What Was It Like To Live In Mary Kelly's Room After Her Murder?
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- In this video we hear from those people who came to live in Mary Kelly's room, 13 Miller's Court, in the years after her murder there on the 9th of November, 1888.
Reporters from newspapers in the UK and America, as well as several authors, were fascinated by what it must have been like to live in the very room inside which Jack the Ripper carried out his most gruesome atrocity.
Consequently, at various stages between 1888 and 1928, when Miller's Court was demolished, newspaper articles appeared for which various journalists had visited the room to interview the tenants.
Allowing for embellishment - both by the residents and by the reporters - those articles provide an intriguing glimpse into life at 13 Miller's Court after the murder had taken place there.
My Nanna was born in 1898 in that area and said that people were fearful still about the Ripper because they never caught him. We are still talking about him all these years after the event. People do love a mystery!
Very interesting. I've never heard any of this information before. The idea that subsequent tenants not only lived there with the gore from the murder still around them, but even capitalised on it just goes to show how dark life must have been for people on the edge of society in those days.
Oh I’m pretty sure that some people of today would pay a lot of money to sleep in this room, if they had the chance..so, nothing have changed much
Life was cheap then, so, when a room was available it was rented out, even today , people have been murdered/ died in houses/ hotels etc..I lived in a place where it was built on a plague pit, scottish battle with the English..
@@colincharlton9339
As we can see, life is cheap now. More people than ever swarming this planet and nothing has changed.
@@colincharlton9339Life was cheap then ? Most of them lived in squalor or were begging on the streets. And the conditions they lived and worked in was atrocious. Children at very young age were doing countless hours in awful surroundings. No health & safety why so many died at work. And diseases were no escape for anybody. I for one am glad I wasn't around then.
Still today .Mankind is Garbage
My late father as a boy in the 1930’s, used to travel on the train from Birmingham to London to visit his grandmother who lived in the Whitechapel area and he would often say how it looked exactly the same as it did in the 1880’s. He said it would give him the creeps with the stone cobbled streets and dimly lit alleyways, and he could imagine Jack The Ripper still getting around.
Maybe your great grandmother was Jack the Ripper. The age fits
Another outstanding job. Mr. Jones has the most comforting and warm voice. Best narrator I’ve ever heard. He needs to do more. A true talent.
His voice is like a fine cider consumed on a lazy summers day while watching a game of cricket 🏏
I agree, wonderful voice with a soothing cadence!!
He could easily slip into Thomas the Tank Engine narration 😅
It's not AI ? I thought it's all AI now...
@@wattyler2994 Well put!
I went on a Jack the Ripper tour in London recently. The guide told us how the young girls would come from Ireland to try and get a job in London to send money home to their families. A gang would pick them up as soon as they arrived and move them into a block of grotty flats where they housed all the girls. Then they made them be prostitutes. They never let them keep the money and couldn’t get a boat back home. It was horrendous what happened to them.
Yes, sex trafficking has probably existed since humans first lived. It's said prostitution is the world's oldest profession.
@@bilindalaw-morley161 but it should be "world's oldest form of slavery"
Love your videos!
I live in Whitechapel and I often walk in the footsteps of these ladies. Still gives me chills every time, can’t help but try to recreate what these places looked like in 1888 in my head
I am jealous!
Me too! That’s so cool!
😮😮
A lot of the time you just have to look up above the shop fronts to see a lot of the buildings which were around back then.
I was last there in 2014, and I wish I had taken the tour from Mr. Jones' company. I did take another one, which seemed fine at the time. But having learned since of the places that we were not taken to- and I was staying right in the heart of it- I wish I had done more research. So much has changed even since 2014, such as Mitre Square, the new building over Dorset Street and the new station at the former Bucks Row. We were not told nearly enough detail, yet there was so much more I could have seen had I known where to look. My own fault, really.
