Mary Kelly Help - pointers - urgentish

[Stan106]

Hi,
I wonder if anyone knows about the background of Mary Kelly. I know she lived in Cardiff before moving to London and herein lies part of my request.

There is oldest pub in Cardiff that is due to be be demolished ( to make way for a carpark ), It's called The Vulcan and as you can see from the picture
http://www.cardiffpubs.co.uk/Pub.php?Pub=Vulcan , it has a lot of Victorian features - the urinals haven't changed since Jacks day.

I know Mary lived in Newtown, an area of Cardiff that housed Irish immigrants that was right near the Vulcan, and I've always thought that she may have been in the pub - I have started a short story about her time there.

The problem is, is that you want to visit this 'haunt' time is limited, if anyone knows anything concrete then maybe Cadw will list the building. Unfortunately Victorian Cardiff is fast disappearing

A picture of the Victorian urinal

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/35/94695970_5ad97d3fd7.jpg?v=1138922987

Many thanks

Dave

[ChrisGeorge]

Hello Dave

There are a lot of pitfalls in Mary Jane Kelly studies because of the commonness of her name. We are not even sure if that was her real name. You might be advised to read the book by researcher Christopher Scott, Will the Real Mary Kelly? See the book review here on Casebook:

http://www.casebook.org/ripper_media...n/realmjk.html

Chris

[Celesta]

Hello Dave,

What a shame it's going to be demolished. It certainly appears to have character, with or without the ancient urinals!

Maybe some of the Welsh folks here are familiar with it.

[harry]

The following information was published in the 'Daily Gleaner',a Jamaican newspaper, on 17 November,1888.Its source was The Heralds European edition,taken from the Heralds London Bureau,391,Strand.It appears to be an interview by a journalist with Dr Gabe,of Mecklenburgh Square,who was fresh from the scene of Kelly's death.

The only furniture was an oil stove,two ricketty chairs,and a Tumble Down.At the head of the bed was a piece of lookiing glass,such as one buys in petticoat lane for half a penny.

Other information,seemingly procured by the journalist was of two alias's of Kelly,Fisher and Ginger..That she had a son ten years of age,and that her murder was the seventh in the series.

Because of the state of the print,little else of interest was clearly visible.

[Sam Flynn]

I know Mary lived in Newtown, an area of Cardiff

Hi Stan,

How do you know Mary lived in Newtown?

(Intrigued)

[Suzi]

Hi Stan (106)- IF we knew the answer to this one we'd be hanging around in bars and talking about the X Factor!!!!!!!

Newtown ?? unlikely -or maybe as likely as anything else I s'pose!!!!

My Aunty and Uncle lived in Ely (Just at the back of the Rhymney (sp!) brewery ( The one with the neon galloping horse and jockey!!!)-
in Dyfrig Close in 1956 ish)- OMG I could be a relation! (To Mary! NOT Aunty and Uncle!)

[claire]

Hmm, unfortunately, Stan, there really is nothing that we 'know' about Mary Kelly at all; there are people who doubt that we even know that it was her who was killed.

It's a pity about the Vulcan; I doubt, though, that having been a possible haunt of a possible Ripper victim is sufficient a criterion for listing the building.

What I *do* know something about is fiction writing; write your story and don't worry too much about the 'facts'. (There's plenty of Ripper writers who claim to be writing factual pieces who are none too concerned about facts, so.. ). Just so long as you get all your contextual information spot on, the characters who populate your short story must, by necessity, be fictional(ised).

[Stan106]

Hi Stan,

How do you know Mary lived in Newtown?

(Intrigued)

Remember reading it somewhere ( but mind this idea's been bouncing around for years ), so maybe know is too definate a word.Even from brief first links she's supposed to have spent a lot of time in Cardiff Royal Infirmary which is a stones throw aawy,learnt her trade as a prostitute ( again the great Bute St and docks are nearby ), so I assumed she'd be around the area even if not actually Newtown ( Cardiff was pretty small place at that time ).

Anyway cheers for all the replies

[Sam Flynn]

I assumed she'd be around the area even if not actually Newtown

Thanks Stan - I thought we were onto something then Of course, Cardiff had many other areas where poor Irish immigrants settled, although "Little Ireland" (Newtown) was certainly one of the most famous.

[Stan106]

Thanks for the help , if anyones interested the pub's just been featured on Future of the Lefts video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAwliet2vqo
Including toilets ( original Victorian urinals !! )