Frederick Gehringer: Barrow Lender, Lodging House Keeper and Crime Lord?

[seanr]

Sean,

Is this Fred Gehringer the ‘crime lord’ who left a paltry £500 in his will?

Gary

Yes, his address is given as 31 Great Pearl Street in the Finsbury Report of Public Health, where the fines are detailed. It does seem to be the same man who left effects of £564. I'm not sure this figure was that paltry, even if it isn't to the scale of the estates of lodging house keepers. It'd be worth something like £67,575 in todays money, so a small fortune.

If he owned 39 houses in Berwick Street with an income of about £135 a year each, I make that an income of about £5265 per annum. Even if he pays a £60 rent for each to a free-holder, that'd still leave an income of £2965 per annum. And we know he had other income streams the lodging houses in Spitalfields and the barrow letting business. So, even if he didn't own the homes, I find the ~£500 figure somewhat surprising, unless he was extremely spend-thrift with his money.

The term 'crime lord' or more exact wording 'some sort of crime lord' is the impression one of his own descendents has about him, which seems to come down through the generations as the story told by the family. As to whether he really was a 'crime lord' or not is one of the things I'd be interested in establishing.

It does look like his father also Frederick Adam Geringher, the landlord of the City of Norwich, and his mother (or possibly step-mother) Emma Gehringer do appear as though they may have been involved in a criminal enterprise distributing stolen goods in 1872. Then he himself is accused of the slightly less than savoury sounding practice of house farming. There's a definite suggestion of crime around his and his family's business practices in the years leading up to his death in 1909. As to whether this was dodgy business practices or if it ever crossed the line into serious crime, I don't know.

[seanr]

Frederick Gehringer was the proprietor of 24 Bastwick Street in 1902. I wonder if he was already running the property in January 1887, when a man accidentally set himself on fire.

Morning Post, 21st of January, 1887.

[seanr]

A boxing tradition at the City of Norwich perhaps (in addition to Blue Coat Boy in Dorset Street). From 'Grappling with History's excellently researched article:

In August 1888 Hook was handed the keys to the City of Norwich pub on Wentworth Street, Whitechapel. The “well ventilated” and spacious gym, with its 13 foot boxing ring, was now under Hook’s management and public sparring took place every Saturday and Monday night.

https://grapplingwithhistory.com/201...oscow-part-ii/

A 13 foot boxing ring and gym as well as a bagatelle room? Seems to have been quite spacious inside.

I would love to see the sources for the boxing ring, but I guess I'll have to wait for the book on Ching (G)Hook.

[seanr]

Frederick Gehringer senior declared bankrupt in the Edinburgh Gazette, May 29th 1868. At least, I think it was probably the senior because the job title is given as licensed victualler: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinbur...e/631/data.pdf

BANKRUPTS FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE.

...

Frederick Gehringer, late of 61, Wentworth, Street, Whitechapel, Middlesex, licensed victualler

In spite of this, the City of Norwich, which was at 61 Wentworth Street, remained with the Gehringer family until the early to mid 1890s. This was 4 years before the Henry Skett trial at the Old Bailey.

[seanr]

The London Gazette, July 17th 1868

The Bankruptcy Act, 1861. Notice of Sittings for Last Examination. Frederick Gehringer, late of No. 61, Wentworth-street, Whitecbapei, in the county,of Middlesex, Licensed Victualler, having been adjudged bankrupt under an adjudication of Bankruptcy, made by a Registrar of tbe Court of Bankruptcy, London, attending at the Gaol at Whitecross-street, London, -and filed in Her Majesty's Court of Bankruptcy, in London, on the 18th day of May, 1868, a public sitting, for the said bankrupt to pass his Last Examination, and make application for his Discharge, will be held before Thomas Ewing Winslow, Esq., Commissioner of the said Court, on the 8th day of August next, at the said Court, at Basinghall-street, in the city of London, at twelve of the clock at noon precisely, the day last aforesaid being the day limited for the said bankrupt to surrender. Mr. Mansfield Parkyns, of No. 36, Basinghall-street. London, is the Official Assignee, and Mr. W. W. Aldridgs, of No. 46, Moorgate-street, is the Splicitor acting in the bankruptcy.

[Joshua Rogan]

Mr. Mansfield Parkyns

Wasn't he a Jane Austen novel?

