Explore JTR - Time Lines Annie Chapman The Second Canonical Victim

---

[Sep 1841-May 1888] [May-Sep 1888] [7-8 Sep 1888] [9-26 Sep 1888] [Discovery of Body] [Body in Situ] [Description of Annie] [Possessions] [Autopsy] [Funeral] [Death Certificate] [Inquest - Day 1] [Inquest - Day 2] [Inquest - Day 3] [Inquest - Day 4] [Inquest - Last Day] [Hanbury Street] [References]

---

SEP 1841

Annie was born in Paddington as Eliza Anne Smith.¹

1842

Annie's parents, George Smith and Ruth Chapman, married.²

1856

The Smith family moved to Windsor.³

MAY 1, 1869

Annie married a relative of her mother, John Chapman, at All Saints Church, Knightsbridge. Annie and John lived at 29 Montpelier Plc, Brompton.⁴

1870

Annie and John lived in 1 Brook Mews, Bayswater while John worked as a Domestic Head Coachman.⁵

Annie and John's first daughter, Emily Ruth, was born.⁶

1873

Annie and John then relocated to 17 South Bruton Mews, Berkley Sq.⁷

Annie and John had a second daughter, Annie Georgia.⁸

1881

Annie and John moved from West London to Windsor. John worked for a farm bailiff, Josiah Weeks. (John allegedly lost his gentleman's valet job due to Annie's dishonesty.)⁹

Annie and John had their only son, John Jr, (John Jr, a cripple, was supposedly in the care of a charitable school).¹⁰

1882

Annie left her family, returned to London, and earned money by selling matches, crochet work, flowers, and occasionally herself, sometimes living off the income of her male friends.¹¹

Emily Ruth died of meningitis.¹²

John provided Annie a regularly paid allowance of 10/ (50p) a week by postal order and was payable to the Commercial St Post Office.¹³

1886

Annie lived with Jack Sivvey in Dorset St and became known as Mrs Sievey.¹⁴

Ted Stanley lived at 1 Osborne Plc, Osborne St.¹⁵

John died at the age of 44 on Christmas Day from cirrhosis of the liver, ascite, and dropsy, while living at 1 Richmond Village, Grove Rd, Windsor.¹⁶

Sivvey left Annie and moved to Notting Hill.¹⁷

[Back to the Top]

Hanbury St curves south-east from Commercial St to the junction of Baker's Row and Old Montague St. #29 was on the North side of the street, between Wilkes St & Brick Ln. 27 Hanbury St was next door on the West side of #29.³⁵
click [here] for area map.

29 Hanbury St, a 3-story building with residents living on each of the three floors and in the attic with a small business on the ground floor and one working out of the cellar. On the left-hand side of the buildings' front was two doors: the door on the right led to the shop. The door on the left opened to a passageway containing stairs to the residences and another door leading to the backyard.³⁶

#29 was owned by Mrs Amelia Richardson, who ran a packing case business out of the cellar and was assisted by Francis Tyler and her son, John Richardson. A cat's meat shop was in the ground floor front room and was used by Mrs Harriet Hardyman and her 16 year old son. The ground floor back room was a kitchen. Mrs Richardson and her 14 year old grandson slept in the first floor front room. The first floor back room was occupied by Mr Waker and his adult, retarded son. Mr Thompson, his wife, and their adopted daughter slept in the second floor front room. Two unmarried sisters, Misses Copsey, lived in the second floor back room. Living in the front room of the attic was John Davis with his wife and three sons, and occupying the attic's back room was Mrs Sarah Cox.³⁷

The passageway was sometimes occupied by unknown people at unusual hours, and the backyard was frequented by prostitutes. The door to the street was a latch-type, and the door to the yard was self-closing or swing-door. Typically, neither door was locked as a courtesy to the residents.³⁸

Three small stone steps led to the yard, which was about 14' x 12'. The yard was part dirt and part paving stone. About 3' to 3'-6", left of the doorway, was a 5'-6" high fence made of wooden pailings, separating the yards of #27 & #29. To the right of the doorway, were cellar doors, which led to a workshop. Two feet away, on the right, was a water pump. At the yard's far left corner was a storage shed, and at the far right corner was a privy.³⁹
click [here] for virtual scene 1 of backyard. click [here] for virtual scene 2 of backyard.

Annie was lying on her back, parallel with the fence, which was to her left; Her head was about 2' from the back wall and 6"-9" left of the bottom step; Her legs were bent at the knees; Her feet were flat on the ground, pointing toward the shed; Her dress was pushed above her knees; Her left arm lay across her left breast; Her right arm at her side; The small intestines, still attached by a cord, and part of the abdomen lay above her right shoulder; 2 flaps of skin from the lower abdomen lay in a large quantity of blood above the left shoulder; Her throat was deeply cut in a jagged manner; A neckerchief was around her neck.⁶¹

Estimated time of death was viewed as c.4:30am; The face was swollen and turned to her right side; The tounge was very swollen, protruding between the front teeth but not the lips; The limbs were not very stiff but rigor mortis was commencing; The throat was deeply severed by a jagged incisions which reached right around the neck; The body was cold, but heat remained in the body under the intestines.⁷⁵

A black figured jacket, which came down to the knees and was hooked at the top and buttoned down the front, with 2 or 3 spots of blood on the left sleeve but stained with blood (inside and out) about the neck ; A long black skirt with very little blood "on the outside, at the back, as if she had been lying in it;" An old and dirty pair of lace boots; 2 bodices, one of which was brown, both stained about the neck with blood; 2 petticoats (at least one was striped) which were stained very little; Stockings with no trace of blood on them; A white cotton handkerchief with a broad red border was tied about the neck; A large pocket was under the skirt and tied about the waist. It was empty, but was torn down the side and down the front; The rest of the clothes were neither cut nor torn.

