Record revealed
Hoax letter signed by ‘Jack the Ripper’
This is one of hundreds of letters in police files claiming to have been written by the infamous Whitechapel Murderer – otherwise known as 'Jack the Ripper'.
Item
Prisoner name: William Butcher. [John Jones, Samuel Lewis also mentioned.]. Court...
Catalogue reference: HO 18/166/17
What’s it about?
This record is about the Prisoner name: William Butcher. [John Jones, Samuel Lewis also mentioned.]. Court... dating from 1846 in the series Home Office: Criminal Petitions, Series II. It is held at The National Archives, Kew.
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Full description and record details
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Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
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HO 18/166/17
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Date (When the record was created)
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1846
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Description (What the record is about)
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Prisoner name: William Butcher. [John Jones, Samuel Lewis also mentioned.].
Court and Date of Trial: Hereford Quarter Sessions, 1846.
Crime: Assault.
Initial sentence: Imprisonment 4 months.
Outcome: Send to the Chairman to report on this case. Imprisonment 2 months.
Petitions and letters: Petition from the three prisoners saying while at a public house on 18 November, a quarrel broke out between Samuel Lewis and William Cockerill, a Gamekeeper. It came to blows and Cockerill took out a spear or knife and struck Lewis, but didn't injury him, just cut his clothes. Cockerill ran away, but was pursued by William Butcher, who brought him back. He was given up to William Pantall, a Constable, who was present at the public house. Cockerill, when 'making water' outside the public house, was attacked by the prisoners looking for the weapon.
A M Skinner confirms the account from the Memorialists.
A letter from George Clive says he thinks Lewis deserves a more lenient sentence, as it doesn't seem as if he was involved in the attack on Cockerill. He also thinks all 3 prisoners deserve some mitigation.
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Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
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Former department reference (Former identifier given by the originating creator)
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166/17
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Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
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Public Record(s)
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Open Document, Open Description
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Subjects (Categories and themes found in our collection (our subject list is under development, and some records may have no subjects or fewer than expected))
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C20875916/
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Series information
HO 18
Home Office: Criminal Petitions, Series II
See the series level description for more information about this record.
Catalogue hierarchy
Over 27 million records
This record is held at The National Archives, Kew
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Within the department: HO
Records created or inherited by the Home Office, Ministry of Home Security, and related...
14,553 records
Within the series: HO 18
Home Office: Criminal Petitions, Series II
51 records
Within the piece: HO 18/166
Petitions. (Details at item level)
You are currently looking at the item: HO 18/166/17
Prisoner name: William Butcher. [John Jones, Samuel Lewis also mentioned.]. Court...
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