment
Why did many women become prostitutes?
Extreme poverty meant it was not a choice but a necessity
How did Alcohol affect Prostitution?
Their dependence on alcohol lead them needing to fund their addiction
Why was Prostituition dangerous?
Made women vulnerable to crime like the victims of Jack the Ripper
Why were Irish immigrants targeted?
Roman Catholic beliefs and because they wanted separation from Britain
What were Irish Fenian Groups?
Groups campaigning for the separation of Ireland and Britain
How did the Fenian’s attack?
Bombs and explosions
Why were Russian Jews targeted by gangs?
They already feared authorities and were unlikely to challenge them
When was the Metropolitan Police force established?
1829
Where did the H division control?
Whitechapel
How many police covered Whitechapel?
500 police
Who was Edmund Henderson?
Commissioner responsible for increasing literacy standards, reduction of military presence and permitted beards
Why was CID formed?
1878 scandal in detective force.
What was Charles Warren’s aims?
Raise standards and reverse some of Henderson changes
What did use of army technique do to the police force?
Made the police look like it was becoming more of an army
What were standards of the police?
21-32
5’9” and above
2 children
No business or trade and neither should wife
Reading and write legibly
Fit
What did the Police wear?
Woollen trousers and jackets
Top hat until 1863 replaced by helmet
Oil lamp, handcuffs, truncheon and whistle
What was a beat?
Timed and officers patrolling specific area was to prevent and tackle crime
What were beat routes?
Particular points at certain times to ensure safety and it was varied to stop criminals predicting their whereabouts
How did police try and track down Jack the Ripper?
Crime Scene photography
Sketches
Autopsies- helped construct a profile
Witness statements- could be unreliable
Why were alleyways a challenge?
Mazes and majority of people lived in tenement buildings providing shelter for criminals
Why was the population transient?
They moved around from place to place and doss houses didn’t keep records of people sleeping there
How was the media a challenge to the Police?
Newspaper glorified the stories, cartoon made the police look incompetent, interviews gave lurid stories and published fake letters as Jack the Ripper
What was the Vigilance Comittee?
Established by George Lusk to took matters into their own hands. Hired PI and rewards for information, but were often given false information
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Flashcard (245)