Spring-Heeled Jack: Terror of Victorian London

Summary

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal
Episode: Spring-Heeled Jack: Terror of Victorian London
Release Date: May 1, 2025

Hosts: Anthony Delaney and Maddy Pelling
Guest: Kerry Holbrooke, Lecturer in History and Folklore at the University of Hertfordshire

---

Introduction to Spring-Heeled Jack

In this gripping episode of After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal, hosts Anthony Delaney and Maddy Pelling delve into the enigmatic urban legend of Spring-Heeled Jack, a figure who instilled both terror and fascination in Victorian London. The episode, released on May 1, 2025, unpacks the origins, characteristics, and societal impacts of this legendary figure with the expertise of guest Kerry Holbrooke.

The Legend Unveiled

The episode opens with a vivid narrative by Maddy Pelling, setting the scene in Victorian London where a young woman, Jane Allsop, encounters the fearsome Spring-Heeled Jack. Pelling's storytelling captivates listeners as she describes Jack's terrifying appearance and supernatural abilities:

“There in the garden was a figure. She stared at it for a moment, jumping, when a voice emanated from it, barking, I'm a policeman, for God's sake. Bring me a light, for we have caught Spring Heeled Jack here in the lane. Jane's eyes widened.”
[02:27]

Historical Context and Origins

Anthony Delaney introduces the topic by highlighting the widespread demand among listeners for stories about Spring-Heeled Jack:

“This was also Steve, who's head of podcasts at History Hits. One of his first things he said when we were talking about after Jack was, you have to do Spring Hill, Jack.”
[05:54]

Kerry Holbrooke explains that Spring-Heeled Jack emerged as a prominent urban legend in the early 19th century, thriving in an era marked by increasing literacy and the proliferation of penny dreadfuls—cheap, sensational publications akin to modern comic books.

“Urban legends are a kind of subcategory in folklore... They’re meant to be believed, set in real places, often with real people.”
[07:19]

Descriptions and Imagery

The hosts and Holbrooke discuss the varying descriptions of Spring-Heeled Jack, noting his often demonic visage, complete with red eyes, horns, and the ability to leap extraordinary heights—traits that blur the lines between human and supernatural.

“He also had metallic claws, so kind of...a precursor to Wolverine.”
[12:43]

They analyze historical illustrations of Spring-Heeled Jack, showcasing his evolving image from a menacing, beast-like entity to a more gentlemanly yet still terrifying figure.

Social Implications and Class Tensions

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the societal tensions of Victorian London. Holbrooke posits that Spring-Heeled Jack embodied the anxieties of a rapidly industrializing city, where poverty, overcrowding, and the presence of the aristocracy created a fertile ground for such legends.

“The idea that there are these wealthy men who have nothing better to do than kind of prey on working-class women...”
[30:38]

The conversation explores how Spring-Heeled Jack may have served as a metaphor for the fears surrounding class disparities and the perceived dangers posed by the elite to the working class.

Evolution of the Legend

Holbrooke traces the transformation of Spring-Heeled Jack from a feared antagonist to a more ambiguous figure, akin to modern anti-heroes like Robin Hood or Batman. This shift reflects changing societal attitudes and the commercialization of the legend through media.

“He eventually becomes kind of a figure of adventure and kind of rescuing the poor and the victims.”
[21:15]

The hosts discuss how Spring-Heeled Jack's ability to transcend urban boundaries symbolized the overwhelming and intrusive nature of the Victorian city itself.

Legacy and Influence

Connecting Spring-Heeled Jack to later cultural phenomena, the episode draws parallels between this urban legend and figures like Jack the Ripper, suggesting that the former laid the groundwork for the latter's notoriety. Holbrooke emphasizes that Spring-Heeled Jack influenced the portrayal of later horror and vigilante characters in folklore and media.

“Jack the Ripper certainly did feed off it, which is probably why he's named Jack.”
[33:51]

Conclusion

As the episode concludes, the hosts reflect on the enduring yet evolving nature of urban legends. Holbrooke explains that legends like Spring-Heeled Jack persist because they encapsulate the anxieties and transformations of their times, even as societal contexts shift and new legends emerge.

“Urban legends...they're representing anxieties of the time. They're of the time and of the place.”
[36:14]

The episode wraps up with an intriguing thought that while Spring-Heeled Jack may no longer dominate the cultural consciousness, the legend might still linger in the shadows of modern urban myths.

