Mary Ann Nichols: The life and murder of Jack the Ripper’s first victim
Mary Ann Nichols – also known as Polly Nichols – was a woman in Victorian England who became Jack the Ripper’s first canonical victim. However, there is much more to her story than simply being a victim of one of the world’s most infamous serial killers.
The plight of Mary Ann Nichols – including struggles with alcoholism and poverty – is synonymous with many women in the Victorian era.
Join us here at Crime+Investigation as we dive deeper into the life of Mary Ann Nichols to examine how her life and untimely death relate to thousands of fellow women living in London during the Victorian period.
The early life of Mary Ann Nichols
Mary Ann Nichols was born Mary Ann Walker in London on 26th August 1845. She was the second child of three born to Edward and Caroline Walker.
Mary Ann’s marriage
Mary Ann married William Nichols – a printer’s machinist – when she was 18 in January 1864.
The couple moved a few times during their relationship, first living at 30-31 Bouverie Street and then moving into 131 Trafalgar Street with Mary Ann’s father. They eventually relocated to a home on Blackfriars Road in 1880.
Between the years of 1866 to 1879, Mary Ann and William had five children.
The separation of Mary Ann and William Nichols
Mary Ann’s life started to spiral when she separated from William in 1880, not long after moving into their home on Blackfriars Road. William relocated to Old Kent Road with four of their five children.
The marriage broke down due to alleged affairs by William, but William claimed that these relationships occurred after his wife had left him. William also argued that Mary Ann’s drinking problems were a major factor in their separation.
The downfall of Mary Ann Nichols
From 1881 onwards, Mary Ann began to rack up a significant police record, though all of her arrests were minor offenses, usually relating to prostitution and drunken disorderly conduct.
She resided at Lambeth Workhouse for a time, leaving and returning on several times occaisions 1881 and 1887. She also lived with her father but left his residence due to arguments.
She continued to live in boarding houses and workhouses, making a small living as a sex worker and depending on charitable handouts. Most of the money she made was spent on alcohol.
By 1887, Mary Ann was homeless and sleeping in Trafalgar Square. In 1888, she managed to find employment as a domestic servant via the matron of the workhouse. This only lasted three months before she left, stealing clothing as she did so.
In the summertime that same year, Mary Ann was living at 18 Thrawl Street at a common lodging house.
The murder of Mary Ann Nichols
Mary Ann was last seen at around 2:30am on31st August 1888. She seemed to be drunk, as she was staggering alone down the infamous Osborn Street in Whitechapel.
Just over an hour later – at 3:40am – her body was found in front of a gated stable entrance by cart driver Robert Paul and carman Charles Allen Cross.
Mary Ann had been brutally murdered, had multiple stab wounds and abdomen injuries, and her throat had been cut twice. The attack on her throat was so severe that she had almost been decapitated.
The investigation
Mary Ann’s murder was unlike anything that had been seen in the area before, and it marked the beginning of a vicious crime spree.
A post-mortem clarified the violent nature of the attack, but the autopsy also suggested that the person responsible had a significant knowledge of human anatomy.
Mary Ann’s life after her marriage and her death are significant when considering how many women in the Victorian era had to turn to sex work to survive. Mary Ann also clearly had an alcohol abuse problem, which in turn added to her vulnerabilities.
Although her gruesome death is one of the most recognised in crime history, her hardships and vulnerable nature are also significant as they highlight the dangers that women like her faced in 19th-century London.
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