"Puckeridge"

[Mike Covell]

I am just re-reading the excellent Scotland Yard Investigates and noticed the section on page 86 regarding a letter sent by Sir Charles Warren dated 19th Sept 88. In this letter it mentions a man called "Puckeridge".

Does anyone have any information on this man?

[Dan Norder]

Chris Scott's Cast of Thousands has some info on Puckeridge.

[Mike Covell]

Thanks Dan, I shall take a look.

[Graham]

I am just re-reading the excellent Scotland Yard Investigates and noticed the section on page 86 regarding a letter sent by Sir Charles Warren dated 19th Sept 88. In this letter it mentions a man called "Puckeridge".

Does anyone have any information on this man?

Mr C,

Take up thy copy of the A-Z and thou shalt see upon Page 365 an entry for a certain Oswald Puckeridge (love that name...) who, according to Warren,
was released from an asylum on 4 August 1888. Oswald was a surgeon, or so it seems, and had threatened to 'rip people up' with a long knife. Warren says that he is being 'looked for, but cannot be found yet'.

Warren's statement was confirmed by Philip Sugden and Neal Shelden, according to the A-Z.

Cheers,

Graham

PS: Mike, do you know of any of your possible ancestors with the came Covill who had a career in the Royal Navy at the time of King Charles II?

[Mike Covell]

Hi Graham, Thanks for that, I shall peruse my copy, whilst the wife is watching "Casualty"

My family have links to the Witch Hunter Thomas Covell who was keeper of the castle were the Pendle Witches were imprisoned. His house, the Castle and the "Covell Cross" can still be seen in Lancaster.

Some say it is where my interest in the paranormal stems from!

[Graham]

Hi Graham, Thanks for that, I shall peruse my copy, whilst the wife is watching "Casualty"

My family have links to the Witch Hunter Thomas Covell who was keeper of the castle were the Pendle Witches were imprisoned. His house, the Castle and the "Covell Cross" can still be seen in Lancaster.

Some say it is where my interest in the paranormal stems from!

So no known links to the Navy, then?

I understand that the name 'Covell' or 'Covill' comes from the town Coalville in Leicestershire. Any links to that delightful place?

Cheers,

Graham

[Mike Covell]

Hi Graham, I am not aware of any links to that area.

I have a very old book stating that the name Covell is something to do with "A Cowel maker" which sounds about right as there is a lot of shiftyness in the family!!

I know my grandfather worked in the Merchant Navy during WW2. He was also a docker, working on the docks of Hull, a job that my father did, and one which I did upon leaving college.

My father now works in an oil mill not far from were Robert D'Onston Stephenson's father had his oil mill! It's a strange world!

[DVV]

Hello Mike,
this may be of interest about Puckridge (from Paul Begg, JtR The Facts, chapter 8, note 55):

OP was born on 13 june 1838 at Burpham, near Arundel, in Sussex, the fourth of five children of John P, a farmer, and his wife Philadelphia (née Holmes). He became a chemist and on 3 october 1868 married Ellen Buddle, the daughter of a licenced victualler named Edward Buddle, at St Paul's parish church, Deptford. In 1870 at Deal they had a son, Edward Buddle Puckridge. He was admitted on 6 January 1888 to Hoxton House Lunatic Asylum [...]. Puckridge had been discharged on 4 August. On 9 August 1893, having been found wandering in Queen Victoria Street, London, he was admitted to Bow Infirmary, East London. He was discharged on 18 August. He was readmitted on 5 February 1896 from Bridewell Police Station - at this time he gave his occupation as "apothecary" - and was discharged on 14 February to the City of London Lunatic Asylum at Stone, Buckinghamshire.The Register of Lunatics record that he was a danger to others, but he seems to have recovered and was discharged on 9 July 1896. He made a will on 30 September 1896, giving his address at that time as 11 St James Street, Clerkenwell Green. He returned to the asylum on 19 August 1899, was discharged on 18 October, was admitted on 28 May 1900 to the Holborn Workhouse - giving his address as 34 St John's Lane, Clerkenwell, and his occupation as a general labourer - where he died on 1 June of "Broncho Pneumonia". He left effects of £300 to his son Edward Buddle Puckridge, grocer and provision dealer."

[brummie]

There seems to be a big hole in those dates that leaves him unaccounted for at the relevant times. Here then we have someone who was insane (this seems to come and go possibly explaining the gaps in killings) and prior to the killing spree starting threatened to do exactly what later happened and who was unaccounted for at the times of the killings. Its no wonder he attracted so much police attention early in the investigation. On the down side if the police had such a well fitting suspect in mind it would be surprising if he were not mentioned more ofton in police records and reports. Are we to assume therefore that a some point early on he was traced and eliminated from enquiries?

[DVV]

From Paul Begg again: "...it isn't known whether the police ever found and questionned him."
But they tried to, apparently after the Hanbury Street's murder.
The suspicion might not have lasted long, Puckridge being too old to fit the descriptions of the killer by the witnesses of the double-event.
Poor Puckridge was born in 1838...like Maybrick.

[Mike Covell]

Thanks guys, today I managed to get through most of my ripper library looking up this chap and have been able to piece together a rough chronology. It's nowere near as big as my Stephenson stuff but hopefully with a little research, we can demystify him.

[Septic Blue]

this may be of interest about Puckridge (from Paul Begg, JtR The Facts, chapter 8, note 55): ... On 9 August 1893, having been found wandering in Queen Victoria Street, London, he was admitted to Bow Infirmary, East London.

Abbreviated and colloquial references probably confused the landscape back then; and they most certainly confuse the landscape today.

