| Author |
Message |
    
Nicholas Smith
Sergeant
Username: Diddles
Post Number: 46
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2005 - 10:56 am: | 
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G'day guys,
Found this article in the Black Country Bugle which I thought might be of interest.
''...The second of Annies Tales from Victoria Tower St is even more intriguing. It revolves around what can only be interpreted as a murder attempt, and wild as it may seem, the story goes that Dudley folk of the time had reason to believe that one of the most infamous villians of all time could have been to blame. Again Linda narrates it as her grand mother told it to her as a child.
''This story takes place when the Darley children were younger. My great, great grandmother Darley (Annies grandmother) had her brother William Trinder staying the night, he was either home on leave or had been working away and had come back to Dudley for a short stay. He was asleep on the couch, the children were in bed and their father was out.
''In the night there was a knock on the door. When she (Mrs Darley) went to answer it, there was a man in a black cape and black top hat, carrying a black leather bag in his hand. He pushed his way inside, put his bag on the table and opened it, and took aout a white handkerchief. William was still asleep on the couch, the man in black hadn't noticed him, and the man in black started to chase Gradma Darley around the kitchen table trying to put the handkerchief over her mouth.
''But with all the shouting, William woke up and asked the man what he was doing. The intruder dropped the handkerchief, grabbed his bad from the table and ran for the door. But as he ran out he said a very strande thing. He shouted, and my gran was very insistent on this exact word whenever she told the story. 'I'm benighted'.
''When grandfather Darley came home he took the handkerchief round to the police station. I don't know what, if anything they found out from it, but nothing more happened, that's where the story ends.''
If this bizzare occurence had taken place when the Darley's had first moved to Tower St during the late 1880s, thhis would be in or very near to the period when the most infamous of Victorian villians, Jack the Ripper, was at large in London.
''Of course it sounds far fetched that the Ripper would have quit London to try his evil hand in the Black Country, but the story as Annie told it, had it that many Dudley folk were murmering that the Ripper, already murmered to be a member of the Royal family, or one of their onterage, had been staying with the Earl of Dudley, a long established freind of the Royal family,as we all know. A bit of a stretch it may be but there at least lies in that rumour a feasible excuse for the Ripper. If her was of Royal connection, as mant believe to this day, to have ben in Dudley.
''The one detail above all else which has always convinced \linda that the story has at least something in it is her grandmothers use of the words 'I'm benighted'. Annie never attended school on doctors orders after her home was bombed by German zepplins and was unable to read or write. The word 'benighted' is hardley one which would have been known to a working class family today or back then still less an illiterate young girl. Surely neither her or her family would have made up the use of such a word, which acoording to the Oxford dictionary means 'Overtaken by night, in moral or intellectual darkness'. It sounds more like the speech of a man fitting Jack the Ripper's well connected, top hat wearing profile than a working family from the Black Country''.
There you have it guys. Has anyone else heard of stories from other people around England with similar tales?
Bt the way, I don't wanna bring the Royal thingo into this.
Cheers
Jules |
Donald Souden
Chief Inspector
Username: Supe
Post Number: 693
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2005 - 11:02 am: |
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Jules,
For those of us "across the pond" just where is the "Black Country"?
Don.
"He was so bad at foreign languages he needed subtitles to watch Marcel Marceau."
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Jennifer Pegg
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Jdpegg
Post Number: 2855
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2005 - 11:26 am: |
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Hi Don,
http://www.blackcountrytourism.co.uk/
"The four Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton make up the area internationally known as the 'Black Country'"
Jenni
ps i've been to the Black Country Museum, very nice!
"You know I'm not gonna diss you on the Internet
Cause my momma taught me better than that."
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Nicholas Smith
Sergeant
Username: Diddles
Post Number: 47
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2005 - 11:37 am: |
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Sorry guys,
The Black country is near Birmingham.
Jules |
Donald Souden
Chief Inspector
Username: Supe
Post Number: 694
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2005 - 11:40 am: |
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Jenni,
As ever, thanks. If, as the website says, the Black Country borders Worcestershire it might have been just the place for "Saucy Jack."
Okay, I'll see myself out.
Don.
"He was so bad at foreign languages he needed subtitles to watch Marcel Marceau."
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Paul Williams
Detective Sergeant
Username: Wehrwulf
Post Number: 54
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2005 - 12:27 pm: |
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I'm currently living in the black country, walsall to be precise which isn't very far from Dudley. |
Jennifer Pegg
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Jdpegg
Post Number: 2859
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2005 - 3:41 pm: |
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Don,
not a problem.
Actually not such a bad joke either!
Jenni
"You know I'm not gonna diss you on the Internet
Cause my momma taught me better than that."