I love the terms “crone” and “old hag” used to describe a desperately poor old woman, who was trying to make a few extra shillings from exhibiting a murder scene. If the writer had visited a stately home, and its occupant, a dowager duchess, had shown him a place where one of her illustrious ancestors had, say, been stabbed to death, I doubt he would have been so dismissive and condemnatory.
I agree and would bet you are exactly right!
That's England all over for you and it's still like that to this day. Biggest thing holding this nation back is the class divider
The wealthy woman could afford clothes, food etc., that would have helped maintain her appearance, while the the poor could not, therefore, she looked like a crone/old hag. It will hold true today. I'm headed for "cronedom".😂
"Slatternly." I had to look that word up. The dialogue flows in this one, eh?
She could have been both of those things and it was an accurate description.
I had family that lived in East London during JTR’s murders. It must have been terrifying.
i mean, are you a prostitute? if not then you have nothing to be scared about
Until they flew to one of their colonies and became lord and ladies overnight .far cry from their 2 penny doss houses.....😂😂😂😂
Well, we all had ancestors living through dark times, innit' 😊
@@rodgerhargoon3402Wasn't how it worked. The rich established overseas plantations, and got even richer. Just like today !😊
@@rodgerhargoon3402Idiotic comment
Wow! What an interesting and sad story. I wasn’t surprised about 13 being empty for a time. But I thought it would have been at least painted by McCarthy. And the same bed?! But I’m not surprised some poor people decided they cared more about not being homeless than the stains on the wall. And managed to profit from it. Ghastly but smart. Great job on this Richard!
Forget the stains on the wall... Imagine that gross mattress.
I'm willing to bet that it was the same one.
I doubt it was the same bed, the landlord seemed a decent enough man. Delia Morris
@@nielszindel1151 Allegedly McCarthy burned the bed and otherwise destroyed the other furnishings in Mary Kelly's room. There was probably a feeling of tempting bad luck at making a profit from poor Mary's horrible end.
Poor Mary Kelly. I know some people think she was "just a prostitute " no loss no important.
Please remember those women were human beings. They were somebody's daughter, somebody's sister. Sometimes they were some one's wife or mother too. No one should die like that! It shouldn't be a form of amusement 😢
Spot on!
I saw a documentary once that interviewed some of the descendents of these women. And it really brought home that yes, they were actual women that had families, and had better lives than the ones they were living when they died. I believe that you can find some of their graves...if I ever get to England, I'd like to take flowers for them.
Jack was amused.
There's a book called The Five, about the women that were murdered by Jack the ripper, it's fascinating, highly recommend if you're a reader.
Absolutely agree. Who knows why she had to resort to prostitution....as many did. Someone loved Mary. I think we can all be respectful to the women murdered.
Imagine for a moment that 13 Miller’s Court had never been demolished and still stood today along with 29 Hanbury Street and Dutfield’s Yard. How much would you pay to visit these places if they had been kept and preserved as a memorial to these poor women? Probably wrong I know to profit from these gruesome murders, but I would pay good money to visit these places today and see them with my own eyes, my imagination alone doesn’t seem to be enough to satisfy my morbid fascination of these crimes.
Absolutely agree
Yes, I'm in New Zealand, but would make the trip, the fascination with Jack has been life long.
Yup,the Lizzie Borden house makes some pretty good money i'm sure.It's just fascinating being exactly where something happened a long time ago.
@@Idol76
Macabre but very true!
Million dollars
Outstanding! What I love about these postings is how they flesh out details and accounts that would otherwise be sadly forgotten. New detail is more satisfying than a rehash adding nothing. These posts are always rewarding. BRAVO!
My goodness I can almost smell the places you described them so well. TY
Excellent narration as we have come accustomed to. Thank you Mr. Jones.
I never heard the term 'Murderland' before. Ominous but quite befitting.
The critical point to take away from this, is that a lot of people tried to capitalize on the murder, both afterwards, and when the investigation was ongoing. It is crucial to keep that in mind, when evaluating every witness.