“I love the idea that we may have lost the use for him now, but he might still be out there.”
[37:26]

Notable Quotes

• Maddy Pelling: “Urban legends are a kind of subcategory in folklore... They’re meant to be believed, set in real places, often with real people.”
  [07:19]

• Kerry Holbrooke: “He eventually becomes kind of a figure of adventure and kind of rescuing the poor and the victims.”
  [21:15]

• Anthony Delaney: “It's so interesting that he is... So this is a good question.”
  [18:02]

Final Thoughts

This episode of After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal offers a comprehensive exploration of Spring-Heeled Jack, blending historical analysis with engaging storytelling. Through expert insights and vivid descriptions, listeners gain a deeper understanding of how this Victorian legend reflected and influenced the societal dynamics of its time.

---

For more episodes and exclusive content, subscribe to History Hit and follow After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal on YouTube.

Transcript

[Anthony Delaney]

Hi, we're your hosts Anthony Delaney and Maddy Pelling and if you would like After Dark Myths, Misdeeds and the Paranormal ad free and get early access, Sign.

[Maddy Pelling]

Up to History Hit with a History Hit subscription. You can also watch hundreds of hours of original documentaries with top history presenters and enjoy a new release every week.

[Anthony Delaney]

Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com subscribe strap in. You're in the race with F1TV Premium. See what the race director sees with custom multiview. Watch every jaw dropping moment in Live 4K UHD across up to 6 screens. Uninterrupted experience. Ultimate live immersion with F1TV Premium available on selected devices.

[Kristen Bell]

Hi, I'm Kristen Bell. Carvana makes car buying easy. Isn't that right hun? Dax. Dax.

[Anthony Delaney]

Sorry, did you know about this? 7 day money back guarantee.

[Kristen Bell]

A week to evaluate seat comfiness.

[Anthony Delaney]

You say a week of terrain tests? Yeah, I can test the brake pad resistance at variable speeds, make sure all.

[Kristen Bell]

The kids stuff fits nicely.

[Anthony Delaney]

Make sure our stuff fits nicely. Oh the right. Still need to buy the car. Getting ahead of ourselves here.

[Kristen Bell]

Buy your car with Carvana today. Did you know that parents rank financial literacy as the number one most difficult life skill to teach? Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app for families. With Greenlight you can send money to kids quickly, set up chores automate allowance and keep an eye on your kids spending with real time notifications. Kids learn to earn, save and spend wisely and parents can rest easy knowing their kids are learning about money with guardrail in place. Try Greenlight Risk free [e-mail] Listen.

[Anthony Delaney]

Hello and welcome to After Dark. I'm Anthony. And I'm Maddie and today we are talking about an urban legend that took hold in the Victorian era. It's all got to do with Spring Heeled Jack and if you don't know who that is, then don't worry because Maddie is about to set the.

[Maddy Pelling]

In the eastern fringes of London, where the gas lamps mingle with the glowworm's light, there was a lane. Some way down that lane there was a cottage. And in that cottage there lived the allsop family. At 9pm on the evening of 20th February 1838, the bell pull on the garden gate jangled as though someone or something was making their way up the little path to the front door. Inside, 18 year old Jane Allsop heard the sound. She got up, walked towards the door, opening it to find nothing. She looked about, puzzled before her eyes fell on something extraordinary. She froze, blood pumping loudly in her ears There in the garden was a figure. She stared at it for a moment, jumping, when a voice emanated from it, barking, I'm a policeman, for God's sake. Bring me a light, for we have caught Spring Heeled Jack here in the lane. Jane's eyes widened. Could Spring Heeled Jack, the ghoul every Londoner feared, really be in the lane outside her home? She rushed inside for a candle. But as she approached the figure at the gate, her hand outstretched as she offered up the flame, she realized that something was wrong. Still shrouded in the darkness, the person, the thing before her, drew back its cloak, and in the flickering light, Jane saw a terrible sight. A man with eyes red as fire, dressed in tight white oilskins with horns growing from his head. As Jane stared, the monster's mouth grinned open and blue flames came vomiting forth. He leapt onto Jane, screaming. She managed to escape and ran back towards the front door, but he was on her again, tearing at her clothes with what seemed to be claws rather than fingers. Jane's sisters appeared in the door as he tore clumps of hair from her head. Bravely, they grabbed hold of her, pulling her inside, slamming the door in the attacker's face. As the family yelled for help and the police from an upstairs window, the demon below pounded furiously at their door. Then, all at once, he was gone, disappearing with unearthly speed across the fields, swallowed back into the darkness from which he had emerged.

