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| Annie Chapman © public domain |
Everyone knows the terror that ripped through the East End, in 1888, but many forget the victims and who they were: Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly. Each of these women was a living, breathing person with a unique history and story.
Here I have tried to piece together the lives of the women who would go on to become known as 'The Canonical Five', resulting in a small glimpse into their lives. There is much that I have left out, but what I believe to be the important pieces of their lives are here.
Obviously, with census records, online records, books, newspaper articles, archives and much more, there are discrepancies and contradictory accounts, resulting in confusing timelines.
So, where there has been contradictory information, I have left that out, or bracketed the information, so that I could create the most accurate account of their lives.
If you do spot an error, please do get in contact.
Annie Chapman (born Eliza Ann Smith; September 25, 1840 – September 8, 1888)
A Soldier’s Family and the Barracks Screen
George Smith was a trooper in the 2nd Queen's Life Guard, proudly riding in the grand parade on Queen Victoria's wedding day. Nearby in London, Ruth Chapman found employment as a housemaid. Though their initial meeting is lost to history, the two were soon courting. Facing rigid societal hurdles and meagre wages, Ruth gave birth to their first child, Annie Eliza Smith, in September 1840.
Under the strict social codes of the era, an unmarried pregnancy meant immediate dismissal, leaving Ruth entirely dependent on whatever financial handouts George could spare from his military pay. Because George was required to live in barracks, the relationship was heavily strained; yet just months after Annie's birth, Ruth was pregnant again. George sought permission to marry, and on Sunday, February 20, 1842, the couple finally wed. To legitimise the children and protect the regiment's reputation, the wedding date was officially backdated by two years to 1840 on George's military records.
With no separate quarters allocated for married men, Ruth moved into the communal cavalry barracks, settling for a small, screened-off corner of a shared room. In this cramped space, she raised her babies and slept, all while enduring the raucous environment of off-duty soldiers.