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Nicholas Smith
Sergeant
Username: Diddles
Post Number: 49
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2005 - 4:03 pm: |
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G'day Paul, Rowley Regis.
God knows where the f^*(&k that compared to where you are. I'm only new here.
Jules |
Nicholas Smith
Sergeant
Username: Diddles
Post Number: 50
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2005 - 4:09 pm: |
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By the way Spry, Iv'e been a F%*^*ing Sergent for donkey's now. How about a promotion ya bastard!
Only joking. I just wanna raise in pay, that's all.
LOL
Jules |
Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert
Post Number: 4824
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2005 - 4:49 pm: |
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Jules, Jenni, Paul
Are any of you into Dudley industrial history, or local mid-nineteenth century newspaper archives?
Robert |
Gareth W
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2005 - 1:02 pm: |
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Hmmm, Jack with a Brummie accent?
"Yaaw weel be aawroight fer wot I 'ave taawld yaaw..."
Can't see it somehow - he'd have stood out a (black) country mile ;o)
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Nicholas Smith
Detective Sergeant
Username: Diddles
Post Number: 52
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Monday, August 22, 2005 - 5:59 am: |
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G'day Robert,
Yeah mate, I'm interested in all things about my new home. The Castle's got me interested as it's built in a perfect position to see everything for miles around. I'm still reading up on what happened to it and why it was left to fall apart.
G'day Gareth, I don't think the story indicates that Jack was a 'Brummie' (And for god's sake don't call anyone who comes from the Black Country a 'Brummie' or you'll get lynched!) only that he might have used the castle as a sleep-over to get away from London for a while. That is of course if you want to get involved in the 'Royal Conspiracy' thing.
Jules |
chris whitmore
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Sunday, September 11, 2005 - 9:55 am: |
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Hi,
I hail from the black country myself, Good old Dudley loike!
I do remember my nan, who was a clever woman and a keen historian. talking about the ripper arriving on a train from London never to be heard of again.
She said it kind of like it was a well known thing locally.
Did trains go from London to Brum back then?? |
Nicholas Smith
Detective Sergeant
Username: Diddles
Post Number: 107
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 14, 2005 - 5:10 am: |
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G'day Chris,
Yeah mate, we did have trains for all the stuff produced by the steelworks and mines here. Believe it or not there were also a heap of trams running around Dudley (Doodly).
That info comes from my mum, so it's the best I can do for the moment. I'll see if I can find an old timetable and see if we can't fit Jacks murders into having him come up to Dudley for a break:-)
Jules |
Ian
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 14, 2005 - 10:11 am: |
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I am from the Black Country, Sandwell area (Near West Bromwich). Please do not call any of us Brummies it offends. Yam Yams will do (on account of our dialect).
I've heard similar tales before to this one. It could be that the man in question was William Bury who had strong links with Wolverhampton and Rowley Regis (part of the borough of Sandwell) infact I believe either he was born in Rowley Regis or lived there for some considerable time. Maybe someone can confirm / unconfirm this?
Personally, I don't believe the Ripper was from the Black Country and I don't believe Bury was the Ripper but you never know, certainly can't be conclusively disconted. |
Nicholas Smith
Detective Sergeant
Username: Diddles
Post Number: 123
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 8:08 am: |
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G'day Ian, everyone.
This 'Black Country Jack' has got me really interested now. Some of the older patients my mother works with have heard similar stories so if you guys know of anyone who have heard similar tales, I'd like to hear them.
As fot the train timetable lol, I've contacted just about every transport company here in Rowley and none of them have a bloody clue! I'm just waiting for someone to put me through to P&O!
Cheers
Jules |
Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert
Post Number: 5119
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 1:11 pm: |
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Jules, maybe you could get something out of these people :
http://www.nrm.org.uk/html/research/index.asp
Robert |
Nicholas Smith
Detective Sergeant
Username: Diddles
Post Number: 135
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, October 20, 2005 - 8:40 am: |
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G'day Robert, thanks for that mate but that page no longer exists.
I will keep trying though just for interest's sake.
Jules |
Spiro
Police Constable
Username: Auspirograph
Post Number: 10
Registered: 9-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, October 20, 2005 - 8:56 am: |
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Hi Jules,Robert,
Hope all's well with you mate. Try this...
http://www.nrm.org.uk/home/menu.asp
Interesting site.
Cheers
Spiro |
Nicholas Smith
Detective Sergeant
Username: Diddles
Post Number: 136
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, October 20, 2005 - 9:09 am: |
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G'day Spiro, thanks mate.
This looks like the one that can help.
Goodonya mate
Jules |