[Anthony Delaney]

So you find yourself back in After Dark Towers, and we're glad that you've joined us. Today we are going to be talking about one of the most requested. We say that a lot, but this really is one of the most requested topics.

[Maddy Pelling]

I get DMs about this once a week at least.

[Anthony Delaney]

I get DMs about this ONCE a year. No more regularly than that.

[Maddy Pelling]

But wow, this is a good start.

[Anthony Delaney]

Yeah, honestly, it is quite requested. And this was also Steve, who's head of podcasts at History Hits. One of his first things he said when we were talking about after Jack was, you have to do Spring Hill, Jack. So, Steve, we're doing it today. It's actually happening now.

[Maddy Pelling]

Only to keep us in a job.

[Anthony Delaney]

Yeah, we need this.

[Maddy Pelling]

Would you like me, Steve? Please.

[Anthony Delaney]

So, to the Victorians, Springhill Jack's name held terror and fascination. He stalked the streets of London and Beyond throughout the 19th century and became a staple of the penny dreadful press. We've done some previous spooky Victorian stories. Some. We've done plenty of previous spooky Victorian.

[Maddy Pelling]

Stories, but there are more to come.

[Anthony Delaney]

There are the Hammersmith Ghost, for instance, the Red Barn Mystery. But to help us tell this particular legend, we are joined by a regular guest on After Dark. It's Kerry Holbrooke. And Kerry is a lecturer in history and folklore at the University of Hertfordshire. She has a brand new book coming out in September and it's called A Journey through the Past and Present, which is written with Owen Davies. Kerry, thank you for coming back to After Dark.

[Kerry Holbrooke]

Thank you very much for having me. Me, I'm always happy to talk folklore.

[Anthony Delaney]

Now this one is an interesting one because we often talk about what we know and what we don't know coming into these episodes. And, you know, often if we cover some Irish mythology or Irish folklore, imagine like, oh, I haven't heard about this before. Well, this is one I had not heard about previously. Somebody said, we're doing Spring Heel Jack. And I went, I have absolutely no concept of who Spring Heeled Jack is. But one thing I do know now is that he's an urban legend. What exactly is an urban legend and how, if it does, does it differ from folklore?

[Kerry Holbrooke]

So urban legends are a kind of subcategory in folklore. So they're legends, they're stories that are circulated like rumors told as truth. So they're told in a way that's. That's meant to be believed, set in real places, often with real people, and it's meant to have happened recently. So urban legends are a bit of a misnomer. It doesn't have to take place in an urban setting. It doesn't have to be a city. It's more that they're contemporary legends. So they've happened recently, currently, and often told as a kind of friend of a friend narrative. So this must have happened because somebody told me it's true or a friend of my Aunt Maria's told me about it. You know, so it's. Somebody has some kind of loose connection to the narrative that's meant to convince you that it really happened.

[Anthony Delaney]

It's giving those, like, group texts that were going around during COVID where everyone was like. Just to give you a heads up, guys. My aunt's cousin's first next door neighbor works in a hospital and she overheard that Thursday next week we're all kind of closing down. So they have that kind of. It tries to make it a little bit more believable or tangible. Right, that's interesting. I didn't realize there was such a distinction.

[Maddy Pelling]

Well, we're in the 19th century with this, and this is a story that springs up In a very Victorian landscape in terms of the media. What do you think it is about that moment, Kerry, that allows something like an urban legend to flourish?

[Kerry Holbrooke]

I think it's the amount of literacy at the time. More and more people able to read newspapers, more and more newspapers printing things like this, greater interest. And then obviously, the penny dreadfuls really kind of gave it life.

[Maddy Pelling]

So just for listeners who don't know what a penny dreadful is, what the penny dreadful was, can you just give us a little bit of a sense of that? Because it's really. It's a really 19th century phenomenon, isn't it? And it lasts a long time. It really endures in terms of popular culture.

