Mary Jane Kelly ( – 9 November 1888), also known as Marie Jeanette Kelly, Fair Emma, Ginger, Dark Mary and Black Mary, is widely believed by scholars to have been the final victim of the unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper, who murdered at least five women in the Whitechapel and Spitalfields districts of London from late August to early November 1888. At the time of her death, Kelly was approximately 25 years old, working as a prostitute and living in relative poverty.Eddleston, Jack the Ripper: An Encyclopedia p. 197
Unlike the other four canonical Ripper victimseach of whom had been murdered outdoors and whose mutilations could have been committed within minutesKelly was murdered within the sparsely furnished single room she rented at 13 Miller's Court, affording her murderer an extensive period of time to eviscerate and mutilate her body. Kelly's body was by far the most extensively mutilated of the canonical victims, with her mutilations taking her murderer approximately two hours to perform.
Early life Compared with the other four canonical Ripper victims, Mary Kelly's origins are obscure and undocumented, and much of the information is possibly embellished. Kelly may have fabricated many details of her early life, as there is no corroborating documentary evidence, but there is no evidence to the contrary either.Fido, p. 87 According to Joseph Barnett, the man she had most recently lived with prior to her murder, Kelly had told him she was born in Limerick, Ireland, in around 1863although whether she referred specifically to the city or the county more generally is not knownand that her family moved to Wales when she was a child.Evans and Rumbelow, p. 177; Fido, p. 84
Kelly is known to have claimed to one acquaintance that her parents had disowned her, although she remained on close terms with her sister.Begg, Jack the Ripper: The Facts, pp. 270–271 She described her family to Barnett as moderately wealthy, and both he and a reported former landlady of Kelly's, Mrs Carthy, claimed that Kelly came from a family of "well-to-do people". Barnett reported that Kelly had informed him her father was named John Kelly and that he worked in an ironworks in either Caernarfonshire or Carmarthenshire.Barnett's statement, 9 November 1888, quoted in Evans and Skinner, p. 364 Barnett also recalled Kelly mentioning having seven brothers and at least one sister.Evans and Skinner, p. 368 One brother, named Henry, supposedly served in the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards. She once stated to a friend named Lizzie Albrook that a female family member was employed at the London theatrical stage.Begg, Jack the Ripper: The Facts, p. 279 Her landlord, John McCarthy, also claimed that Kelly received infrequent correspondence from Ireland.Evans and Skinner, p. 344
Carthy described Kelly as "an excellent scholar and an artist of no mean degree".Gordon, p. 151 However, at the inquest into Kelly's murder, Barnett informed the coroner that in the months prior to her death she had often asked him to read newspaper reports of the Whitechapel murders to her, suggesting she was illiterate.Philip Sugden, "The Complete History of Jack the Ripper", p. 310
Newspaper accounts dating from November 1888 claim Kelly was known as "Mary McCarthy", which may have been a mix-up with either the surname of her landlord at the time of her death or the surname of a previous landlady with whom she had lived until about 1886.Begg, Jack the Ripper: The Facts, p. 269
Appearance Kelly has been reported as being a blonde or redhead, although her nickname "Black Mary" may suggest she had dark hair. Her eyes were blue. To some, Kelly was known as "Fair Emma", although it is unknown whether this applied to her hair colour, her skin colour, her beauty, or other qualities. Some contemporary newspapers report she was nicknamed "Ginger" after her hair (though sources disagree even on this point, thus leaving a description of hair colour ranging from ash blonde to dark chestnut).
Contemporary reports estimated Kelly's height at . Detective Walter Dew, in his autobiography, claimed to have known Kelly well by sight. He described her as "quite attractive" and "a pretty, buxom girl".Begg, p. 267 According to Dew, she always wore a clean white apron but never a hat. Sir Melville Macnaghten of the Metropolitan Police Force (who never saw Kelly prior to her death) said she had "considerable personal attractions". The Daily Telegraph of 10 November 1888 described her as "tall, slim, fair, of fresh complexion, and of attractive appearance".Evans and Skinner, p. 336
Marriage When Kelly was aged approximately 16 in about 1879, she reportedly married a coal miner named Davis or Davies, who was killed two or three years later in a mining explosion. Without any means of financial support, Kelly relocated to Cardiff, where she lived with a cousin. Although there are no contemporary records of Kelly's presence in Cardiff, it is at this stage in her life that Kelly is considered to have begun working in prostitution, possibly being introduced to this profession by her cousin. No South Wales Police records exist to indicate Kelly was arrested for prostitution.Begg, Jack the Ripper: The Facts, p. 268
Relocation to London In 1884, Kelly apparently left Cardiff and relocated to London, where she briefly worked for a tobacconist in Chelsea before securing employment as a domestic servant while lodging in Crispin Street, Spitalfields. The following year, Kelly is believed to have relocated to the central London district of Fitzrovia.Begg, Jack the Ripper: The Facts, p. 268
Via her acquaintance with a young French woman whom Kelly had met in Knightsbridge, she found work in a high-class brothel in the more affluent West End of London. She became one of the brothel's most popular girls and spent her earnings on expensive clothing and hiring a carriage. Reportedly, Kelly was invited by a client named Francis Craig to France, but returned to England within approximately two weeks, having disliked her life there.Evans and Rumbelow, p. 177; Evans and Skinner, pp. 368–369; Fido, p. 85 However, by the time of her return to London, Kelly had adopted the French name "Marie Jeanette".
