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
Director of Public Prosecutions: Registers of Cases
Catalogue reference: DPP 3
What's it about?
DPP 3
Registers of applications for advice on action and of other communications addressed to the Director of Public Prosecutions by chief constables, town clerks and others, constituting a record of cases referred. There are also separate registers of...
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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DPP 3
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Title (The name of the record)
- Director of Public Prosecutions: Registers of Cases
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Date (When the record was created)
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1884-1956
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Description (What the record is about)
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Registers of applications for advice on action and of other communications addressed to the Director of Public Prosecutions by chief constables, town clerks and others, constituting a record of cases referred. There are also separate registers of miscellaneous papers, 1899 to 1946, and of criminal appeals, 1908 to 1933.
Each volume of the register of applications has an index of applicants, accused and offences e.g. abortion, arson, bigamy, communism, forgery, indecent behaviour, incest, infanticide, murder, perjury and others. Action was frequently not taken: references are given to the relevant court if action was taken. These registers can therefore act as a useful guide to prevailing attitudes to different types of crime.
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Arrangement (Information about the filing sequence or logical order of the record)
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Arrangement
Each entry gives the name of the case, the nature of the charge or communication, the name of the applicant and the action taken by the Director.
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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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Physical description (The amount and form of the record)
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138 cards and volumes
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Access conditions (Information on conditions that restrict or affect access to the record)
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Subject to closure for periods up to 75 years
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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/C6234/
Catalogue hierarchy
Over 27 million records
This record is held at The National Archives, Kew
21,070 records
Within the department: DPP
Records of the Director of Public Prosecutions
You are currently looking at the series: DPP 3
Director of Public Prosecutions: Registers of Cases
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