I'd agree even the very name and the letter from 'Jack the Ripper were created by the newspapers, nothing like sensationalism to generate sales. Equally the idea that all these women were prostitutes. Homeless alcoholics for sure, for instance Mary Chapman was an educated lady living on the Royal Windsor Estate with her own maid and carage. She had a loving husband, children but just couldn't fight her desire for drink, people forget they were human beings.
the Ripper never existed. It was a myth. The birth of the tabloid.
@@joycegibbs5267 Another Trump fan I see.
@@randymillhouse791rent free.. 😂
@@randymillhouse791 ypu people are so obsessed with Trump. 😂
I wonder if any subsequent tenants experienced any supernatural feelings or visions in the following years. Must have been a real nightmare for any unfortunate..
Why not, other hauntings have been caused by way less.
oh here we go, look if ghosts were real don't you thnk every single home would be haunted not a select few, murders have happened since 400 AD in Britain ..... thats alot of land with so called bad energy , yet everywhere i've been including so called haunted pubs has not felt any bad omen to me, paranoid people believe in ghosts
It was demolished
All I can say is that I hope she is at peace. RIP.
Strange thing to say
@@gowdsake7103 It isn't.
She's dead mate, I wouldn't worry. Hasn't felt anything for 140 years
" None but the lonely hearts can know my sadness,love lives forever " RIP beautiful Mary,may you will never be forgotten.
Bravo. You did a great job telling this story.
Outstanding work. Interesting about the bloodstained hand on the wall. Having seen the crime scene pictures there does seen to be a handprint on the wall.
The police would never miss a bloodied hand print. Later tenants could have smeared the room with anything and claimed, “There’s the blood of Mary Kelly.”
@@davekeating.That was my thoughts. A bit more interesting for their visitors than some faded blood stains.
Wonder if they collected any blood could probably trade relatives to JTR through DNA then work backwards to identify him
@@100Micklthey DID identify him. He was an Austrian Orthodox Jew and a butcher. A woman was found to be a familial match. She was horrified.
@@100Mickl they try every now and then, but I'm not sure how actually that can be possible.
Also, sometimes I'm not sure they wanted to find him.
This is one of my favourite videos you’ve released in a quite a while! Very interesting hearing a direct, on location report of what is now quite a mythical/mysterious place
Fantastic video, I was engrossed with the rather macabre history of Marie Kelly's house.
What a sad and miserable life, poor mary
This was extremely interesting - you never cease to amaze me with all the things you dig up! Lovely piece of historical documentation you’ve compiled. It really captures a picture of the place in the era.
Good to see you back Richard.. I had no idea how small Millers court was. I would need to walk sideways just to get in the court. That gives me perspective on the size of the actual room. It must have been smaller than a modern bedroom. People were passing within five ft of the body. Something I also find interesting is the fact that the public knew how valuable objects connected to Jack the Ripper and Millers court were. That gives me hope there is more Objects out there. I'm sure the objects were passed down by family. Until it reach someone that has no Idea what they have... Well I can hope.. Right?
You could be right
Great video, never heard that about the number 51 before, thanks for upload, quite fascinating.
These are some of the best videos on this case.
I find them so oddly comforting for some reason? Like listening to the news on the radio or tv as a kid..
In 1986 I moved into a bedsit in southampton not knowing that a young nurse had been strangled to death on the bed I ended up sleeping on for the next year...until I found out. Since then I have always been very careful about the history of where I live and morbidly fascinated about places where murders have been committed or people have committed suicide.
Did you ever get a strange feeling there, like there was a Presence there?
Fascinating to hear and see those contemporary photos and accounts.
Enjoyed this very much ! Thank you!
You posted this video late in the evening (GMT), and its title scared me too much for me to watch it then. I waited till this afternoon to watch the video. I cannot believe anyone could have been a tenant of the room!
Your safe😊I'm sure
Excellent watch. I really enjoyed it. Thankyou Richard
Wonderful video once again!