5'-0"; Stout (plump); Dark wavy brown hair; Blue eyes; A large thick nose; Fair complexion; Well proportioned; 2 teeth missing from the lower jaw.⁸⁴

Bruise over the right temple (old); 2 man's thumb-sized bruises on top forepart of chest (old); 3 scratches below the lower left jaw, 1 1/2"-2" below left ear lobe, going in opposite direction of throat wounds (recent); Bruise on right cheek -recent; Bruise corresponding with the scratches -recent; Abrasion on head of proximal phalanx of ring finger; Marks of rings on same finger; Upper eyelid bruised; Limbs very stiff, but left side more stiff than right side; Bruise on middle part of bone of right hand; Scar on left of frontal bone (old); Fingers of left hand partly closed; Little food in stomach; No sign of fluid; No sign of alcohol consumption; Lungs diseased; Brain membranes diseased; Signs of deprivation; Front teeth perfect on top and bottom as far as the first molar; The shortest throat incision ran from the front of the throat and terminated on the right side between the lower jaw and the breast bone; The longest throat incision completely encircled the throat, running along the line of the jaw; The incisions ran from victim's left to right; 2 clean and distinct cuts on the left side of the spine which were parallel to each other and were 1/2" apart; Missing were the womb, upper part of vagina, greater part of bladder, and part of the belly wall that included the navel.⁹³

Coroner Baxter conducted the inquest at the Working Lad's Institute. The jury viewed the corpse at the mortuary in Montague St.⁹⁹

Witnesses:

John Davis¹⁰⁰

Amelia Palmer¹⁰¹

Timothy Donovan¹⁰²

John Evans¹⁰³

The Police were represented by Insp Abberline and Insp Helson.¹¹⁰

Witnesses:

Fontain Smith¹¹¹

James Kent¹¹²

James Green¹¹³

Mrs Amelia Richardson¹¹⁴

Mrs Harriett Hardyman¹¹⁵

John Richardson¹¹⁶

Mrs Richardson (recalled)¹¹⁷

John Pizer¹¹⁸

Sgt Thick¹¹⁹

John Richardson (recalled)¹²⁰

Henry John Holland¹²¹

On behalf of CID, Insp Abberline, Insp Helson, and Insp Chandler observed the inquest.¹²⁴

Witnesses:

Insp Chandler.¹²⁵

Sgt Badham¹²⁶

Insp Chandler (recalled)¹²⁷

Timothy Donovan (recalled)¹²⁸

Dr Phillips¹²⁹

Sarah Simonds¹³⁰

Witnesses:

Eliza Cooper¹³⁷

Dr Phillips (recalled)¹³⁸

Mrs Elizabeth Long¹³⁹

Edward Stanley¹⁴⁰

Timothy Donovan (recalled)¹⁴¹

Albert Cadoche¹⁴²

William Stevens¹⁴³

The Coroner inquired if there was any further evidence to be adduced.
Insp Chandler replied in the negative.¹⁴⁶

The Coroner presented his summation.¹⁴⁷

It is true that enquiries were made at one or two medical schools early last year by a foreign physician, who was "spending some time in London, as to the possibility of securing certain parts of the body for the purpose of scientific investigation." No large sum, however, was offered. The person in question was a physician of the highest reputability and exceedingly well accredited to this country by the best authorities in his own, and he left London fully 18 months ago. There was never any real foundation for the hypothesis, and the information communicated, which was not at all of the nature the public has been led to believe, was due to the erroneous interpretation by a minor official of a question which he had overheard and to which a negative reply was given. This theory may be dismissed, and is, we believe, no longer entertained by its author.¹⁴⁹

References

The following abbreviations apply:
MEPO=Scotland Yard files, HO=Home Officie files
DT=The Daily Telegraph, T=The Times, IPN=The Illustrated Police News, ELA=The East London Advertiser,
S=The Star, LPD=The Liverpool Daily Post, SCCE=The Suffolk Chronicle and County Express
A-Z=The Jack the Rippper A to Z, 2nd ed, (Begg, Fido, Skinner),
JTRUF=Jack the Ripper: The Uncensored Facts (Begg),
CHJTR=The Complete History of Jack the Ripper (Sudgen),
JTRCC=Jack the Ripper: The Complete Casebook, US ed (Rumbelow)

Many THANKS to the people who have contributed to this page:
Chapman image Courtesy of Stewart P. Evans.
Geographical assistance Courtesy of The Viper.

[Back to the Top]