[seanr]

A boxing tradition at the City of Norwich perhaps (in addition to Blue Coat Boy in Dorset Street). From 'Grappling with History's excellently researched article:

https://grapplingwithhistory.com/201...oscow-part-ii/

A 13 foot boxing ring and gym as well as a bagatelle room? Seems to have been quite spacious inside.

I would love to see the sources for the boxing ring, but I guess I'll have to wait for the book on Ching (G)Hook.

The Ringvereine, Weimar Gemany's most developed manifestation of organised crime, emerged in the late nineteenth century, and although it spread rapidly after the World War I, it received little academic attention, and there are few published studies. Ringvereine translates as 'Wrestling Associations.' Supposedly members practised wrestling in order to maintain and demonstrate their physical prowess while meeting in their favourite pubs.

The Politics of Organized Crime and the Organized Crime of Politics by Alfredo Schulte-Bockholt.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oMZ17-1evJEC&pg=PA23&lpg=PA23&dq=%22Ringvereine+translates+as+%27+Wrestling+Associations%22&source=bl&ots=yK7HAjWkIg&sig=ACfU3U0Pqowh1tPfrWuuWiBSjPOEZb_-fQ&hl=en&sa=X&output=html_text

A distinctly German phenomenon to be sure, but would it be so far fetched for something similar to emerge in London. Didn't the Kray Twins box?

The City of Norwich and the Blue-Coat Boy both appear to have had boxing rings. I wonder...

[seanr]

Sporting Life - Wednesday 06 February 1889

The City of Norwich was indeed a boxing venue. In 1889, the pub was still being run by Mrs Emma Gehringer perhaps with help from John Nafzgher after Frederick snr had died.
The Gehringers and the McCarthys both involved in the East End boxing scene.

[seanr]

Sporting Life - Wednesday 29 August 1888

I believe this article is one of the sources Grappling with History used for their article on Ching Ghook from the description of the boxing ring.

Ching Ghook would have been the manager of the boxing room at the City of Norwich, at the time Mrs Gehringer was questioned by William Thick as to what she knew about Ripper suspect Jacob Isenschmid in September 1888.

[seanr]

Sporting Life - Tuesday 23 May 1882

The police had previously warned off Mr Gehringer from staging boxing/ wrestling events in 1882.

[seanr]

Confirmed date of death for Frederick Gehringer the senior as 1st of January, 1888 from the East London Observer - Saturday 07 January 1888. The pub appears to have stayed with the family until ~1895-ish.

[seanr]

East London Observer - Saturday 27 March 1875

The Gehringer's lost their license for a while. This is probably related to trial from 1872.

[seanr]

Frederick Geringher, the younger one who was a lodging house keeper and lived on Great Pearl Street, I am led to believe was a Freemason.

[seanr]

From the Freemason, Saturday, November 21st 1896. An F. Gehringher attending a meeting of the Strong Man Lodge, No 45

https://masonicperiodicals.org/static/media/periodicals/119-FVL-1896-11-21-001-SINGLE.pdf

[The Rookie Detective]

An excellent thread Seanr and very interesting indeed.


Just a brief observation...

George Hutchinson claimed in his statement that he had walked from Romford, and that he knew MJK.

Romford is directly linked to Crossingham.

Romford is in Essex

Crossingham was very much linked to Essex


Hutchinson was standing outside Crossinghams when he observed A man walk into Miller Court with MJK

His overly detailed description of A Man is reminiscent of a Pugilist...or perhaps a boxer.

Nobody has been able to trace Hutchinson outside of the MJK murder case.

Was Hutchinson the hired hand of Crossingham who was paid to murder MJK on McCarthy's turf?

And by describing a Pugilist as the man he saw with MJK, was he trying to pin the blame on those involved with the illegal fighting scene and attempt to frame McCarthy?

Could Hutchinson have worked for Crossingham?

Could the City of Essex be linked to Crossingham?

Was MJK butchered on McCarthy's turf by a rival?

McCarthy and Crossingham weren't necessarily rivals, but they did own Dorset Street between them.


The words and motivation of PS Thick(e) should be considered with caution, because he helped to give McCarthy a good character statement and essentially was instrumental in getting McCarthy off the hook for illegal fighting.

I believe that MJK was a City of Norwich girl, but I may stand corrected.

Did those loyal to the City of Essex plan the murder of MJK on McCarthy's turf?

In the long term, McCarthy seems to have prevailed, as he remained in Dorset Street for years.
Crossingham died
Cooney died

Did the death of Fred Gerhinger senior in early 1888 cause a void and power rift between rival factions?


Interesting indeed


RD