Thanks!
there was a lot of poverty in the UK at that time, you get a real feel for it with this vlog. loved every minute. thank you.
Thank you, this answered some questions I've had for a long time.
Incredibly interesting, and well researched.
Great naration.
Have you updated you audio? Your wonderful voice sounds more base'y in this video!! Such an intriguing subject, others have shown the present day sites of the murders but yours is the first I've seen & been told the future tenants tales of 13 Miller's Court. Many old rentals came "furnished," so it's eerily possible some remained after the 9th of November.
Très intéressant bon documentaire.
So the landlord never cleaned up the blood all over the room, and Mary Kelly's friend exploited her death by charging people money to see the bloodstained room. How cold and sociopathic. GEEZ.
Are we shure that it´s her blood staine. it might not be blood at all. after all how many know what bold blood staines look like. It´s easy money for a story and a view. So as long as their is a buck to earn those staines better not fade away. even if it takes a bitt of bettering up from time to time.
It is called surviving. To be living in that room in Whitechapel shows how poor they were. London was a horrible place during that era if you did not have money
Read the book *The Five* about the backgrounds and childhoods of the five women who were JTR victims and you will understand why others would seek to make money from their deaths. They lived very basically and if there was no husband life was extremely difficult. Many would find a man, even one who beat them up, as it was better than being on their own. If a chance came along to make something to ease their lives then they would take it.
They were probably rough women who could kick ass.
I have it and is the best book I've read about the conical 5.
@@adelerodriguez2432You should read The Five by Hallie Rubenhold. It’s about the women’s lives, not their cowardly killer.
@@pds1The word you’re looking for is ‘canonical’. Conical means cone shaped.
The chapter on Mary Kelly must be very short. What we know about Mary Kelly prior to her death is zilch. No official record of her name, age, place of birth, marriage. Yes, Irish heritage but that’s about it. Everything else, is second hand; what she supposedly told others. My guess is she came from a Limerick based, extended Irish gypsy traveller family with links to England, Wales, Scotland, and God only knows were else, France? Hence, her good looks, ability to sing, dance, and relieve one of their money as quick as they could say, Jack Robinson…
Another great video and narration.. I can't even imagine how hard life must have been back then for these poor people. Whilst asking for money to see MKs room may seem in such bad taste today!!.
They were desperate times, and compared to them, Now we have it much easier.......
The dogs used to try to catch the ripper were from my home town of Scarborough. Burgho and Barnaby two bloodhounds owned by Edwin Brough. These dogs nearly always get overlooked. At the time of this murder Burgho was taking part in a dog show in Brighton however, Barnaby was in London but a policeman took him to another crime scene and by the time he was brought here he couldn’t pick up the scent and was mocked by the Newspaper at the time. Edwin Brough was furious at this and feared villains would kill the dog and had him brought back to Scarborough. He never got paid but to his dying days he maintained the few weeks when no murders were carried out was down to the presence of the dogs.
Very interesting piece of information. Well worth looking into.
Great work. You really are an unsung UA-cam hero!
Thanks very much for a wonderful story of all the colourful individuals came into Miller's Court afterwards and the history of such a place. Wonderful 👏
Your commitment to Social History is astounding! Watching this video reminded me of watching the old “Honeymooners” series. Jackie Gleason’s character lived in a New York tenement which probably have seemed luxurious to the residents of the East End.
Thanks for the video, Mr. Jones!
One of the Rippers victims.. Originated from my home town Wolverhampton
Indeed. Catherine Eddowes was from Merridale Street, Graisley Green.
Are any family members still in the area?
@@Ste1981-fy2lwthat’s really interesting !
brilliant video thankyou mr jones. i love your voice it calms me
If that room was still there, would you go see it? I would!
What an interesting topic. Hadn't heard any of this. Thank you, Mr. J.
Thank you for yet another wonderfully interesting video Mr. Jones.