East End
In 1885, Kelly briefly resided with a Mrs. Buki in lodgings near the London Docks North Quay. In the brief period of time she lodged with Buki, the two are known to have visited the home of a French lady living in Knightsbridge to demand the return of a box of expensive dresses belonging to Kelly. This information suggests Kelly's descent into East End life was markedly rapid and may have been influenced by her efforts to avoid retribution from a procurer. It is also believed to be at this stage in her life when Kelly began drinking heavily.
After leaving Buki's residence, Kelly lodged with a Mrs. Carthy in Breezer's Hill, Ratcliffe Highway.Eddleston, Jack the Ripper: An Encyclopedia, p. 137 According to Carthy, Kelly lived at her residence between 1885 and 1886, before leaving to live with a builder whom Carthy thought would have married Kelly. Gravitating toward the poorer areas of the East End, Kelly reportedly lived with a man named Morganstone near the Commercial Gas Works in Stepney, and later with a mason's plasterer named Joseph Flemming.Evans and Rumbelow, p. 177; Evans and Skinner, p. 369; Fido, p. 85
Acquaintance with Joseph Barnett By 1886, Kelly was residing at Cooley's Lodging House in Thrawl Street, Spitalfields.Eddleston, Jack the Ripper: An Encyclopedia p. 98Eddleston, Jack the Ripper: An Encyclopedia, p. 63 On 8 April 1887, she became acquainted with 28-year-old Joseph Barnett, whom she first encountered on Commercial Street. Barnettworked as a fish porter at Billingsgate Markettook Kelly for a drink before arranging to meet her the following day.
Relationship and lodgings The two agreed to live together upon their second meeting on 9 April.Evans and Rumbelow, p. 177; Fido, p. 85 Initially, Barnett and Kelly lodged in George Street, close to Commercial Street. They later took lodgings in Little Paternoster Row, but were soon evicted for non-payment of rent and drunk and disorderly conduct. They then lodged in Brick Lane before relocating to Miller's Court, off Dorset Street, in either February or March 1888.
13 Miller's Court In early 1888, Kelly and Barnett moved into 13 Miller's Court, a small, sparsely furnished single room at the back of 26 Dorset Street, Spitalfields. This room had once been the back parlour of 26 Dorset Street and was partitioned by a wooden wall. The weekly rent was 4s 6d.Sugden, The Complete History of Jack the Ripper, ch. 15
Number 13 Miller's Court was a single square room, with a bed, three tables, and a chair.Gordon, p. 153 Above the fireplace hung a print of "The Fisherman's Widow",Begg, Jack the Ripper: The Definitive History, pp. 291–292 and a small tin bath was beneath the bed.Begg, Jack the Ripper: The Facts, p. 275 Two irregularly sized windows faced the yard, in which the dustbin and water tap serving the property were located, and the door opened directly into the -long arched passageway which connected Miller's Court with Dorset Street. This door was illuminated at night by a gas lamp located almost directly opposite the door to the property.
Kelly had lost her door key, instead bolting and unbolting the door from outside by putting a hand through a broken window beside the door. A German neighbour, Julia Venturney, claimed Kelly had broken this window when drunk, and that a man's coat was frequently placed in the broken pane to act as a curtain and prevent draughts.Fido, pp. 87–88
According to Kelly's friend and neighbour, Lizzie Albrook, Kelly was "heartily sick" of the life she was leading by 1888 and wished to return to Ireland "where her people lived". Her landlord, John McCarthy, later recollected: "She was a very quiet woman when sober but noisy when in drink."Evans and Skinner, p. 371 When drunk, Kelly would often be heard singing Irish songs, although when intoxicated, she would also become quarrelsome and abusive, which earned her the nickname "Dark Mary".Honeycombe, The Murders of the Black Museum: 1870–1970, p. 66
Barnett lost his employment as a fish porter in July 1888, reportedly due to committing theft. As a result, Kelly again resorted to prostitution. According to Barnett, she began to allow other prostitutes to sleep in their room on "cold, bitter nights" as she did not have the heart to refuse them shelter.Begg, Jack the Ripper: The Definitive History p. 292 Initially, Barnett tolerated this until he and Kelly quarrelled over her sharing the room with a prostitute he knew only as "Julia". Barnett subsequently left 13 Miller's Court on 30 October, more than a week before her death, taking lodgings at 24–25 New Street, Bishopsgate. Nonetheless, between 1 and 8 November, Barnett visited Kelly almost daily, occasionally giving her money.Evans and Rumbelow, p. 175; Evans and Skinner, p. 368
8 November
Barnett visited Kelly for the last time between 7 and 8 p.m. on 8 November. He found her in the company of a friend named Maria Harvey. Barnett did not stay long and apologised for having no money to give her. Both he and Harvey left Miller's Court at about the same time.Evans and Rumbelow, p. 177; Fido, p. 88 Barnett returned to his lodging house, where he played cards with other residents until falling asleep at about 12:30 am.Marriott, p. 259 Shortly before Barnett left Miller's Court, Lizzie Albrook also visited Kelly. She later recollected that Kelly was sober, and one of the last things she said to her was: "Whatever you do, don't you do wrong and turn out as I have." In the early evening, Kelly had one drink in the Ten Bells public house with a woman named Elizabeth Foster. Later that evening, Kelly was seen drinking with two acquaintances at the Horn of Plenty pub on Dorset Street.Eddleston, Jack the Ripper: An Encyclopedia, p. 106