What social class did Jack the Ripper belong to?

[Abby Normal]

How so? There's nothing to suggest that he couldn't have been a casual worker.

hi sam
i think the ripper needed a place of his own and did have one, a bolt hole of some sort to bring his goodies back, clean up etc. this suggests steady employment. so as i said, probably upper working class. also to lure and have money to entice his victims he probably had money in his pocket. and the witness descriptions tend toward upper working class with steady employment as opposed to poor and or casual employment. so:

1. place of own, however modest for bolt hole
2. money in pocket, ease in convincing victims hes legit.
3. witness descriptions-seems to be a bit higher in class/ employment than his victims.

all point toward he was steady (upper)working class and not poor or casual worker.

and btw im arguing against my favored subject hutch in this case as hutch seems to be in the casual worker lower working class category. so if anyone ever accuses me of interpreting evidence to suit my favored candidate you can **** off because obviously I dont. : )

[John Wheat]

Working class.

[seanr]

I voted 'None of the above' as I'm not sure he'd even fit within the terms of what would be called working class. Charles Booth described, somewhat unkindly, the population of some of the impoverished areas of London as a 'criminal class'. I tend to think the Ripper was one of those.

Although, the question of what he did with the stolen organs (if indeed he took organs with him to his home) does rather trouble me, as on the face of it he would have to have some place of privacy, where the presence of human organs would not be questioned and concerning. Owning such a space does somewhat suggest someone of the working class or upper working class, as a minimum.

[Christian]

Working class for sure Someone who would blend in not stand out on some rough dangerous streets and courts and therefore if needed would be quite handy in a fight or cornered !! Also without a doubt a long standing local who knew every alley - road- court-dead end back in 1880s area was a warren and labyrinth unlike today’s east end that’s my thoughts

[John G]

Probably working-class class. Almost certainly a local, otherwise the focus on such a tiny geographical area makes no sense whatsoever.

[Michael W Richards]

If I am making a Hollywood film he is a West End surgeon with top hat and cape, driving a black carriage through the streets of Whitechapel; clicking down the cobblestones, a giant black steed snorts steam from its nostrils. When not at his trade (of butchering whores) you can find him in Leicester Square rubbing elbows with the theater crowd.

But if I actually want to find him I am looking for a horse slaughterer or hog butcher living south of Commercial Street (I don't buy Stride as a victim; south of Commercial Street was his safe zone, he didn't kill there.) He lived a site better than the poverty to his north; employed full time he lives alone, a recent widow, or if never married, he has just lost his mother, with whom he had been living.

He was working class!

The evidence suggests a local man, someone non-descript, and someone likely in a trade involving butchering animals. At least that's most peoples view...despite the fact that in September the police looked at medical practitioners and students. Either way, he likely had work, and as a butcher, he was already out every night preparing his meats...like Isenschmidt.

[Sam Flynn]

There had to be something reassuring and not alarming or suspicious about his demeanor...

Would not a fellow member of the working-class be less suspicious, Jon? As for respectability - you can be poor and still respectable in appearance. Besides, apart from Hutchinson's suspect, most witness descriptions paint a pcture of a rather ordinary looking Ripper. Finally, as for ruling him out as a local because everyone was watching and he'd have been flushed out... a killer who struck in the middle of the night... in Whitechapel, a neighbourhood with so many rootless lost souls?

[APerno]

If I am making a Hollywood film he is a West End surgeon with top hat and cape, driving a black carriage through the streets of Whitechapel; clicking down the cobblestones, a giant black steed snorts steam from its nostrils. When not at his trade (of butchering whores) you can find him in Leicester Square rubbing elbows with the theater crowd.

But if I actually want to find him I am looking for a horse slaughterer or hog butcher living south of Commercial Street (I don't buy Stride as a victim; south of Commercial Street was his safe zone, he didn't kill there.) He lived a site better than the poverty to his north; employed full time he lives alone, a recent widow, or if never married, he has just lost his mother, with whom he had been living.

He was working class!

[mpriestnall]

I'm more inclined to see this killer as belonging to the same class as Dr. Neil Cream, George Chapman or Montie Druitt, so sort of or close to 'middle-class'.
For sure he was one of the many suspects described as 'respectably dressed'.
He wasn't a local as we might define the regular working class lodgers, and he almost certainly had a room to himself.
I think if the killer had been a local, given the intense interest across the East End, and the fact everyone was watching each other, and all the finger pointing going on, he would have been flushed out.
There had to be something reassuring and not alarming or suspicious about his demeanor, so someone who represented safety and respectability by his appearance and manners.

I pretty much agree with all this.

Martyn

[mpriestnall]

upper working class. steady job

Jack's state of employment is an interesting question. Sam raises the possiblity as Jack had casual employment.

From Bond's profile: "also he is most likely to be a man without regular occupation, but with some small income or pension".

I guess Bond is saying he needed some income but was trying to explain the irregular time he was keeping, shown in the timing of the murders?

I would offer an alternative view on JTR. Jack was middle class who ran his own small business and as such didn't need to answer to anyone
as to what hours he worked. Also the nature of his business might have entailed irregular hours. Therefore he could have been just as likely in full
employment as non, or partial employment. Which I suppose doesn't get us anywhere...

Just an alternative view.

Martyn

[Losmandris]

I'm more inclined to see this killer as belonging to the same class as Dr. Neil Cream, George Chapman or Montie Druitt, so sort of or close to 'middle-class'.
For sure he was one of the many suspects described as 'respectably dressed'.
He wasn't a local as we might define the regular working class lodgers, and he almost certainly had a room to himself.
I think if the killer had been a local, given the intense interest across the East End, and the fact everyone was watching each other, and all the finger pointing going on, he would have been flushed out.
There had to be something reassuring and not alarming or suspicious about his demeanor, so someone who represented safety and respectability by his appearance and manners.

Good points. Would it have been possible to have carried out these crimes and lived in a common lodging house?

[Wickerman]

I'm more inclined to see this killer as belonging to the same class as Dr. Neil Cream, George Chapman or Montie Druitt, so sort of or close to 'middle-class'.
For sure he was one of the many suspects described as 'respectably dressed'.
He wasn't a local as we might define the regular working class lodgers, and he almost certainly had a room to himself.
I think if the killer had been a local, given the intense interest across the East End, and the fact everyone was watching each other, and all the finger pointing going on, he would have been flushed out.
There had to be something reassuring and not alarming or suspicious about his demeanor, so someone who represented safety and respectability by his appearance and manners.

[Harry D]

Local(ish) guy, lower/working class. Probably frustrated with all the immigrants flooding the neighbourhoods, hence the GSG.

[Sam Flynn]

I'd lean more towards a local working-class man in his 30s or 40s, broadly in the same age range as the victims.

I'm not so sure that he would have been steadily employed, because at least 3 out of 5 canonical victims were killed in the early hours of what would have been working days. No doubt he was prowling the streets on other days of the week too, but without success.

[Losmandris]

Working class local lad aged between 25 and 35. Probably working in some kind of profession on a steady basis during the day. I would be interested in what people may think what type of job he had? Butcher or slaughter man is often banded about, any credence to this theory?