Mike Covell’s Blogg

This morning I had the pleasure of visiting both Beverley’s East Riding Archives and Hull’s History Centre in the search for information, photo’s and press cuttings on Frederick Bailey Deeming. 

I was shocked to discover a press cutting from 1892 linking Deeming to an unsolved murder case dating back to 1891, a short while after Deeming was released from Hull Gaol!  With this in mind I searched, and subsequently discovered the press reports from the 1891 cold case.  It transpired that a girl had been brutally murdered on the outskirts of Hull between Preston and Hedon.

At the time numerous suspects were taken before the police and numerous eyewitnesses reported the murderers escape, but at the time the Hull Police were stumped.

It was only in March 1892 during the trial of Deeming in Melbourne that the Hull Police decided to reinvestigate the case and the possibility that Deeming was responsible.

I am also pleased to announce that today I obtained not one but two photographs of Frederick Bailey Deeming.  Both of which were taken by Messrs Barry Photographers of Park-street, Hull, during Deeming’s 1890 visit to the city. 

This weekend I was fortunate to be a guest speaker at The Ghost Club in London, meeting at long last with noted Ripperologist, Author of The Jack the Ripper Location Photographs and Co-Author of The London of Jack the Ripper Then and Now, Philip Hutchinson.  The lecture, on Hull’s Ghostly Myths and Legends took in a few locations also associated with Robert D’Onston Stephenson and his family.

Whilst in London I managed to take a trip to the London Metropolitan Archives and looked through their extensive Trade Directory collection for any references to Robert D’Onston Stephenson, or any of his aliases.  I also looked for Mabel Collins, aka Mabel Cook, and Vittoria Cremers, who doesn’t have any aliases!

I also spent time looking for references to Pompadour Cosmetiques, and the property the trio were said to have worked at on Baker-street.

The trip fell on the hottest day England has had so far this year with temperatures reaching 32 degrees celcius, and it was even hotter on the tube, but it was a great day, with some great finds and all thanks to Philip and the great bunch at The Ghost Club.

It has been on the cards for a while, but this morning I finally got the time to travel through to Beverley and visit East Riding Archives and it wasn’t going to a wasted journey.

I had always wanted a copy of the Marriage of Deeming, under his alias Lawson, to Miss Matheson of Beverley and among the parish registers of St Mary’s Church I found it.  The certificate has seen better days and a large tear exists along the centre, but all the details are readable.

With the certificate in hand I decided to search the Beverley Guardian for the period, and found the Wedding among the BMD’s.  Again, this provided yet more details of the couple.  Especially Deeming, who had writted not one, but two different names and surnames for his father!

Next up I decided to search the same publication for the trial of Deeming in September 1890.  This was the trial where Deeming was charged with Fraudulantly obtaining jewellery from Messrs. Reynoldson and Son.  Not only did I find several newspaper articles pertaining to this case, I also discovered more than was initially featured in the Hull Press at the time!  Among the articles were several local articles with commentary from people that knew Deeming whilst he was in Beverley.

Next up I decided to check the same publication for the year 1892 for the trial of Deeming, and sure enough not only did I find new articles, but many of them featuring the local slant on the case, and interviews with Beverley locals!

After this I perused a scrapbook that featured Deeming on several occasions and consisted of newspaper cuttings from the Yorkshire region. 

I was also informed of two photographs on file of Deeming, and managed to look at one of them taken by Barry of Spring-street, Hull!

The staff at East Riding Archives were fantastic and really helpful, often pointing me in the right direction and helping me with the reader printers which seem to differ from Archival Centre to Archival Centre.

Afterwards I took a walk through Beverley market, taking in the sights and smells of the stalls and made my way up to the St Mary’s Church.  As a child we had visited here, and I had been informed then of the alleged link between Lewis Carroll and the rabbit carved in stone in St Michael’s Chapel here.  After walking around the church I managed to find the rabbit and after asking permission was allowed to snap several photographs.

I also managed to obtain photographs of the Chancel, where Deeming, posing has Harry Lawson, would have stood in 1890, telling his new bride that he was a single man, and thus begining his downfall.

