The real Crossingham's Timothy Donovan

[Debra A]

I have posted this information on another thread recently, but I wanted to start a new one as the old thread title wasn't really relevant, and I also want to ask for help again if anyone's up for it.

Whilst researching Timoth Donovan, I noticed that on the 1891 cenus there was a Timothy Donovan b c 1888 in Spitalfields. Interstingly, his father's name was also Timothy.As it was the first mention i'd seen of a man named Timothy Donovan, with a connection to the actual district of Spitalfields I decided to order the 1888 birth certificate.



Here are the details:



Registration District of Whitechapel, birth in the sub district of Spitalfields.


Thirteenth December 1887 at 35 Dorset street
Timothy, boy, father Timothy Donovan, Bricklayers labourer, mother Margaret Donovan formerly Dempsey.

Informant Margaret Donovan [her x mark] of 35 Dorset Street Spitalfields.
Registered 18th January 1888.



Here are the details of the family from the 1891 census:
71 Romford Street, Mile End Old Town
Timothy Donovan, head, 26, general labourer, b Essex, [Stratford?]
Margaret Donovan, wife, 26 b London, Whitechapel
Timothy Donovan, son, 3 b Spitalfields
John Donovan, son, 7m b Stepney

This rules out the 1903 wife murderer Timothy Donovan, who also appears on the 1891 census with wife Mary, at Sutton Street, as being the same person as crossingham's Timothy Donovan. It also obviously rules out the Timothy Donovan who died at Russel Court in 1888 and mentioned by Donald Rumbelow.



I have now also found the family in 1911, by this time Margaret was a widow:

Name Relation Condition/
Yrs married Sex Age Birth
Year Occupation Where Born

Address: 24 Cadiz St Stepney E
County: London


DONOVAN, Margaret Head Widow F 42 1869 London Stratford
DONOVAN, Timothy Son Single M 23 1888 Carman London Spitalfields
DONOVAN, John Son Single M 21 1890 Packing Case Maker London Commercial Road

I can't however find the family in the 1901 census, is anyone else able to at all? It would help narrow down Timothy's year of death if anyone could.

Thanks
Debs

[The Grave Maurice]

That's brilliant work, Debs. I imagine Rumbelow will be happy when he hears about it: his favourite suspect is now a possible candidate for the MJK murder.

[miss marple]

donovan death

Debs, I found Timothy's death.

Timothy DONOVAN december 1899 age 33 Whitechapel Ic 205.
Cheers Miss Marple

[Debra A]

Thanks, GM.
Yes, very much alive for Miller's Court, but I wonder, was Mary Kelly ruled out of the list of ripper victims by Don Rumbelow because his favourite suspect was thought to have died before November 1888, or because he just didn't believe Kelly was a ripper victim?


Thanks for that Miss Marple.
There is also another one that could be his death, registered in Mile End Old Town, which is the registration district he was last known to live in, in 1891.

Timothy Donovan
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1867
Year of Registration: 1896
Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun
Age at Death: 29
District: Mile End Old Town
County: London, Middlesex
Volume: 1c

I'm not sure which one to order now.

[miss marple]

Which ever one you order, Debs and if its not the right one, then it will certainly be the other one. The wrong one will clear up another T.D and might help with indentification on some of the earlier census entries There were so many criminal Donovans.
Cheers Miss Marple

[The Grave Maurice]

...I wonder, was Mary Kelly ruled out of the list of ripper victims by Don Rumbelow because his favourite suspect was thought to have died before November 1888, or because he just didn't believe Kelly was a ripper victim?

You raise a good point, Debra. I spoke with Donald only once about this topic, and I believe that we both had had a couple of glasses of wine at the time. My sense was that he had ruled out MJK because his favourite suspect was no longer around to commit the crime. Unfortunately, in vino is not always veritas but, sometimes, misunderstanding. It will be interesting to see if he comments on your discovery.

