Biddy the Chiver’s Khazi

[Gary Barnett]

1888

Biddy’s brother, John James Enright, was born at 2, Sarah’s Place, Bromley (-by-Bow) on 15th February, 1888. So, presumably, Biddy, aged 14, was in the East End at the time. Had she taken to the chiv by then, I wonder?

[Gary Barnett]

Context: Ballylongford

I’ve been collecting images of Ballylongford. When I looked closely at this one, I spotted a rather mysterious-looking figure lurking in the doorway of the house in the left foreground. What was she/he carrying? At first glance it looked like a boomerang, but it’s probably the blade of a scythe or something similar. A (possibly) hooded figure dressed in black and carrying a scythe - the grim reaper perhaps?

He was certainly very active in the area in the late 1840s when the population of north Kerry is said to have fallen by 30%.

[Gary Barnett]

LMA

I went to the LMA today and was able to confirm that Bridget O’Rourke was committed to the Langho Inebriate Reformatory in Lancashire (1912). The information is contained in the L. C. C. Register of London Inmates Held at the Langho Inebriates Reformatory of the Lancashire Inebriates Act Board.

I also managed to find her Stone Asylum case notes which include a stunning photo of the 26-year-old Biddy (young Biddy). I’ll transcribe the highlights later.

[Gary Barnett]

Stone Case Notes Page 1

LMA Ref: CLA/001/B/01/013
Case Book: Female admissions
1900 Feb - 1902 May


Page 144:

Transferred to Private Class 19.10.01


a)

Name. - Bridget Enright

Age. - 26

Admitted. - Octbr 29th / 01

Previous Occupation. - Flower Seller

Social Condition. - Single

Address of Friends. - None (Mother) Mrs Enright Poplar Union Poplar

No. in Register. - 3264

Religion. - RC [underlined]

Education. - Blank


b)

State on admission. - Melancholic listless dejected & apathetic. Believes that people are after her.

Eyes. - Grey. Right pupil the larger.

Expression. - Downcast

Form of Head. - Blank

Abdominal Viscera. - N.

Vascular System. - H. S. N.

Mr Evans (Friend)
28, Mitchell Street
St. Luke’s
London

Tongue. - Moist and Clean

Bruises, &c. - Nits in head [underlined in red]. Extremities cold and livid; varicose veins both legs; tattoo marks left forearm. Scar of old wound (stab) extending from left temple down cheek and under clavicular notch.

Respiratory Organs. - Right lung not strong

Pulse. - 96

Epileptic. - No.

Suicidal. - Doubtful

Dangerous. - No.

Skin. - Blank


c)

Phenomena of Disorder. - Blank

Manner and Period of Attack, & c. - John Lamour. She says she feels depressed in her mind and might do something to herself. At times she seems quite lost in her mind staring into space. William Miller P.C. 654K, Poplar Station, says the patient came into the station. She looked strange and was under the delusion that people were after her and that she was going to suffer for it.

“Reception [?] signed by Wynne E. Baxter J. P.”


d)

Previous History. - An insane inmate of the Poplar Union Workhouse.

21/11/01 Mr + Mrs Bradley (Friend) Invicta Road, Stone Kent

Heredity. - ?

Previous attacks. - 1st

Duration of Present Attack. - ?


e)

Form of Insanity. - Melancholia

Supposed Cause. - Privation

Bodily Health. - Weak thin pale and sallow looking [?] Patterson

Height. - 5ft : 1in

Weight. - 8st : 9lbs

Oct 24th - Melancholic dejected listless + apathetic has delusions people are after her to do her injury : health weak [?] Patterson

[Anna Morris]

Sounds like JtR experimented on her but mostly slashed her cheek. (Not meant to be taken seriously.)

[Debra Arif]

Excellent work, Gary!

[Gary Barnett]

Excellent work, Gary!

Thanks, Debs.

I have a copy of Bridget's Stone casebook photo, but I don't yet have permission to post it. (I have applied for it and will post it here if I get it.) She was a very attractive young woman.

I've still got some certs on order, and I can see me spending the next few months on Bridget.

[Anna Morris]

THANK YOU, Gary, for all the hard work and all the new information!

[Gary Barnett]

THANK YOU, Gary, for all the hard work and all the new information!

You’re welcome, Anna!

I know Biddy’s not mainstream Ripper, but I’ve always been intrigued by her.

[Howard Brown]

Nice work, Gary....

[Anna Morris]

You’re welcome, Anna!

I know Biddy’s not mainstream Ripper, but I’ve always been intrigued by her.

She would have been about 14 years old when JtR was operational. So we might wonder how or if that Autumn of Terror affected her or her family? In the medical report below it sounded like the slash from temple to cheek to neck was an old wound. I wonder when? Did she think about JtR when she was being injured? Did she, as a young girl facing a hard life, figure that JtR and the likes of him were part of life in a rough neighborhood? Etc.?

[Gary Barnett]

She would have been about 14 years old when JtR was operational. So we might wonder how or if that Autumn of Terror affected her or her family? In the medical report below it sounded like the slash from temple to cheek to neck was an old wound. I wonder when? Did she think about JtR when she was being injured? Did she, as a young girl facing a hard life, figure that JtR and the likes of him were part of life in a rough neighborhood? Etc.?

That’s an interesting thought, Anna. I’ve been wondering whether there was something in her family life or her place in society that had an effect on her mental health.

[Gary Barnett]

Stone Case Notes Page 2

Bridget Enright’s Stone case book record spreads across two pages, the first of which I’ve already transcribed in full. The second contains a series of notes taken over her two-month stay in the asylum and a photo of the patient.

At the top of the page - in red ink - is written, ‘Transfered to Private Class at once on admission.’

Then follows a series of notes/observations on Bridget’s condition on various dates between 26th October and 18th December. The small photo of Bridget is affixed to the bottom of the page. The observations are fairly repetitive, so I won’t transcribe them all, but here’s a flavour:

‘Oct 26th/01 Return to Commissioners in Lunacy “Insane suffering from melancholia listless and apathetic, delusions that she is followed about by people who annoy her & that women spit on her. Health weak. Skin pale and sallow looking, right lung not strong.” ? Patterson
To have cod liver oil 3ce daily. ? Patterson’

(Presumably ? Patterson was a doctor of some kind.)

There are several entries like this before things start to improve.

‘Dec 10th She is much more cheerful and helps in the ward. Now denies all her former delusions and tells me her ideas about being followed and spat at &c were false and due to drink. She is now convalescent and fit for discharge. ? Patterson.’

‘She has gained 1st 1lb in weight since admission. ? Patterson’

‘Dec 18th/01 She was discharged from the asylum today as recovered and left the asylum with her mother. ? Patterson’

‘Recovered’

There are some notes in the margin about her weight, which was 9st 10lbs when she was discharged.

[Gary Barnett]

My heart goes out to Bridget the mother, who had to schlep all the way from Poplar/Bow to Dartford and back to collect her daughter and at the end of her journey had to deliver her no doubt still fragile child to the tender mercies of Poplar Workhouse.

[Gary Barnett]

My heart goes out to Bridget the mother, who had to schlep all the way from Poplar/Bow to Dartford and back to collect her daughter and at the end of her journey had to deliver her no doubt still fragile child to the tender mercies of Poplar Workhouse.

Looking back, I see that both women were admitted to the PW on the 18th Dec and then discharged at their own request the following day. I hope they found somewhere warm and cosy to go thereafter. Bearing in mind Biddy’s recorded occupation of flower seller, perhaps I should say somewhere ‘far away from the cold night air.’

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=q5fW7sERw7I