Hull History Centre 

Yesterday I managed to track down several previously unseen reports dating back to the 1890’s regarding Frederick Bailey Deeming.  I had previously found the reports relating to Deeming’s fraud trial in Hull in September 1890 and had heard there were other reports from this period, but sadly these could not be traced. 

I did, however; find over 50 new reports from the Hull Daily Mail dating from April and May 1892 and covering the trial of Frederick Bailey Deeming.  Many of these reports offered new insights into the criminal life of Deeming, and some offered the local slant on events.  Many of the reports came from former Governor of Hull Gaol, Harry Webster, who was in Australia during the trial and who had Deeming, alias Lawson, under is charge at Hull Gaol for the frauds he committed on a Hull Jeweller.

 East Riding Archives

Tomorrow I hope to visit the East Riding Archives and St Mary’s Church in Beverley.  The archives hold all the parish registers for Beverley and I am hoping to obtain the wedding entries for Deeming, under the alias Lawson, and Nellie Matheson. 

Whilst there I also aim to visit St Mary’s Church, a location associated with Frederick Bailey Deeming and Lewis Carroll, a suspect proposed by Richard Wallace in his book Jack the Ripper- Light Hearted Friend.

Despite numerous articles and texts alluding to the frauds carried out in Hull by Frederick Bailey Deeming, very few newspaper accounts have surfaced, with only one exception which stated that Deeming had been given 9 months for his criminal deeds. 

I managed to track down the Calender of Prisoners for 1890, and the Michaelmas Quarter Sessions on the case, but they did not run to much, and contained very little useful information. 

With this in mind, and a new wind, I once again trawled the Hull Press for the year 1890 and sure enough, I discovered several newspaper reports covering Deemings criminal activities in Hull, and the chase that the Hull Detectives gave across the globe. 

More interestingly, I uncovered an article written by Detective Grassby, the man responsible for capturing Deeming in Monte-Video, and bringing him back to Hull.  Grassby’s article was a great find, as it contained many hiterto unknown details about Deeming’s conduct on the journey back to Hull.

The headlines said it all “Hull Ripper Scare,” “Jack the Ripper Scare in Hull,” and “Jack the Stabber at large.”  These were the reports I discovered this week in several newspapers and covering an incident where 5 women were stabbed.  I managed to trace several different newspapers, giving different views, and some of them featured illustrations of the suspects.  I was also able to ascertain who the culprit was, and managed to obtain birth, marriage and death data.

Hot on the trail I also uncovered the entry in the Calendar Entry of Prisoners, and from this the actual court proceedings of his case!  More info to follow!

Despite having a busy week with meetings and appointments I still managed to get a couple of hours research in at the Hull History Centre.

This week my attention was turned to George Marsh, the man who suspected Robert D’Onston Stephenson of being Jack the Ripper.  Pouring over the census I did find several possible candidates that could well have been the man, and one of these had a long history in the Iron Trade.  George Marsh, at the time of his statement was an out of work Ironmongery salesman.  Despite these finds, work is still ongoing, until I can find definitive proof that this is indeed the George Marsh I am looking for.

Work was also carried out on the Richardson family, this was Robert D’Onston Stephenson’s cousin and her husband.  His cousin and her daughter had accompanied Stephenson on his trip to Flamborough which resulted in him being shot in the leg!

Work was also carried out on Kelburne King, the surgeon who treated Stephenson on more than one occasion. 

This morning I once again had the pleasure of visiting the multi million pound Hull History Centre and I must admit, I made some fantastic finds, including,

The Census entries for Dr Sutton, the man who treated Robert D’Onston Stephenson in the London Hospital.

The Death Entry for Dr Sutton.

The entry of Dr Sutton into the British Medical Registry.

The Census entries for Dr Morgan Davies, the man Stephenson accused of being Jack the Ripper.

The Death entry for Dr Morgan Davies.

The entry of Dr Morgan Davies into the British Medical Registry.

I searched the Death Registers and found Isabella Stephenson’s box number, showing where and when she was buried and with whom.

I also managed to transcribe three years of the Hull Watch Committee’s Minutes, showing Richard Stephenson Junior present at the committee and sub-committee meetings.

I also managed to transcribe three years of the Hull Corporation Minutes showing Richard Stephenson Senior receiving his quarterly wage and bonuses for his role as a Water Bailiff.

