Occupants of 29 Hanbury Street

[Bridewell]

Hi JR

Mrs. Richardson, who superintends a packing-case business carried on at the back of the premises, says that, strangely enough her grandson, Charles Cooksey, was to have slept in the back room on Friday night; but he told her he did not like to, remarking, "I shan't sleep in there to-night, granny." That room, on the ground-floor, within six feet of where Annie Chapman's body lay, was unoccupied. "Had my grandson slept there," said Mrs. Richardson, "he must have heard the miscreant kill the poor woman."
Echo 10th Sept 88

A few random observations following on from the above:

It would have been invaluable for the killer of Chapman to know that the room six feet away was unoccupied on that particular night. If the door was locked from the outside, someone was in possession of the key. The fact that the door was locked in the morning does not preclude the possibility of its being opened and re-locked during the night. Could the cellar only be accessed from the yard or was there an internal access also - if so where was it?

[Joshua Rogan]

Hi JR

Mrs. Richardson, who superintends a packing-case business carried on at the back of the premises, says that, strangely enough her grandson, Charles Cooksey, was to have slept in the back room on Friday night; but he told her he did not like to, remarking, "I shan't sleep in there to-night, granny." That room, on the ground-floor, within six feet of where Annie Chapman's body lay, was unoccupied. "Had my grandson slept there," said Mrs. Richardson, "he must have heard the miscreant kill the poor woman."
Echo 10th Sept 88

Nice one! There's that reference to her grandson as Charles Cooksey again, when she said he was Thomas Richardson. But interestingly enough, the two unmarried sisters on the second floor who made cigars were possibly called Cooksley...or Huxley, or even Mr & Mrs Copsey in one report.

I`ve never been able to trace a Mrs Cox living at 29 Hanbury Street, but in either the 1881 or 1891 census there is an old lady called Sarah Wilcox (who I assume to be our Mrs Cox)

All the mentions I've seen so far say Cox, but then they're all from Mrs Richardson's evidence. Seems likely they're one and the same though.

Robert Thomson is the resident with the least info about him.
Do you have any details on him ?

Nothing so far, except that he was a carman (or carpenter) and lived with his wife and an adopted young girl.

[Joshua Rogan]

A few random observations following on from the above:

It would have been invaluable for the killer of Chapman to know that the room six feet away was unoccupied on that particular night. If the door was locked from the outside, someone was in possession of the key. The fact that the door was locked in the morning does not preclude the possibility of its being opened and re-locked during the night. Could the cellar only be accessed from the yard or was there an internal access also - if so where was it?

No idea about the cellar, but would presume Mrs Richardson had the padlock key. She does say that she locked the back parlour and took the key with her, so realistically only her or her grandson could have had access, and she was awake half the night.

[RockySullivan]

Hi JR

Mrs. Richardson, who superintends a packing-case business carried on at the back of the premises, says that, strangely enough her grandson, Charles Cooksey, was to have slept in the back room on Friday night; but he told her he did not like to, remarking, "I shan't sleep in there to-night, granny." That room, on the ground-floor, within six feet of where Annie Chapman's body lay, was unoccupied. "Had my grandson slept there," said Mrs. Richardson, "he must have heard the miscreant kill the poor woman."
Echo 10th Sept 88

I`ve never been able to trace a Mrs Cox living at 29 Hanbury Street, but in either the 1881 or 1891 census there is an old lady called Sarah Wilcox (who I assume to be our Mrs Cox)


Robert Thomson is the resident with the least info about him.
Do you have any details on him ?

Interesting stuff. I say John Richardson is the best Ripper suspect, he put himself there on the spot at the time of the murder with a knife and he lies about it. Very strange that the grandson chose not to sleep in the room. Was the boy John Richardson's nephew? I think it's suspicious and the kid knew something

[C. F. Leon]

There seems to be confusion about the ground floor rear room: Begg (Facts, pgs 74-75) has it being the location of Mrs Richardson's packing-case shop & Prayer meetings, with the front room serving as BOTH the Hardimans' living space and the cat's-meat shop. But he does not mention any cellar. (The Definitive History drops this & moves the packing-case business to the cellar (pg 152).)

As for the residents with the least information- we are told that Richard Thompson was a carman (age not given), but we don't even know the name of his wife or little girl, which is said to be adopted. Alfred Walker is only said to be 31 and "weak-minded". (Does this a polite term what we would call "retarded" or it not quite THAT level?) Finally, I don't even have ages for Francis Tyler or names for the two sisters.

It's interesting that Mrs Richardson's grandson is called Charles Cooksley and another source gives this (or a variant) as the name of the two sisters. Poor note-taking at the hand of the reporter? Is it the same source that gives the charity case as "Cox", rather than "Wilcox"? Also the Davis family had moved into the house only a couple of weeks earlier, do we know where they lived before? (One of those cottages on Buck's Row, perhaps? They moved sometime after the murder- maybe to Berner St.? Were they Polish Jews? or coal-miners from Wales looking for a lost uncle or brother's widow?)

- CFL