Mike Covell’s Blogg

I was fascinated to see that my next Jack the Ripper lecture found its way into The Yorkshire Post.  The short piece reads,

“On November 11, Mike Covell will discuss the case of Jack the Ripper and its links to Hull. Mr Covell is a “Ripperologist” and historian, whose work has featured in Ripperologist magazine, and he has lectured across the UK on the subject of local history and Jack the Ripper.”

The full article can be read here, http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/localnews/Maritime-history-expert-to-launch.6578865.jp

On Saturday 13th of November I will be walking from Humber Bridge to Beverley along the old Beverley 20 route to raise money for Dove House Hospice.  The hospice is a charity that provides care for people with life limiting illnesses.  My father was offered a place and help by the Hospice, but sadly he passed away before he could take them up on the offer.

The website for the Hospice is, http://www.dovehouse.org.uk/

I decided to do the walk to help others in a similar situation and hopefully inspire others to help.  The path chosen was a path my father and I had walked along in the past, often getting lost along the way as my fathers map reading skills were as bad as his DIY.

As readers are probably wondering what the hell this has to do with Jack the Ripper, I thought I would add a few interesting points about the route.

The walk takes a route from Humber Bridge Car park past the Hearfield family mill at Little Switzerland.  Thomas Hearfield was the family solicitor to the Stephenson family, and Robert D’Onston Stephenson was suspected of being Jack the Ripper by an out of work iron monger by the name of George Marsh.

The route takes the walker through Holderness, where the Wilson family held regular hunts, both Prince Albert Edward and Prince Albert Victor were regular guests at the hunts, and often stayed at the Wilson’s family home, Tranby Croft.  Prince Albert Victor was here in the Autumn of 1888.

The route finishes in Beverley, where Lewis Carroll was said to have seen the Pilgrim Rabbit, which inspired him to include a rabbit in Alice in Wonderland.  Lewis Carroll’s grandfather was a resident of Hull for many years, marrying in the same church as Frederick Richard Chapman, another suspect in his own right.

It should also be noted that at Beverley in the same church of Lewis Carroll’s rabbit Frederick Bailey Deeming married Helen Matheson in 1890 before leaving her at Hull’s Royal Station Hotel, where Princes Albert, Edward, and Queen Victoria had also stayed.

My sponsorship site can be found here, http://www.dovehouse.org.uk/netcommunity/beverley20

Thursday Night Live - Mike Covell - Jack the Ripper, the Hull Connection - Central Library

Date: Thursday , 11 November 2010

Location: Central Library Reference Library, Albion Street, Hull, HU1 3TF

Time: Thursday , November 11 - 19:45

Notes: Tickets will be available from the Reference Library counter on the first floor and the Lending Library counter on the ground floor.

Ticket Price: £2.00 to cover refreshments.

Contact Number: 01482 210000