These records also showed the political career of Richard Stephenson Junior.

I also searched the British Medical Registers for the years 1859, 1863, 1867, 1871, 1875, 1879, 1883, 1887, 1891, 1895, 1899, 1903, 1907, 1911 in search of Robert D’Onston Stephenson and his aliases!

During a recent trip to the newly opened Hull History Centre I found the following,

• Mary Ann Dawber committing theft against Joseph Beecher 1892
• Samuel Dawber, son of William and Mary Ann Dawber, inquest at the Angel Inn on Sykes street on 15^th July 1892. Samuel was found dead at the north end of Queens Dock, Hull on the 14^th July 1892.
• Dawber and Townsley planning application dated 5/5/1904
• Dawber and Townsley planning application dated 10/6/1904
• Dawber and Sons planning application dated 6/7/1871
• WC Dawber planning application 22/12/1883
• WC Dawber planning application 3/10/1881
• WC Dawber planning application 17/7/1882
• Joseph Dawber planning application 3/12/1877
• Robert Dawber planning application 14/10/1858
• Robert Dawber planning application 13/7/1863
• Robert Dawber planning application March/1866
• Court papers of Joseph Dawber 27/2/1889
• Will of Robert Dawber
• Will of Joseph Dawber
• Will of William Clark Dawber
• Will naming Robert Dawber
• Will naming Joseph Dawber
• Letter from Tenny and Dawber dated 1873

And there is still so much more to search.  Next visit will see more information sought on the Dawber family, before turning my attention to the Stephenson family.

The first thing you notice with the multi-million pound Hull History Centre is the size, compared to the rooms of the archives, and local studies library it’s enormous. The next thing you notice is how recognisable it is. I approached along High-street, and through the grounds of Hull College, and could see it from some distance away. It might not be tall, but with it’s curved roof, it stands out. I remember my first visit to the City Archives all those years ago, when I could not find the building, and found only a small door with a tiny brass plaque!

The grounds of the history centre are spacious and open, no dark corners, and with plenty of parking spaces and wonderful, if somewhat strange looking trees!

On entering I was met by a familiar face from Hull City Council, who watched over my son during his “Night at the Museum,” at the front desk. From this point you get a feel of how big the building actually is, this isn’t like the small office from the days of the archives, but a grand, well lit, modern area, with seating and views out across the car park to Hull.

I entered the main research area and noted all the books on display, so took a short while to have a look around, spotting new sources of information that I had, until today, never seen before. I poured over a couple of volumes of the Hull City Council/Corporation Minute books before going in search of the trade directories.

I approached the helpdesk and was met by some friendly familiar faces from the old Local Studies Library, and was informed that the trade directories were now kept in the all new search room, which was a room surrounded by glass, and well lit from all sides. To gain access I needed a County Archives Research Network Ticket (CARN) and although I had searched at Hull City Archives, Hull’s Local Studies, East Riding Archives, Carnegie Heritage Centre, Sutton History Centre, Bridlington Archives and Local Studies, I had never been told I needed one. At the East Riding Archives I had been issued with what appears to have been a day ticket, so asked if these were available. Luckily they were, but I would warn other’s who are hoping to view the actual archival arm of the building to take some identification with you such as a driving licence, pension book, benefits book, utility bill, bank statement, cheque guarantee card, family allowance book. As long as you have something recent with your address on.

It took a short while to register, and when I was done I was shown the locker area, with state of the art lockers, and toilets. These were fantastic compared to the lockers and toilets in the old Hull City Archives, and a vast improvement.

I then entered the search area, and looked briefly at the trade directories, and through the enormous name index, noting several sources for the future.

I had a brief walk around, and looked out over the vast array of computers, which, compared to the single computer at Hull’s Local Studies Library is a vast improvement. I also noticed that the number of reader printers had increased, this was another great feature as in the past you had to pre-book to obtain one, and sessions lasted just an hour.

All in all it’s a great place, with loads to keep even the most intrepid of researchers busy. The staff are all knowledgeable, smart, and friendly, and on hand to help. The facilities on offer are a vast improvement on the previous facilities offered in the old archival and historical institutions, and the building is warm, well lit, and in a fantastic location.