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'.
Series
Assizes: Northern and North-Eastern Circuits: Criminal Depositions and Case Papers
Catalogue reference: ASSI 45
What's it about?
ASSI 45
Northern Circuit, criminal depositions and indictments. The depositions and case papers in this series are the records of the Northern Circuit prior to 1876, and the North-Eastern Circuit from 1876. The series includes depositions taken...
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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ASSI 45
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Title (The name of the record)
- Assizes: Northern and North-Eastern Circuits: Criminal Depositions and Case Papers
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Date (When the record was created)
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1613-1971
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Description (What the record is about)
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Northern Circuit, criminal depositions and indictments.
The depositions and case papers in this series are the records of the Northern Circuit prior to 1876, and the North-Eastern Circuit from 1876. The series includes depositions taken following the Northern Rising of 1663. During the late nineteenth century and from 1924 to 1952 the depositions relate mainly to murder and other more serious crimes but thereafter they cover a wider range of offences.
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Note (Additional information about the record)
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The naming of a defendant within this catalogue does not imply guilt.
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Arrangement (Information about the filing sequence or logical order of the record)
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- ASSI 45/1/1 - ASSI 45/40/2 (1613-1800): The papers are arranged largely by year and then in alphabetical order by the surname of the accused. In many boxes, a few papers are filed out of alphabetical order at the end of the sequence. For ASSI 45/1/1 - ASSI 45/19/1, former used in a previous but not dissimiliar arrangement of the series are also given.
- ASSI 45/41 - ASSI 45/62 (1801-1829): Following the original administrative order, the papers are in bundles by county and session. These are not catalogued by the names of individuals. To find a particular case, check the crown minute books in series ASSI 41 first.
- ASSI 45/63 - ASSI 45/83 (1830-1890): The bundles of documents are for the most part artificial constructs, grouped by range of years. These are not catalogued by the names of individuals.
- ASSI 45/84/1A - ASSI 45/1138 (1906; 1924-1971): Each file relates to an individual case. The files are arranged by year and catalogued by the surname of the accused and the type of offence.
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Related material (A cross-reference to other related records)
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For information on the outcome of the cases, see Crown and Civil Minute Books in: ASSI 41
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Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
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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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Language (The language of the record)
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English
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Creator(s) (The creator of the record)
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- Justices of Assize, North-Eastern Circuit, 1876-1971
- Justices of Assize, Northern Circuit, 1541-1876
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Physical description (The amount and form of the record)
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1138 bundles, files and papers
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Access conditions (Information on conditions that restrict or affect access to the record)
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Subject to 30 year closure unless otherwise stated
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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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Unpublished finding aids (A note of unpublished indexes, lists or guides to the record)
- An index to ASSI 45/1/1 – ASSI 45/40/2 by the types of offences is available in the reading rooms at The National Archives. This information is not currently available in the online catalogue.
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Selection and destruction information (Information about how the record was selected for archiving)
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Although this series includes some of the earliest extant paper for any common law court, the rate of survival before the 1640s is poor. Between 1640 and 1829 many more papers have survived. From 1830-1890 the survival rate is poorer. With the exception of one piece of 1906, depositions from 1891 to 1923 have not survived. From 1924 onwards, selected depositions have been preserved permanently.
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Publication note(s) (A note of publications related to the record)
- Various depositions, dated between 1640 and 1690, and now in ASSI 45/1/2 – ASSI 45/15/4, were published in Depositions from the castle of York, relating to offences committed in the Northern counties in the seventeenth century, ed James Raine (Surtees Society, XL, 1861).
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C2437/
Catalogue hierarchy
Over 27 million records
This record is held at The National Archives, Kew
41,615 records
Within the department: ASSI
Records of Justices of Assize, Gaol Delivery, Oyer and Terminer, and Nisi Prius
You are currently looking at the series: ASSI 45
Assizes: Northern and North-Eastern Circuits: Criminal Depositions and Case Papers
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