Shadows of Whitechapel: Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, Shadows on the Cobblestones

Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols.

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.

Mary Ann Nichols (born Mary Ann Walker; August 26, 1845 – August 31, 1888)

Early Life in the Fleet Street Slums

On Tuesday, August 26, 1845, Mary Ann Walker was born to Caroline Walker. She drew her first breath in a cramped room within Dawes Court, a dilapidated, 200-year-old tenement on Gunpowder Alley, near Shoe Lane. Newspapers of the day described the weather as "fine and dry." Her father, Edward, was a blacksmith who had crossed south of the River Thames to find work near Fleet Street.

Driven by fluctuating costs and wages, the Walker family moved frequently, cycling through Dean Street, Robinhood Court, and Harp Alley, never far from High Holborn.

Tragedy struck early. On Thursday, November 25, 1852, Caroline Walker succumbed to tuberculosis, a disease bred by the horrendous, overcrowded conditions of the slums. In April 1854, Mary Ann’s youngest sibling, Frederick, died of the same affliction. He was buried alongside his mother at St Andrew’s Church in Holborn.