Mike Covell’s Blogg

Well it has been one hell of a year.  I seem to have not written much on the blog at all this year, but believe me it is for a very good reason.  I have been so busy not just with “Jack the Ripper” but other projects that I rarely get to sit and update my blog.  So here, in one post, is all the weird and wonderful news since my last posting.  Forgive me if I go over the same ground again, but the projects are so exciting and it is fantastic to be a part of them all.

LONDON LECTURE

This week I had the pleasure of lecturing for a massive marketing company in London at Mindshare’s Huddle event. 

http://www.mindshareworld.com/uk/about/huddle

https://twitter.com/mindshare_uk

Massive thank you to Chris Bourke, for not only booking me, but making me feel very welcome at the event.  The lecture which was for Qriously Ltd, looked at “Jack the Ripper” and the media both past and present and was a very popular lecture.  Everyone made me feel very welcome and I had a lovely time in London meeting everyone.  

https://www.qriously.com/

https://twitter.com/qriously

BOOKS

This year has seen the release of ten of my books, they are all available to download via Amazon, and two are currently available on paperback.  Simply search for “Mike Covell” on the Amazon pages around the world and you will find the products. 

At the moment sales are really impressive and I cannot thank the Creativia gang for taking me on board and looking after me and my titles.  They are such a small tight nit group and they have worked wonders for me. 

http://www.creativia.org/

https://www.facebook.com/ctivia

http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Hull-s-Jack-Ripper-expert-Mike-Covell-storms/story-21328013-detail/story.html

MOVIES

As you can imagine I am limited in what I can say about the movies at present, I know I am a tease, but I can only recommend that you visit the Thunderball Films website for updates on the projects that I am involved in.  It is a very exciting time, and I look forward to working on some amazing projects as an historical director and executive producer that are heading our way.   

http://www.thunderballfilms.com/

https://twitter.com/ThunderBallFilm

http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Hollywood-buys-script-real-life-Victorian-crime/story-20940257-detail/story.html

http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Jack-Ripper-expert-Mike-Covell-star-Mischa-Barton/story-20761947-detail/story.html

TV SHOW

I can confirm that there is a television show on the way looking at the “Jack the Ripper” case and other similar cases to ascertain fact from fiction, myth from reality.  Whilst I am very limited over what I can and cannot say, I can say that it is a very interesting and exciting project tackled in a way that has never been tackled before in Ripperology.  The title for the show is “Jack the Ripper: Reality and Myth.”

http://www.thunderballfilms.com/

https://twitter.com/ThunderBallFilm

TOURS

Many people will remember that earlier this year I set up AMAZING HULL TOURS.  Since that time I had carried out numerous tours, lectures, and research for numerous people.  The tours are going really well and recently were featured in the Hull Daily Mail after a number of people caught anomalous objects on camera.  I take a back seat and allow people to take photos on the tour and if they capture anything on film I do not sway their opinion.  That said, this last few weeks has seen a number of people capture unexplained activity on their cameras. 

http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Graveyard-ghost-Does-photo-capture-spooky-spirit/story-24024138-detail/story.html

PODCAST

Earlier this year I met with my good mate John and we recorded a show on Jack the Ripper – The Hull Connection.  Since then John and I have recorded more shows that look at the history of Hull.  Show two featured a virtual walk around Hull’s Old Town, visiting some of the allegedly haunted pubs and talking about their history. 
Show three featured a similar virtual tour around some of the pubs a little further afield.

To listen to the shows simply visit:

http://www.johninstein.webs.com/urban-legends

https://www.facebook.com/Urbanlegendhull

https://twitter.com/ULPodcast

HULL’S DARK MUSEUM

Earlier this year I teamed up with local businessman John Hemmingway to create a brand new visitor attraction in Hull.  The idea is to showcase 700 years of the darker side of Hull’s strange history, from witchcraft to the hanging of pirates, ghost sightings, local legends and true crime.  The project is moving at a great pace and I look forward to releasing news about this very soon.  One area we hope to showcase is “Jack the Ripper” The Hull Connection.

https://twitter.com/HullDarkHistory

https://www.facebook.com/HullDarkHistoryMuseum

http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Death-murder-disease-New-Hull-dungeon-museum/story-20513987-detail/story.html

FUTURE PROJECTS

I am very pleased to announce that due to the popularity of the URBAN LEGENDS podcasts that next year for the second season we have even bigger plans.  Watch out for John and I around Hull filming in locations associated with true crime, Jack the Ripper, and the paranormal. 

I am pleased to be the historian at the fascinating project housed within Annison’s Stables, on Witham, above and behind the 24 hour pharmacy.  A lot of attention has been paid to this building and its magnificent history and in the future you will see some amazing tours, lectures, and the occasional paranormal investigation at the property.  You will also see lectures on Mary Jane Langley being given at the property where Mr. William Mortimer Edmonds had his photography shop!