[Debra A]

Unfortunately, in vino is not always veritas but, sometimes, misunderstanding. It will be interesting to see if he comments on your discovery.

I understand, GM.
I agree though, it would be interesting if he did comment on the find.

I find Timothy Donovan an interesting character. He would be even more interesting if any of the numerous assaults, woundings and violent thefts committed by men named Timothy Donovan could be attributed to this particular one. So far, it doesn't look like he is connected to any of the major reported ones, or ones that appear in the Criminal Registers.

MM. I've gone for the Mile End one first, purely because his last known address was in that registration district, I hope to get it right first time as I want to know the cause of death of this Timothy Donovan, if not I will try the other one.

Debs

[miss marple]

Good Caractor

Can't wait for the death cert, espicially as this 35 Dorset st Donovan appears to be quite an innocuous charactor, a young married father,who died young and had no connection with the criminal activites of his namesakes.
If this is the case, it seems to rule him out as a suspect, on charactor alone.He would have to have been of good charactor to get a job as a lodging house keeper, he would have to be trustworthy with money for a start and reliable, its no the sort of job that would go to a known criminal.
Cheers Miss Marple
P.S what was the extent of Rumblelow's suspicions?

[Debra A]

Death Certificate

This is a transcript of the death certificate I received:

Registration District Mile End Old Town, 1896 Death in the sub registration district of Mile End Old Town Western, County of London.

Twenty fourth of April 1896 at 73 Romford Street, Timothy Donovan, male, 29years, builders labourer. Cause of death Phthisis, informant 'X the mark of Margaret Donovan, widow of the deceased present at death' 73 Romford Street.
registered Twenty Seventh April 1896, John B Ratcliff registrar.

this 35 Dorset st Donovan appears to be quite an innocuous charactor, a young married father,who died young and had no connection with the criminal activites of his namesakes.

Yes, it definitely seems that way MM. Also, the Daily News of Sept 11 1888 gave a descritption of Timothy Donovan at the inquest, describing him as a thin and pale faced young man, as the term Phthisis covers any sort of wasting illness, including TB, I wonder if Timothy Donovan was ill even in 1888?

[Rob Clack]

Great work as always Debs.

Rob

[Debra A]

Thanks Rob, I must thank Colin too, reading all his posts on registration districts etc. have certainly helped me with research like this.

[miss marple]

Brilliant work, Debs,
That doe's seem to knock him out as a suspect.
Miss Marple

[perrymason]

Great research find Deb, thanks for posting it.

I dont know that the theories surrounding Donovan were ever based on anything more than his presence at Crossinghams and the connection it has geographically and circumstantially with a few Canonicals, but you have shown that at least Donovan was no murderer.

I personally believe Crossinghams hold some keys.

All the best.

[Uncle Jack]

What I would like to find out is if the wife killer Donovan was the one who committed a series of petty crimes or whether this was the suicide Donovan. I think the wife killer Donovan is deffo worth looking into some more, just for the fact that he murdered his wife and his methods.

[Debra A]

What I would like to find out is if the wife killer Donovan was the one who committed a series of petty crimes or whether this was the suicide Donovan. I think the wife killer Donovan is deffo worth looking into some more, just for the fact that he murdered his wife and his methods.

Hi Adam,
The wife murderer certainly did commit a number of crimes, his Old Bailey trial transcript mentions something like 20 other convictions proved against him, some for assault. Other researchers mention a number of cases at the Thames Police Courts probably being attributable to him. I did see one conviction of a Timothy Donovan at Clerkenwell in 1890 for wounding, which is possibly him too.

As Perry Mason and Miss Marple have mentioned though, the interest in Crossingham's Timothy Donovan as a suspect is probably based more on his geographical location, possibility that he knew a couple of the other victims etc. Added to that, a suspicion that he may have been responsible for other violent crimes and assaults in the area, which it looks like he wasn't.
There isn't the same direct link either geographically, or to the victims, with the wife killer.
I'm unsure about the suicide you mention, I've never heard of that one.

Debs