It surprises me somewhat that no one seems to have saved any gruesome memorabilia from the room, nor the Millers Court I sign above the door.
I imagined that some streetwise entrepreneur would made a rather nice profit hacking down down the blood stain on the wall and breaking up the bloodstained floorboards and selling it in minuscule pieces as the only remaining relics of JTR and his hideous last murder. Just imagine what the murderbed would go for at Christie’s today…
Precisely there's people selling (what they claim is) rubble from Fred and Rose Wests house that was demolished and all other kinds of true crime stuff. It's a niche market but big business
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Absolutely fascinating. Never even considered this. Good upload.
Wow that was quite fascinating thank you for you time and effort in making this video for us
Poor mary kellymay she find peace and all of the rippers victims 🙏🌹
Well this is a delicious nugget of obscurity! How have I not wondered about it? Many thanks for a fascinating trip down the streets of the past.
Your name is Arlan? Thats a lovely name!
I read somewhere that the room above Marie Kellys was another murder scene, a woman stabbed to death, it was a few years after Kelly's murder.
Thank you, this is very interesting.
One of the things that fascinate me about the jack the ripper case is the environment where it took place; the narrow alleys, the small rooms, lodging houses, etc. I have ASD and it became a special interest during quarantine for this same reason, so this video was perfect for me, I would love to have a reconstructed whitechapel to wander through...
Fantastic Richard , will watch tonight 👍
Ace video… always thought it a shame why it wasn’t photographed more before condemnation.
This was a fascinating video. Thank you very much for researching and presenting this. I have often wondered what happened to the room where Mary Kelly met her terrible end.
Another fantastic video. Always a pleasure 🍻
One of the most gruesome murders ever, she had no face left, the murderer hacked it to pieces. Also left her entrails hanging around the room, absolutely depraved. Life must have been grim, especially in Whitechapel in those days.
Subscribed, thank you for bringing history to life, I'm quite disturbed that the bloodstains were never cleaned up but I guess it was a novelty living where someone had been murdered
When you look at the photo of the room it’s very unnerving it’s as though the darkness is there in the windows - you can literally feel the darkness of the murder and the woman’s life somehow emanating through the image - as though it carries the imprint of the dark act that happened there
No it just looks like a dark window
Great video as usual Mr Jones, very informative.
I actually never heard before about a few things mentioned here:
*The "Kate Lady" who lived with MJK?
*The #51 written on the wall.
*The bloddy hand print on the wall.
*Landlord was offered money for MJK's belongings to put them on display.
If true, those photos are missing from the MJK's murder files. Very interesting.
Excellent video.
Thank you.
Very good to know more of the history of the people who. lived there afterwards! It was real interesting also to know of the dates and last phototgraphs before it was demolished.
Outstanding episode, as always.
Fascinating topic! Thanks for the research!
Hi Richard, judging by the photos of Mary Kelly's room I take it there were no washing or cooking facilities there, nor in the many similar types of accommodation in the East End.
If that's the case, how did people maintain hygiene and cook for themselves and their families?
Possibly a subject for a future video?
Lots of people eat out from this social class at the time . The higher social classes would have dined at home .
Funny how the roles have reversed in these times .
There were outhouses in the courtyard and a pump for water. some guy on youtube did a full 3D rendering of the courtyard
I believe she had a dry sink, and she definitely had a fireplace
Yes, very interesting, well done. I wonder if the contents of the room were salvaged, especially if at one time someone had offered to buy them?
The sign, Millers Court, above the arch would be interesting to have, you can be sure that Jack walked underneath it.
Having seen the pics of her body after the killer was finished - damn, living there would be weird for sure.
I wonder if they were so strict about officers not escorting people into the Whitechapel area because the Great and the good didn’t want anyone visiting London to see how horrid the lower classes were left to live in poverty and filth. Because frankly it’s shameful that so many people in that city were forced to live in such vile conditions while the landed gentry lived comfy in huge estates.