"Queen Victoria Street, London"

An abbreviated reference: Some specificity would be very helpful !!!

Queen Victoria Street, City of London (Spanning the Wards of Castlebaynard, Queenhithe, Bread Street and Vintry)

"Bow Infirmary, East London"

A colloquial reference: There was no "Bow Infirmary" in any official context !!!

City of London Union Infirmary, Bow Road, Bromley St. Leonard


City of London Union Infirmary, Bow Road, Bromley St. Leonard, October 2007
from north


Colin

[Chris]

As mentioned at the top of the thread, 'Puckeridge' was mentioned in a report by Sir Charles Warren to the Home Office dated 19 September 1888:
"A man called Puckeridge was released from an asylum on 4 August. He was educated as a Surgeon - has threatened to rip people up with a long knife. He is being looked for but cannot be found as yet."
[Evans and Skinner, Ultimate Sourcebook, p. 132]

This suspect was identified by Philip Sugden as Oswald Puckridge (1838-1900), who was actually a chemist, and who had been a patient at Hoxton House Asylum until 4 August. Sugden traced his earlier history and the events leading up to his death, and further details from the early 1890s onwards were discovered by Neal Shelden. Recently Howard Brown found a report of an alleged assault by him in July 1889:

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac287/HowieNina/October%202010/op.jpg

In the eighth chapter of his subsequent book Sugden described Puckridge as "the most interesting suspect we have encountered so far," but also commented that "if he did not remain a suspect the probable reason is that, as Warren predicted, he was eventually traced and able to satisfactorily account for his movements on the nights of the murders" [Sugden, Complete History of Jack the Ripper, p. 155].

Sugden followed his discussion of Puckridge with the story of the three insane medical students - the third of whom was John Sanders - and Major Henry Smith's narrative concerning another suspect with a medical background:
"After the second crime I sent word to Sir Charles Warren that I had discovered a man very likely to be the man wanted. He certainly had all the qualifications requisite. He had been a medical student; he had been in a lunatic asylum; he spent all his time with women of loose character, whom he bilked by giving them polished farthings instead of sovereigns, two of these farthings having been found in the pocket of the murdered woman. Sir Charles failed to find him. I thought he was likely to be in Rupert Street, Haymarket. I sent up two men, and there he was; but, polished farthings and all, he proved an alibi without the shadow of doubt."
[Smith, From Constable to Commissioner, p. 147]

Sugden evidently suspected that Smith's suspect might have been Puckridge, and went to the trouble of searching censuses and rate books for Rupert Street for evidence of this identification, but in its absence suggested tentatively that Smith's suspect might be the man named Morford, said to have been educated as a surgeon, who was reportedly being sought by detectives in Great Ormond Street on 22 September (a man named Orford being resident in Rupert Street in 1888).

As it turns out, Sugden was right in his supposition that Puckridge had been traced and had provided an alibi, and in his initial suggestion about the identity of Smith's suspect ...

[Chris]

Among the surviving City of London CID records at the London Metropolitan Archives are two reports, relating how on 24 September 'Puckridge' had been shadowed from Cheapside to his lodgings in a coffee house in Rupert Street in the West End, and how on the following day two detectives called on the proprietor of the coffee house, who told them that Puckridge had slept there every night for the previous four weeks. The report on how Puckridge was traced to Rupert Street, to which a description of him has been added below, appears to have been initialled by Henry Smith.


[1]

25th Sepr. 1888

I beg to report that in company
with D. S. Child, I saw Mr. W. Tolfree, Proprietor
of the Imperial Coffee House, 50 Rupert Street.
in answer to our Enquiry he informed us that
the man Puckridge had been Lodging with
him for the last four weeks, and had slept
every night in the House. he also said Puckridge
was Eccentric in his habits and given to Eccessive
Drinking, and appears to have ample means.

Fredk. Lawley
D. S.
R. Child. D. S.


[2]

P. C. P. 105 Benham reports that at 3.30. P.M. 24th
Inst, he saw Puckridge at the west End of Cheapside
followed him through Cheapside, Threadneedle Street, Austinfrias
to No 2 Circas Place London Wall, Puckridge remained
there till 6. P.M. when he left followed by Benham
& P. C. P Smith, he went into Lehmans Confectioners
London Wall, then to the Stirling Castle P. H. &
then through Coleman Street into Cheapside
through the Strand to Charing Cross, waited outside
the Post Office Charing Cross, then on to Leicester
Square, Coventry Street, Lockharts Coffee House,
remained there one hour & 30 minutes then came
out & walked up & down Coventry Street
then returned to Lockharts remained there about
ten Minutes then walked up & down Coventry
Street for about half an hour, then went into
a P. H. in Rupert Street, stopped about 10 minutes
then went to the Imperial Coffee House 50 Rupert
Street, opened the Private door with a latch Key
and went in at 9.45. P.M. I watched the Place
till 12.30. A.M. when the Place was [?]Cosed [Closed?], there
is a notice in the Window - Beds to let for Gentlemen.

25th Sepr.
1888

Thomas Benham
P. C 105

[pencil:]
Age 45 - 5ft.10 - dark beard whiskers &
Moustache hair cut short & parted in
Centre sallow complexion, square
shoulders, turns his toes out, walks
quickly. - Dressed black morning coat
dark vest & trousers & soft felt hat.

[red:] [?]H. S.

[LMA CLA/48/AD/11/10]

[lynn cates]

crossed off

Hello Chris. Great find. Well done.

Looks like another to cross off the list.

Cheers.
LC