Will the Real Mary Kelly. . .?

by Christopher Scott

The last generally acknowledged victim of Jack the Ripper was twenty five year old Irishwoman named Mary Jane Kelly. Or was she? So little is known of this young woman, so thoroughly has she evaded all attempts at researching her life that, in all truth, there is very little we can actually say we know about her. Whilst research has led to significant advances in other areas of the Whitechapel crimes, she remains an enigma. This book pulls together what we can learn and reasonably infer about this most elusive victim of the most elusive killer in criminal history.

Genres: Nonfiction

156 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2005

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a subscriber to the 'Rippercast' podcast series, I have heard Christopher Scott speak on the subject of Mary Kelly many times. He has exhaustively researched this shadow woman's past, poring over press reports and genealogical records in his quest to reassemble the human being that lived, laughed, and loved before she was reduced to bloody pieces in Miller's Court. When I found out that he published his findings in a book, I hurried to order a copy.

"Will the Real Mary Kelly" is the definitive guide to all that has been uncovered about the last canonical Ripper victim to this point. First, Scott summarizes the biographical information provided by Kelly's lover, Joseph Barnett, and her friends and associates. Then he presents the results of his research, offering some possible candidates for the woman who called herself Mary Jane Kelly. He does not boast a final solution, but gives the reader some intriguing possibilities. Given the fact that women of Mary's class frequently reinvented their pasts, he should be applauded for getting even that far.

In other chapters, Scott debunks some myths that surround the Kelly case, namely what was burned in the fireplace the night she was murdered, and whether not she was pregnant when she died.

"Will the Real Mary Kelly" provides no general overview of the Ripper murders, so it can't be recommended for anyone new to the case. It's a niche volume aimed at the more seasoned aficionado. And that's not a bad thing. By not catering to the popular history market, Christopher Scott has greater contributed to the field of Ripper studies.

[Paul Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris Scott is known to many in the Ripper community as a first class researcher. He finds his way around the Victorian censuses and Registers of Births Marriages and Deaths with the ease of a professional genealogist.

Not surprisingly his book, "Will the Real Mary Kelly...? is chock full of the results of his research into this, the most elusive victim of the Whitechapel Murderer. The book supposes the reader will have a solid knowledge of the cases and does not dwell on the wider series of murders. This is a highly specific work, representing a full assessment of all the witness evidence, police records and press reports regarding the woman widely regarded as the Ripper's final victim.

It makes a quick yet absorbing read and you have to admire the author's dedication and tenacity. He has assessed all potential candidates for Mary Kelly and her family in

genealogical sources and followed them from Ireland to Wales and England.

Sadly the result of all this painstaking research is summed up in the final chapter where Scott admits we are no nearer to identifying the real Mary Kelly. That said, I believe the book is a valuable exercise in covering all obvious and not so obvious lines of research.

It seems we may need a stroke of luck, perhaps in the form of family records of a distantly descended relative if we are to say who for sure was slaughtered in Millers Court on 9th Nov 1888.