Tester - Whitechapel Women Tour

Mary Ann

We remember: Mary Ann 'Polly' Nichols

Name: Mary Ann 'Polly' Nichols
Date of Birth: 26th August 1845
Place of Birth: Near Fleet Street
Spouse: William Nichols
Children: William, Edward, George, Alice

Polly was married at St Brides Church near Fleet Street and the church has a memorial plaque dedicated to her through funds raised by the congregation.

Annie Chapman

We remember: Annie Eliza Chapman

Name: Annie Eliza Chapman
Date of Birth: September 1841
Place of Birth: London
Spouse: John Chapman
Children: Emily, Ellen, Annie, Georgina, George, Miriam, John (nearly all died in infancy)

Annie had 9 siblings, 4 of which died in childhood over a 3 week period from typhus and at the age of 21 her father committed suicide. Annie used substances to deal with trauma and suffered from the disease of alcoholism.

Elizabeth Stride

We remember: Elizabeth Stride

Name: Elizabeth Stride
Date of Birth: 27th November 1843
Place of Birth: Torslanda, Sweden
Spouse: William Stride
Children: None

Elizabeth immigrated to London at the age of 22 as a domestic servant to a British family. Once married she opened and ran, with her husband, a coffee house in Poplar, East London.

Catherine Eddowes

We remember: Catherine Eddowes

Name: Catherine ‘Conway’ Eddowes
Date of Birth: 14th April 1842
Place of Birth: Wolverhampton
Spouse: Thomas Conway (common law husband)
Children: Catherine, Thomas, Harriet, George, and Fredrick

Catherine made money with her partner Thomas by travelling around the country to hangings, performing and selling ballads depicting the events. Her partner was violent and she regularly had to submit herself to the workhouse.

Mary Jane Kelly

We remember: Mary Jane Kelly?

Name: Mary Jane Kelly?
Date of Birth: 1863
Place of Birth: Unknown – possibly Irish or Welsh
Spouse: None Known
Children: None Known

We know the least about Mary Jane, even if this was her real name. We do know that she survived through selling sex and that for a time she did this on the continent of Europe.