Limerick, the Key?

[Mayerling]

For myself, this is a step one: What is a "sexton"?

It turns out this figure is in charge (at least in the 20th Century) of the physical plant of the church, as he is to see everything is in good condition and running well, and he helps orders supplies. In the 19th Century he might have the same duties, but was also in charge of the church grounds and the burial ground.

So our Sexton was in charge of St. Leonard's graveyard. Now my question becomes, did he have the power to decide who could be buried in the church graveyard, or did he need permission from the clergyman and the deacon and others as to bringing in new internments? I would have to assume that his willingness to start a collection to bury Mary at St. Leonard's required some form of permission.

Jeff

[JadenCollins]

I think if we worked as a team instead of by ourselves we could figure this out. Might be wishful thinking on my part though.

Exactly!

[SuspectZero]

However, wasn't our Mary hiding at one point because her father was coming to Whitechapel to find her, or is that just a story? If it was true, you would think a man who had lived in Whitechapel, and presumably had contacts in the district still, would be able to locate her fairly quickly. MacCarthy said she got letters from her mother in Ireland, so did the parents go back there after living and working in Whitechapel? Also, didn't she have a Welsh/Irish accent? Not easy to face that 24/7 I wouldn't have thought!

Good points.

[Rosella]

However, wasn't our Mary hiding at one point because her father was coming to Whitechapel to find her, or is that just a story? If it was true, you would think a man who had lived in Whitechapel, and presumably had contacts in the district still, would be able to locate her fairly quickly. MacCarthy said she got letters from her mother in Ireland, so did the parents go back there after living and working in Whitechapel? Also, didn't she have a Welsh/Irish accent? Not easy to face that 24/7 I wouldn't have thought!

[SuspectZero]

This one maybe in 1881 census?

Mary Kelly, Unmarried, aged 23, Prostitute, Born Whitechapel.
I believe she was in local workhouse.

I did find one born local with father John and a lot of brothers also....

Pat...

I always wondered if this was her.

[SuspectZero]

I think the first step is so figure out who she was then we can go to step 2, AKA finding "Jack", there could be something that can lead us to the killer, unless the killer is already known and we just overlooked some things.

I agree with Pat, her last name isn't "Kelly", if it was Kelly, we would have found her by now. If she's from Wales pretending to be Irish ( like mentioned in many threads on here ) she definitely chose Kelly, just 'cause of that reason. I'm not sure about her first and middle name either, Mary Jane is a quite common name...

It's easy to pick a different name, it's not like someone could actually track her down back then.


Anyways does anyone know what Dr. Weston-Davies is up to? Any progress on that?







Jaden

I think if we worked as a team instead of by ourselves we could figure this out. Might be wishful thinking on my part though.

[GUT]

Does anyone know why Mr. Wilton paid for Mary's funeral?

Had she somehow been associated with St. Leonards?

Jeff

All the reports I've read just seems a good deed. He felt sorry for her (or even tham).

[Rosella]

The St Peter Port Star newspaper of Guernsey (of all places) had a full account of the funeral in its 22nd November 1888 issue. It stated that Mr Wilton, sexton of St Leonards for over fifty years, stepped forward when no relatives appeared and took on the cost of the funeral himself as 'a mark of sympathy for the poor people of the neighbourhood.'

Landlord MacCarthy didn't attend the funeral but sent a female representative. I think Joe Barnett was the only male among the mourners. They apparently, according to another newspaper report, fortified themselves for the ordeal of the funeral by popping into a pub for a few minutes on the way to St Leonards and then paid another visit afterwards to a different pub!

[Mayerling]

Wilton was Sexton at St. Leonards and paid for Kelly's funeral.

Does anyone know why Mr. Wilton paid for Mary's funeral?

Had she somehow been associated with St. Leonards?

Jeff

[JadenCollins]

I think the first step is so figure out who she was then we can go to step 2, AKA finding "Jack", there could be something that can lead us to the killer, unless the killer is already known and we just overlooked some things.

I agree with Pat, her last name isn't "Kelly", if it was Kelly, we would have found her by now. If she's from Wales pretending to be Irish ( like mentioned in many threads on here ) she definitely chose Kelly, just 'cause of that reason. I'm not sure about her first and middle name either, Mary Jane is a quite common name...

It's easy to pick a different name, it's not like someone could actually track her down back then.


Anyways does anyone know what Dr. Weston-Davies is up to? Any progress on that?







Jaden

[Pcdunn]

I don't think Kelly was her birth name, however, which makes it harder to identify her in census records.

[DJA]

Possibly.

Might have put her age up by three years.

Dunno.

C of E though.

[Paddy]

Or this one? also in 1881 census Could be the same one. Only this one was in the Workhouse infirmary......

Mary Kelly, Castle Alley 23, single, Prostitute .....with Syphilis.

Pat.......

[Paddy]

This one maybe in 1881 census?

Mary Kelly, Unmarried, aged 23, Prostitute, Born Whitechapel.
I believe she was in local workhouse.

I did find one born local with father John and a lot of brothers also....

Pat...

[DJA]

Suspect our Mary Kelly was a 27 year old local actually baptised at St. Leonard's.

Might have had an accountant brother in the Swansea area,employed in the copper smelting industry.