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One of the problems in trying to get a clear picture of James Maybrick’s true character and personality, is that our views are often shaped by looking at him through the prism of the Ripper Diary (which he almost certainly didn’t write) or by just focusing on his behaviour during the final weeks of his life when he was suffering from the effects of long term addiction to powerful drugs such as strychnine and arsenic.
There is no doubt that James was a flawed individual. He was a hypochondriac with a chronic addiction problem. He had a long term mistress and he hit his wife Florence on at least one occasion. Nevertheless, there is evidence to suggest that in his younger days, at least, he was hardworking, ambitious, clever, athletic and extremely popular with both men and women.
According to Florence Aunspaugh, ‘Maybrick was a man somewhat above medium height. While you would not term him a handsome man as to features, yet he had a fine forehead, a very pleasant intellectual face and an open and honest countenance. Was well educated, well informed and a very interesting conversationalist. Light sandy coloured hair, grey eyes and the florid English expression. He had none of that blunt abrupt manner, so characteristic of the English, but was exceedingly cultured, polished and refined in his manners; and was a superb host.’ He was also ‘always immaculate in his person and well groomed.’ Dr Carter who examined James at Battlecrease on 7th May 1889, just days before his death, described him as a ‘somewhat fair-complexioned man of about fifty years of age, of slight but muscular build.’ Mr McGuffie, a chemist in Liverpool who had been making up James’ prescriptions for 15 years, described him as a ‘strong, broad-shouldered, healthy man.’ Even Sir Charles Russell, Florence Maybrick’s counsel, described him as ‘a man who seemed to have been liked by his friends and not without a kindly and generous nature.’
While much of the debate around James Maybrick’s candidature to be a credible Ripper suspect often gets bogged down in arguments around the ink or paper of the Diary or the minutiae of who said what and when, it seems to me a useful way forward would be to try and get a real understanding of the man himself and whether he meets the criteria to be considered a dangerous psychopath and a serial killer. This month, I have just published my updated and greatly expanded Maybrick A to Z book. (See www.brickmaypublishing.com for further details.) I have tried to provide a comprehensive breakdown of all issues, both Victorian and modern, dealing with the life and times of James the person and James the Ripper suspect.
One issue I tackle in my book, is a section on James Maybrick the golfer. As a young man, James was a talented sportsman. He was a member of the rowing club in Chester and part of a winning crew at a regatta. He was a keen walker. He was also a member of the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake. I include below the section from my new book on James’ golfing membership at the club. It helps provide a glimpse into his life and character.
In 1872, James Maybrick joined Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake on the Wirral. He is listed as member 232 out of a total membership of just over 250. The address he provided was his works address, the Knowsley Buildings, Tithebarn Street, Liverpool. At the end of the year, he resigned from the club.
Royal Liverpool Golf Club is home to one of the greatest courses in Great Britain and the Open Championship has been held there on 13 occasions, the last time being 2023. When James joined, the club was still in its early days having been founded in 1869 by ‘fifteen gentlemen.’ The course was built on what was then the racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club and, for the first seven years of its life, the land performed a dual role serving as both a golf course and a horse racing track. One member wrote about how, ‘in the midst of our play, the Wirral pack came thundering over our green, like the “six hundred.”’
It is not clear how active James was in the golf club. It is known that he was a keen sportsman and there is a reference to a person called ‘Maybrick’ being part of a winning crew at an event in 1870 staged by the Royal Chester Rowing Club. There is another reference to a ‘J. Maybrick’ being on the list of subscribers for the Chester Regatta in the same year. James was also a keen walker and he went on several walking holidays with his brothers and friends. He was also a horse racing and hunt enthusiast and perhaps the idea that he could combine his love of all things equestrian with golf at Hoylake, was a big attraction to him. There is a reference to a ‘Mr James Maybrick’ playing golf with Mr George Scott in a tournament in August 1872, at Royal Liverpool Golf Club; however, that is the only recorded mention of him playing at the club. Scott was listed as club member 255. He worked for T. S. Hancock and Sons, Sweeting Street, Liverpool, who were merchants and insurance agents. It is therefore possible that James’ playing partner was in fact William George Scott (1850-1902). In the 1881 Census, he is recorded as a ‘cotton salesman’ living at 41 Parkgate on the Wirral. He went on to become a partner in the firm of Messrs. Richard Hobson and Co., cotton brokers. Hobson was a great friend of James and it was at his house that James dined on the night of the Wirral races in April 1889. Scott was one of the mourners at James’ funeral. Scott died in 1902 and his remains were interred at Neston Parish Church. Edwin Maybrick was one of the many mourners at his funeral.
One reason why James would have wanted to join Royal Liverpool was it provided him with an opportunity to meet some influential people and therefore provide a boost to his developing career. In September 1870, he had become a Freemason when he joined St George’s Lodge of Harmony (No. 32). By joining the lodge, James was able to come into direct contact with some influential figures, including Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby. In 1872, Lord Stanley was the Vice-President of Royal Liverpool Golf Club, while the President was no less a figure that H.R.H. Prince Arthur, one of the sons of Queen Victoria. Amongst the members elected at the same time as James was the Right Hon., the Earl of Shrewsbury; and his Grace the Duke of Manchester was a candidate for election in September 1872. Interestingly, in his speech at the end of a competition at the club in April 1872, the club captain, Colonel Kennard, thanked all those who played and said: ‘There seemed to be a freemasonry in golf for it brought in contact and bound together men of all classes.’ With such a prestigious list of members it is somewhat of a surprise that James resigned from the club. Perhaps his work commitments and travel prevented him from fully participating in the golf club and he found his membership fee to be not cost-effective. Or maybe, he was just not very good at golf.
