Catherine Eddowes and the Birth of Ripper Culture

The 1888 ‘Autumn of Terror’ in Whitechapel saw the birth of ‘Jack the Ripper’, a culturally constructed Gothic monster based on a real-life serial killer who viciously murdered and mutilated at least five women. One of those women was Catherine Eddowes, born in Graisley Green, Wolverhampton, in 1842. Join Dr Lucy Andrew as she explores the life of Catherine Eddowes, her connections to Wolverhampton and the West Midlands, and her role and representation in Ripper culture – from her appearance in the first piece of Ripper fiction ever published in 1888 to her role in Russell Edwards' investigation, catalogued in his book Naming Jack the Ripper (2014), which identified Aaron Kosminski as the prime suspect in the Ripper murders.

Lucy Andrew is Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Chester with research specialisms in crime fiction, children’s literature and young adult fiction, popular culture and creative writing. Her publications include The Boy Detective in Early British Children’s Literature, Crime Fiction in the City: Capital Crimes (co-edited with Catherine Phelps) and The Detective’s Companion in Crime Fiction: A Study in Sidekicks (co-edited with Samuel Saunders). She has appeared on the Jack the Ripper episodes of Murder Maps (3DD Productions) and on Rippercast: The Whitechapel Murders Podcast.

About the Venue

For 2024, we will be based at Penn Bowling Club, 10 Manor Road, Penn, Wolverhampton, WV4 5PY. The venue is fully wheelchair accessible, has good parking, toilet facilities and a bar. For users of public transport, the 15/16 bus routes along the Penn Road can be followed by a short walk up Manor Road to the venue.