The “Chocolate Factory” on Wincolmlee, a lovely 19^th century tallow mill will also see some magnificent projects taking place there.  These will be run in conjunction with local businessman John Hemmingway, who I spoke about in regards to the DARK MUSEUM above.

2015 will see a wide range of new lectures and new tours, taking in aspects of Hull’s history long since forgotten.  Among the new lectures will be a new Amy Johnson lecture, a new William Papper lecture, and a new lecture on Hull’s infamous Silver Hatchet Gang of the early 19^th century.

New Books!!!  Next year will see the release of a series of new books that will explore the darker side of Hull’s history.  The series is all but finished and they will be submitted just after Christmas for a steady release through the year.  It will mean a year of no “Jack the Ripper” releases from me, but I am saving the new “Jack the Ripper” projects for 2016.

LECTURES

The AMAZING HULL TOURS lectures have had a very busy year and bookings are coming well into 2015 with a lecture booked for December next year!  All bookings for both tours and lectures can be made through AMAZING HULL TOURS at the following;

http://www.amazinghulltours.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/amazinghulltours

 https://twitter.com/AMAZINGHULLTOUR

Or via emailing us at amazinghulltours@hotmail.com

On Monday November 26^th 2012 I set off from Hull on the Hull to Beverley train with a view to visiting the East Riding Archives, at the Treasurers House, Beverley.  The reason for the trip was two fold.  The first part of my research was aimed at investigating a local paranormal mystery that is relevant to the Sculcoates area of Hull.  As Sculcoates fall under the jurisdiction of the East Riding Council, many of the records are kept at the East Riding Archives.  The second leg of my research trip was to investigate two Jack the Ripper scares that had occurred in Beverley during the 19^th century.

Jack the Ripper Scares

I first discovered the two scares in The Hull Daily Mail archives and searching further a field discovered more reports in the National press, I was, however, hoping to find the source material from Beverley, so at some point a trip across to the archives was on the cards.  The two reports were from the years 1891 and 1894 and covered two unsavoury characters that had visited Beverley and been arrested after Jack the Ripper Scares in the district. 

At the East Riding Archives I searched the old back issues of The Beverley Guardian, which at the time was published every Saturday.  It wasn’t long before the search turned up several articles from 1891 and 1894.  In the past The Beverley Guardian has provided me with details on Frederick Bailey Deeming, under his alias Harry Lawson, and in their February 1890 editions featured announcements of his marriage at St. Mary’s Church in Beverley.  His subsequent career in Hull, and trial for fraud also featured, as well as his arrest in Australia and trial for murder.  The Beverley Guardian was also a great source of information in the search for material on Mary Jane Langley and her unsolved murder on the outskirts of Marfleet and Preston.  Having the local slant on these cases proved valuable as it mentioned other names and locations as well as being more in depth.   

The Paranormal Mystery

Without giving too much away on this little mystery, I visited the archives to obtain several historical documents from the early 19^th century that shed new light on an age old mystery.  I have been investigating and researching this particular location for years now, but with little published about it, and less written on the internet I decided to find the historical documents that pertain to the location when it was first mooted and eventually built.  A couple of books have tackled this location, but they give very little in the way of historical facts.  My aim was get back to the local acts that made the construction of this location and start researching the history from that point.

In the East Riding Archives search room I was very pleased to be shown several historical documents dating back to 1817 that showed the meetings and acts that were set in place for the construction of this location.

September 11^th 1888

If September 10^th was a frantic day of press reports and commentary, then September 11^th 1888 was a day of almost hysterical stories and press reporting across Britain and further afield. 

Numerous reports appeared in, The Western Mail, The York Herald, The Star, The Standard, The Morning Post, The Sheffield and Rotherham Independent, The Pall Mall Gazette, The Northern Echo, The Liverpool Mercury Etc, The Leeds Mercury, The Huddersfield Daily Chronicle, The Glasgow Herald, Freeman’s Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser, The Dundee Courier and Argus, The Daily News, The North Eastern Daily Gazette, The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post, The Bury and Norwich Post and Suffolk Standard, The Birmingham Daily Post, The Belfast News Letter, The Aberdeen Weekly Journal, The Daily Colonist, The Daily Telegraph, The East End News, The Echo, The Evening News, The Irish Times, and The Montreal Daily Star.

In Australia the following published stories, The Morning Advertiser, The Launceston Examiner, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Argus, The Brisbane Courier, The West Australian, The Burra Record, The Morning Bulletin, The South Australian Register, The Daily News, The Maitland Mercury, The Traralgon Record, and The Clarence and Richmond Examiner and New England Advertiser.

In New Zealand the following printed stories, The Marlborough Express, The Ashburton Guardian, The Star, The Aucland Star, The Press, The Evening Post, The Daily Telegraph, The Timaru Herald, The Wanganui Herald, The Colonist, The Hawke’s Bay Herald, The Nelson Evening Mail, The Poverty Bay Herald, The West Coast Times, The North Otago Times, The Fielding Star, The Southland Times, The Otago Daily Times, and The Taranaki Herald.

