Mog Cheeks

[Gary Barnett]

The Death of Mog Cheeks?

On the 8th of December, 1900, a 52-year-old Margaret Cheek was admitted to the Whitechapel Infirmary suffering from bronchitis. Her occupation was given as Charing and her address as 4, Brick Lane. She died at the infirmary on the 30th of December, 1900. Her death appears to have been registered in The March Quarter of 1901 in the name of Mary Cheek.

In 1881 there were two 32-year-old Margaret Cheeks living at 10, West Street, Bethnal Green. One was the wife of M. Cheek, a bricklayer and the other the wife of Charles Cheek (no occupation given). Both men were aged 34. I think it is highly likely that there's some kind of family connection between the two men and that Charles Cheek may also at some stage have been a bricklayer.

Has Mog already been identified?

[Gary Barnett]

There's a likely looking marriage in Bethnal Green in 1866. Margaret's maiden name is Ripsher and Charles's occupation is bricklayer. The bride is said to have been of full age, though.

[Sam Flynn]

Ripsher? There's a name to conjure with.

[Gary Barnett]

Ripsher? There's a name to conjure with.

Indeed, especially if you insert a space between the s and h.

It seems a widowed Mog married again in 1895. Can't find Charles's death, though and it's a bit strange that after the second marriage (to John Barratt) she reverts to using the Cheek name.

[Robert Linford]

There's a Charles Cheek dies aged 42 in Bethnal green 1900.


There was a C(?) Cheek and Margaret at 10 West St BG 1881. Age and occupation suggest this was him.

[Gary Barnett]

There's a Charles Cheek dies aged 42 in Bethnal green 1900.


There was a C(?) Cheek and Margaret at 10 West St BG 1881. Age and occupation suggest this was him.

Yes, Rob that's the one - 'C' as you say, not Charles. 'C' was 34 in 1881, so he would have been 53 in 1900.

[Robert Linford]

You're right, Gary - 42 is wrong age. I feel sure that the two entries from 81 are duplicates. But I don't know what happened to bricklayer Charles - maybe he was captured by the trowel god.

[Gary Barnett]

I found a promising-looking tree on Ancestry with 12 records/12 sources for Margaret including the two marriages, but they had her still alive on the 1911 census. The name was right, the age close and she had been born in the East End, albeit Mile End rather than Bethnal Green. But the woman was living alone in a five-bedroomed house in Maidenhead and operating as a 'monthly nurse'.

Not our Mog, I would suggest.

[Robert Linford]

Doesn't look like ours.


And earlier in the tree the tree owner has her father George as still being alive when Margaret said he was dead.

[Gary Barnett]

Doesn't look like ours.


And earlier in the tree the tree owner has her father George as still being alive when Margaret said he was dead.

She has him deceased on the first marriage cert but a cigar-maker on the second. I wonder if the first marriage was without parental knowledge/approval.

[Anna Morris]

Ripsher? There's a name to conjure with.

Did she have a brother named Jack?

[Gary Barnett]

The Gloucester Chronicle of 20th July reported Elizabeth Ryder saying:

’The other woman who assisted me in the cleaning was in the habit of staying out all night as she had no lodging.’

The Times of 17th July reported it slightly differently:

’The other woman [Mog Cheeks] referred to had lodged there for 18 months, and she was on the streets.

She was in the habit of staying out all night if she had no money to pay for her lodging.’

So perhaps Mog did a bit of charring at Tempany’s.

[Gary Barnett]

Chris Scott was ahead of us on much of this:

https://forum.casebook.org/forum/ripper-discussions/witnesses/4623-mog-cheeks-alias-ripsher-some-details