There is no doubt that James was a flawed individual. He was a hypochondriac with a chronic addiction problem. He had a long term mistress and he hit his wife Florence on at least one occasion. Nevertheless, there is evidence to suggest that in his younger days, at least, he was hardworking, ambitious, clever, athletic and extremely popular with both men and women.
According to Florence Aunspaugh, ‘Maybrick was a man somewhat above medium height. While you would not term him a handsome man as to features, yet he had a fine forehead, a very pleasant intellectual face and an open and honest countenance. Was well educated, well informed and a very interesting conversationalist. Light sandy coloured hair, grey eyes and the florid English expression. He had none of that blunt abrupt manner, so characteristic of the English, but was exceedingly cultured, polished and refined in his manners; and was a superb host.’ He was also ‘always immaculate in his person and well groomed.’ Dr Carter who examined James at Battlecrease on 7th May 1889, just days before his death, described him as a ‘somewhat fair-complexioned man of about fifty years of age, of slight but muscular build.’ Mr McGuffie, a chemist in Liverpool who had been making up James’ prescriptions for 15 years, described him as a ‘strong, broad-shouldered, healthy man.’ Even Sir Charles Russell, Florence Maybrick’s counsel, described him as ‘a man who seemed to have been liked by his friends and not without a kindly and generous nature.’
While much of the debate around James Maybrick’s candidature to be a credible Ripper suspect often gets bogged down in arguments around the ink or paper of the Diary or the minutiae of who said what and when, it seems to me a useful way forward would be to try and get a real understanding of the man himself and whether he meets the criteria to be considered a dangerous psychopath and a serial killer. This month, I have just published my updated and greatly expanded Maybrick A to Z book. (See www.brickmaypublishing.com for further details.) I have tried to provide a comprehensive breakdown of all issues, both Victorian and modern, dealing with the life and times of James the person and James the Ripper suspect.
One issue I tackle in my book, is a section on James Maybrick the golfer. As a young man, James was a talented sportsman. He was a member of the rowing club in Chester and part of a winning crew at a regatta. He was a keen walker. He was also a member of the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake. I include below the section from my new book on James’ golfing membership at the club. It helps provide a glimpse into his life and character.
In 1872, James Maybrick joined Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake on the Wirral. He is listed as member 232 out of a total membership of just over 250. The address he provided was his works address, the Knowsley Buildings, Tithebarn Street, Liverpool. At the end of the year, he resigned from the club.
Royal Liverpool Golf Club is home to one of the greatest courses in Great Britain and the Open Championship has been held there on 13 occasions, the last time being 2023. When James joined, the club was still in its early days having been founded in 1869 by ‘fifteen gentlemen.’ The course was built on what was then the racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club and, for the first seven years of its life, the land performed a dual role serving as both a golf course and a horse racing track. One member wrote about how, ‘in the midst of our play, the Wirral pack came thundering over our green, like the “six hundred.”’
It is not clear how active James was in the golf club. It is known that he was a keen sportsman and there is a reference to a person called ‘Maybrick’ being part of a winning crew at an event in 1870 staged by the Royal Chester Rowing Club. There is another reference to a ‘J. Maybrick’ being on the list of subscribers for the Chester Regatta in the same year. James was also a keen walker and he went on several walking holidays with his brothers and friends. He was also a horse racing and hunt enthusiast and perhaps the idea that he could combine his love of all things equestrian with golf at Hoylake, was a big attraction to him. There is a reference to a ‘Mr James Maybrick’ playing golf with Mr George Scott in a tournament in August 1872, at Royal Liverpool Golf Club; however, that is the only recorded mention of him playing at the club. Scott was listed as club member 255. He worked for T. S. Hancock and Sons, Sweeting Street, Liverpool, who were merchants and insurance agents. It is therefore possible that James’ playing partner was in fact William George Scott (1850-1902). In the 1881 Census, he is recorded as a ‘cotton salesman’ living at 41 Parkgate on the Wirral. He went on to become a partner in the firm of Messrs. Richard Hobson and Co., cotton brokers. Hobson was a great friend of James and it was at his house that James dined on the night of the Wirral races in April 1889. Scott was one of the mourners at James’ funeral. Scott died in 1902 and his remains were interred at Neston Parish Church. Edwin Maybrick was one of the many mourners at his funeral.
One reason why James would have wanted to join Royal Liverpool was it provided him with an opportunity to meet some influential people and therefore provide a boost to his developing career. In September 1870, he had become a Freemason when he joined St George’s Lodge of Harmony (No. 32). By joining the lodge, James was able to come into direct contact with some influential figures, including Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby. In 1872, Lord Stanley was the Vice-President of Royal Liverpool Golf Club, while the President was no less a figure that H.R.H. Prince Arthur, one of the sons of Queen Victoria. Amongst the members elected at the same time as James was the Right Hon., the Earl of Shrewsbury; and his Grace the Duke of Manchester was a candidate for election in September 1872. Interestingly, in his speech at the end of a competition at the club in April 1872, the club captain, Colonel Kennard, thanked all those who played and said: ‘There seemed to be a freemasonry in golf for it brought in contact and bound together men of all classes.’ With such a prestigious list of members it is somewhat of a surprise that James resigned from the club. Perhaps his work commitments and travel prevented him from fully participating in the golf club and he found his membership fee to be not cost-effective. Or maybe, he was just not very good at golf.