September 11^th 1888 was also the day that Dr. Cowan and Dr. Crabb visited the police to inform them that they believed Jacob Issenscmid to be the Whitechapel Murderer. 

September 10^th 1888

On September 10^th 1888 the National and International Press were in a frenzy over the murders, with the murder of Annie Chapman, featured in, The Aberdeen Weekly Journal, The Belfast News Letter, The Birmingham Daily Post, The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post, The North Eastern Daily Gazette, The Daily News, The Dundee Courier and Argus, Freeman’s Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser, The Glasgow Herald, The Leeds Mercury, The Liverpool Mercury etc, The Northern Echo, The Pall Mall Gazette, The Sheffield and Rotherham Independent, The Morning Post, The Standard, The York Herald, The Western Mail, The Times, The Star, The British Daily Whig, The Daily Telegraph, The Evening News, The Frederick News, The Irish Times, The Montreal Daily Star,

In Australia the affair was featured in the following newspapers on that date, The South Australian Advertiser, The South Australian Register, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Argus, The Daily News (Perth), The Portland Guardian, and The Bendigo Advertiser.

In New Zealand the affair was featured in the following newspapers on that date, The Marlborough Express, the Wangamui Herald, The Star, The Poverty Bay Herald, The Aucland Star, The Ashburton Guardian, The Thames Star, The Daily Telegraph, and The Nelson Evening Mail.

 Here in Hull newspaper reports featuring the affair appeared in, The Hull Daily Mail, The Hull Daily News, The Hull News, and The Eastern Morning News.

September 9^th 1888

The main topic in the British press on September 9^th 1888 was the murder of Annie Chapman, which in some publications, including The Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper, as the fourth murder, being as it followed Emma Elizabeth Smith, Martha Tabram, and Mary Ann Nichols.  The same publication also asked “Why not try bloodhounds?”  A question that would soon be answered….

September 8th 1888

Today’s newspapers were filled with the news that another horrible murder had taken place in Whitechapel.  The brutal murder of Annie Chapman, found dead a little before 6:00 on the morning of the 8th of September by John Davis.  The newspapers, many of which were still discussing the murder of Mary Ann Nichols, had another murder to discuss.

Annie Chapman RIP (September 1841 – 8 September 1888)

September 7^th 1888

The hot topic of the day on September 7^th 1888 was the funeral of Mary Ann Nichols, sometimes referred to as Polly, and Nicholls.  Several news reports published that Mary Ann Nichols had been buried at Ilford Cemetery by her father, among them was the Daily News, The Times, The Sheffield and Rotherham Independent, The Morning Post, The Standard, and The Western Mail.

September 6^th 1888

September 6^th 1888 was a typical no news day in the East End, The Star however, had plenty to report on, and their article looked at how the East End was experiencing a murder a day!  It was typical scaremongering reporting, but helped sell copies and keep newspapermen in business.   The report, published that day, likened the Whitechapel murders to the “The Murders in “The Rue Morgue.” 

The Dundee Courier and Argus, also published that day, discussed a suspect that was being watched, named only as “Leather Apron.”

 Mary Ann Nichols is buried at Little Illford Cemetery.

September 5^th 1888

Whilst inquiries were ongoing in Whitechapel, the British Press were still covering the inquest and subsequent adjournment of Mary Ann Nichols.  Once again the story of the alleged assault outside Foresters’ Music Hall was making the headlines, with The York Herald, dated that day, featuring a brief overview of the incident. 

Further up north The Dundee Courier and Argus, dated September 5^th 1888, printed a report that claimed Great Britain was awash in a crime epidemic and the police were to blame.   Among the listed cases of recent murder, mutilation and suicide, was a brief report that the police in Whitechapel were clueless and had yet to make an arrest.

The following was the main report of the day, it was featured in several newspapers, from the following,

Aberdeen Weekly Journal,

The Dundee Courier and Argus,

The Leeds Mercury,

The Irish Times,

THE WHITECHAPEL MURDER.  It is stated that the police conducting the inquiries into the Whitechapel Murder believe that they have a clue to the perpetrators of the crime, and that certain persons are being kept under surveillance.  No arrest, however, is expected to be made until after the adjourned coroner’s inquiry, when important evidence pointing to the murderer or murderers may be given, unless the suspected persons attempt to leave the district.

September 4^th 1888

With no new clues, and no suspects the press of the day were still discussing the murder of Mary Ann Nichols.  Statements from police officers and medical men were published, and telegrams announced activity in the district, but still there was no viable explanation for the murder. 

Some press reports were eager to link every and any crime in London to the case, and on September 4^th 1888, the Western Mail, were quiet eager to report that two crimes in London had allegedly been committed on females. 

The first report covered the alleged attack on a woman outside Foresters Music Hall, the second covered the poisoning and robbery of a lady near Clapham Common.   

The press were in a frenzy, and it wouldn’t be long before suspects and victims would start to fill the columns.