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**The Grave Maurice** · 02-21-2008, 09:47 PM

Thanks for reposting this, Simon. We know so little about Abberline that it's very convenient to have this info available again in one place.

I believe that this question was asked on the pre-crash boards but, if there was an answer, I've forgotten it. Do we know why there were so many young widowers living at the Kentish Town Road Police Station? I can see one or two living in the station house with the usual bachelors, but this seems like a lot.

**Chris George** · 02-21-2008, 10:30 PM

Originally posted by The Grave Maurice View Post

Thanks for reposting this, Simon. We know so little about Abberline that it's very convenient to have this info available again in one place.

I believe that this question was asked on the pre-crash boards but, if there was an answer, I've forgotten it. Do we know why there were so many young widowers living at the Kentish Town Road Police Station? I can see one or two living in the station house with the usual bachelors, but this seems like a lot.

Were they living at Kentish Town Road Police Station or just working out of it?

Chris

**Simon Wood** · 02-21-2008, 10:49 PM

Kentish Town Widowers

Hi GM and Chris,

Yes, we did discuss the Kentish Town widowers, but didn't reach a consensus on whether or not they lived there.

Maybe Grey Hunter could throw some light on the matter.

Regards,

Simon

**The Grave Maurice** · 02-21-2008, 11:44 PM

OK, fair enough, maybe they all just worked there---although I thought that for the purposes of a census people were listed under their domiciles rather than their places of employment. In any event, that still leaves us to ponder why so many young widowers were living/working at the same station.

**Simon Wood** · 02-22-2008, 02:59 AM

Hi All,

Here's two cuttings from The Times highlighting police accommodation.

The City policeman story is from April 6th 1871; the other from August 29th 1872� both around the time of the Kentish Town police widowers picked up in the Census.

Regards,

Simon

PS. I love the concept of Police Glee Classes

Attached Files

**David Knott** · 03-10-2008, 10:31 PM

He is on the 1861 census, still at East Street with Hannah and Edward. His occupation is given as Clock and Watchmaker Ap.

Has anyone tried tracing the descendants of the family, to see if they have any photos? I know that Fred had no kids, but he had nephews/neices so I guess he might pop up in a few wedding photos.

**Roblee** · 07-09-2008, 03:59 AM

Hi Simon and all.

I will start with the 1871 census, which I have a copy, Frederick is the only Widower all the rest of the police officer are unmarried. I don't believe they lived at the Police station, the census are taken on where people are staying on the night, so must of been working on the night of 2-Apr-1871.

Taken from Pigot & Co directory 1842 and 1844 of Blandford, Dorset.
Edward Abberline Saddler & Harnness Maker Salisbury Street.
Edward Abberline Auctioneers Salisbury Street,

Taken from Slater's directory 1852-53 Blandford, Dorset.
Hannah Abberline East Street Shopkeeper Grocerie & Sundries.

Taken from Post Office directory 1855 Blandford, Dorset.
Hannan Abberline Shopkeeper East Street,

Hope its helpful

Regards

Roblee

**John Casey** · 07-09-2008, 10:37 AM

Originally posted by David Knott View Post

He is on the 1861 census, still at East Street with Hannah and Edward. His occupation is given as Clock and Watchmaker Ap.

Heres the entry.

Name: Frederick G Abberline
Age: 18
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1843
Relation: Son
Mother's Name: Hannah
Gender: Male
Where born: Blandford, Dorset, England

Civil Parish: Blandford Forum
Town: Blandford
County/Island: Dorset
Country: England
Registration district: Blandford
Sub registration district: Blandford
ED, institution, or vessel: 3
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 116
Household Members:
Edward Abberline 21
Frederick G Abberline 18
Hannah Abberline 60

**evilina** · 07-12-2008, 03:51 PM

Frederick's Brither Edward seems to have had a very varied life - a corporal in the royal engineers and the keeper of a board school! Very diverse

**Justin** · 07-19-2008, 12:22 AM

As I understand it, people were registered where the census-taker happened to find them on that evening. Hence Abberline's 'visitor'.

**Observer** · 07-19-2008, 12:37 AM

No that can't be the case Justin as all my relatives would have been registered as living in Public Houses, and that's not the case

all the best

Observer

**Justin** · 07-19-2008, 12:45 AM

Originally posted by Observer View Post

No that can't be the case Justin as all my relatives would have been registered as living in Public Houses, and that's not the case

all the best

Observer

My old Irish grandmother is currently haunting me for not realising how true that statement is in my own case!

However - I've done a bit of work with census records before and have seen 'visitors' referred to a lot. Sometimes with residences noted, sometimes not. Chris Scott would be the ultimate authority on this, but I'm curious if it was discretionary?

**Johnr** · 07-30-2008, 01:36 PM

Getting away from pubs for a minute,
One of the things I find fascinating to ponder about Frederick Abberline's life,
is that of all the counties for him to be born and raised in, and then to spend twenty five years of his twilight years in, it had to be the one where one of the prominent JTR suspects hailed from: Montague Druitt.
Not only that, but the Druitts were big in Bournemouth. Mainly in local government and the law.
Abberline was born in the town of Blandford, where the Dorset M.P. Farquarson,later lived. He was the man with the strong theory that JTR committed suicide, and had been a 'son of a surgeon'.
Surely, Abberline must have been pretty aware of the Druitt suspicion?
I know, I know, Abberline publicly pooh-poohed the drowned Ripper theory.
But like Macnaghten, went on to make his own fairly far-fetched theory.
Perhaps, one day, we will locate, not only a few photos of Abberline but also a much fuller written account of his suspicions regarding Montague Druitt and others. Roll on full digitisation of newspapers. JOHN RUFFELS.

**DVV** · 07-31-2008, 04:32 PM

Originally posted by Johnr View Post

Getting away from pubs for a minute,
One of the things I find fascinating to ponder about Frederick Abberline's life,
is that of all the counties for him to be born and raised in, and then to spend twenty five years of his twilight years in, it had to be the one where one of the prominent JTR suspects hailed from: Montague Druitt.
Not only that, but the Druitts were big in Bournemouth. Mainly in local government and the law.
Abberline was born in the town of Blandford, where the Dorset M.P. Farquarson,later lived. He was the man with the strong theory that JTR committed suicide, and had been a 'son of a surgeon'.
Surely, Abberline must have been pretty aware of the Druitt suspicion?
I know, I know, Abberline publicly pooh-poohed the drowned Ripper theory.
But like Macnaghten, went on to make his own fairly far-fetched theory.
Perhaps, one day, we will locate, not only a few photos of Abberline but also a much fuller written account of his suspicions regarding Montague Druitt and others. Roll on full digitisation of newspapers. JOHN RUFFELS.

Hello John,
interesting remarks indeed,
however, if we assume, as you do, that Abberline could get infos about Druitt according to their common local connections, that would rather weaken Druitt's candidacy, since Abberline pooh-poohed (what a verb, to a stranger! so expressive!) it. And to my mind, though Chapman is far from being my favourite suspect, he is certainly a more plausible ripper than Druitt - but I "like" Druitt very much as a legendary suspect.

Amiti�s,
David

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