The Ratcliffe Highway Murders of 1811

Oct 17, 2023

In 1811, a series of shocking murders on the Ratcliffe Highway sent London into a panic, exposing societal fears and the deficiencies of policing. The aftermath brought public outcry and calls for reform as the community grappled with uncertainty and blame. The investigation was chaotic, rife with unreliable evidence and theories of criminal gangs. This dark tale also reflects the evolving landscape of justice and media in the 19th century, showing how these brutal events shaped societal attitudes towards crime.

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Intro

00:00 • 21min

Aftermath of Terror: The Ratcliffe Highway Murders

21:09 • 36min

Unraveling the Mysteries of the Ratcliffe Highway Murders

56:57 • 5min

The Enigma of Ratcliffe Highway

01:01:27 • 11min

Transformation of Justice and Media in the 19th Century

01:12:47 • 3min

In 1811 a series of brutal murders on the Ratcliffe Highway in the east end of London shook the locals to the very core with their unrivalled brutality and seemingly random, everyday targets. The murders exposed a fear in the city that had been bubbling away beneath the surface for several years and made some of the first inroads into the long debate over the reform of the way the police operated throughout the country. Considered as the crime of the century and unparallelled in the fear and panic it provoked amongst the population of the city, it was only overshadowed by a group of five murders in Whitechapel during the summer and autumn of 1888, attributed to the elusive and infamous Jack the Ripper.

SOURCES

Flanders, Judith (2011) The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime. Harper Press, London, UK

James, P.D. & Critchley, T.A. (2010) The Maul and The Pear Tree. Faber & Faber, London, UK.

Phillips, Watts (1855) The Wild Tribes of London. Ward & Lock, London, UK.

King, Peter (2010) The Impact of Urbanization on Murder Rates and on the Geography of Homicide in England and Wales, 1780-1850. The Historical Journal, Vol. 53, No. 3 (SEPTEMBER 2010), pp. 671-698, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

Morning Chronicle (1811) Horrid And Unparalleled Murders. Mon 9 Dec, 1811, p3. London, UK.

Morning Chronicle (1811) Depositions Before The Magistrates. Sat 21 Dec, 1811, p3. London, UK

Morning Post (1811) The Late Horrible Murders. Wed 25 Dec, 1811, p3, London, UK.

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