Not much different from today with the extreme disparity in income and quality of life . Some things never change . It was only with the introduction of the NHS that work houses ended and that was in 1948 . Not that long ago .
so ignorant, it happens today ffs, kensington in philadelphia is a shit show, many more places in the UK too and USA
Or in streets not so far away
You're acting like this doesn't happen to this day lmao
Excellent work! Fascinating!
I did wonder if there was any hauntings there. Such a horrific murder.
No, because there is no such thing as haunting. Anywhere. EVER.
That would be interesting to hear about! The sharing of ghost stories is sometimes the only record of long ago people and places that would otherwise be forgotten. In addition to the entertainment provided by ghostly tales, there is often a factual historical background that is well worth learning about.
But, then again, my people are Appalachian and we tend to revere our ancestors, opting to keep them alive in spirit, even if no longer in the flesh.
@@CzechMirco
Prove it!
Wonderfully done. Very interesting. An insight into those days.
Outstanding video 💯📸
Bloody fascinating!!!❤
I wonder if anyone took down the old metal street name plaque 'Millers Court' and kept it...wish it was mine.
I believe the sign is still there.
I did a Jack the Ripper tour last November. I live in Australia and have been fascinated with the case from a very young age. I have to say I was a little disappointed. Although the information given was concise and interesting, many of the original sites have changed dramatically, I realise it was nearly 150 years ago, but you had to use your imagination a bit.
Bravo, new information for many! 👏
fantastic! history, recounting stories, the pictures of how it looked!👍
Very interesting indeed!
A excellent televisual feast sir,thank you
Thanks for sharing not heard of this before.
Incredibly fascinating. Thank you.
The British finally tried to help their subjects when WW1 broke out. The subjects were living in such poverty that the country had to feed them properly. They had few soldiers as they were riddled with disease and malnutrition.
Thank you for the fascinating story the details which I hadn't heard before 👏👏👏
Fascinating - thank you for sharing.
I think it would be interesting to have a seance in that room. I would have liked to offer the victims prayers and peaceful passings. May they RIP
Loved this video 😃😃😃😃x
Excellent work!
They did treat these people as if they had no rights in their own home, as one woman put it. The inspector commented on one man’s bravery for being able to sleep there. They wouldn’t have been there if they had any other place to go. It might’ve earned them money but, no one would put up with that plus being wakened at all hours if they could afford rent without it. The one man was too ill to leave his bed and here was the inspector coming in on them in the middle of night (hence her holding a candle to show them the wall). The inspector could at least have visited at a decent hour of day and brought medicine, tea or a bottle of wine or something. If her husband was sick he obviously couldn’t work and a woman could hardly have supported her husband back then.
Imagine sleeping in that room-Jeeesus! You ain't telling me it wasn't haunted! 👻
Hard to do that when it was demolished
It’s astonishing the landlord didn’t at least wash down the walls before the letting the room.
The police would never of left that on the wall.
I couldnt live ever in that flat apartment after what happened there to ms. Kelley
Back in the 60’s I worked shift work in London EC2 and on Saturday & Sunday working we’d walk into nearby east London & in a long terrace of 3 storey houses there would be a pub though not recognisable as such. Probably torn down by now.
The inhabitants were obviously getting some kickback from the Inspector.
Well, the inspector flat out told them to give Kate some money lol
The big shots were extremely corrupted then and still corrupted now....
Excellent research!
Brilliantly done!
Imagine profiting like that from a horrific murder, gleefully! Poor Mary Kelly, she was a human being.
People have a curiosity about these things, I've worked with bodies and invariably get questioned about it if I make mention of it.
People are interested in such things, that's evidenced by the fact we're all watching videos about it even now, and of course people pay to go on the tours etc. It may be done more tastefully these days but it's still done for profit.
Was thinking the same thing. RIP Mary. 😢
If you were ridiculously poor like these people, then you might of done the same who knows.
Los Angeles has Dearly Departed Tours & others like it.