[Kerry Holbrooke]

Yeah. I guess a modern equivalent is the comic book. So it's, you know, they were. They were cheap publications that were intended for children, but they were just incredibly popular and they really drew on tales of horror, gruesome tales, adventure. They were meant to be fun and really appeal to a kind of, I guess, a macabre sense of fun, which really characterizes a lot of Victorian popular culture, I suppose. But this was kind of cheap, mass produced and aimed at the working classes and the children.

[Maddy Pelling]

It's interesting you say it's aimed at the working classes because one of the things we know from our Dickens, for example, is the experience of working class London at this time. It's changing. It's an urban landscape that is changing rapidly. There's poverty, there's crowding, there's, I suppose, a kind of oral storytelling within that tradition mixed in with the new print media and these different forms. Do you think that Spring Heeled Jack is a story that thrives in those communities rather than in more middling or elite communities? Or is this a story that permeates all of those and transcends class?

[Kerry Holbrooke]

I think it transcended class. I think everybody was interested. But it's interesting that, especially at the start, it was working class women usually who were attacked, or the stories said were attacked. And as you say, these were overcrowded areas, a lot of slums, a lot of poverty, a lot of anxiety around strangers in cities and these kind of shifting populations and how safe it was to be a working class woman kind of walking the streets. So I think that's why it, I don't know, spoke to something of people's kind of lived realities, really, in Victorian London at the time. But I think the frill of it probably appealed to people from all classes.

[Anthony Delaney]

So let's get to the heart of the man beast, being himself. Who exactly was Heel Jack Answer. There has to be an answer.

[Maddy Pelling]

We want the definitive please.

[Kerry Holbrooke]

We have no idea. And it probably wasn't one person. So, I mean, there were decades of sightings kind of stretching from the 1820s up to the early 1900s. So there were probably lots of copycats.

[Maddy Pelling]

Yeah. That's unlikely to be one human person, isn't it?

[Kerry Holbrooke]

Yeah, yeah. In terms of who people thought it was at the time, I mean, nobody knew. There were so many different stories. Lots of common traits that we see getting repeated, particularly as the stories were printed in newspapers. But some of the descriptions describe Spring Heeled Jack as a demonic type figure with red glowing eyes who had the ability to shoot out fire, blue fire.

[Maddy Pelling]

Not the ordinary skills of a human person then, really. I mean, this is.

[Anthony Delaney]

I speak for yourself. I don't know about you, but I am gifted.

[Maddy Pelling]

Anthony on a Friday night is out about vomiting. You know, is this a being that is meant to be part human, part demon? Is this someone who can sort of turn that part of themselves on and off? Is this a sort of Jekyll and Hyde type situation?

[Anthony Delaney]

He's an X Men. He's a mutant, but he doesn't exist. But if he existed, he's like a mutant. But yeah, what is. It's demonic. It's a person, It's a caricature. All of the above.

[Kerry Holbrooke]

Yeah, absolutely. All of the above. I mean, he also had metallic claws, so kind of. Yeah. A precursor to Wolverine. Really? Absolutely. Sometimes it's kind of a masked, cloaked figure. So many different descriptions and it's really hard to understand whether they saw him as like a supernatural entity or a human who maybe could transform. Yeah, a lot of confusing, contradictory accounts, but also a lot of feeding off the newspaper reports as well.

[Anthony Delaney]

The psychological thriller Criminal Minds Evolution is back and the hunt is on. This season. The criminal profilers from the behavioral analysis unit are tracking a network of serial killers connected by something far more dangerous than anyone expected. It's the kind of high stakes investigation that will keep you guessing and make you question who's really pulling the strings with edge of your seat storytelling. This is the season to watch. Catch the new season of Criminal minds evolution streaming May 8th exclusively on Paramount.

[Maddy Pelling]

And you say, Kerry, that the first sightings, the first reports of this creature, whatever it is, appear in the 1820s. And certainly by the 1830s, it's really started to take off. As a folklorist, I know that you are interested in tracing the ways in which these stories mutate. Are we able to get to ground zero of when Springfield Jack first appears or is this something that exists in a kind of murky past that we'll never be able to access?

[Kerry Holbrooke]

It's pretty murky because we've got so many stories kind of at the start of the 1800s that have some of the kind of similar elements. The Hammersmith ghost for instance which you've.

[Maddy Pelling]

Mentioned because I mean that's a sort of spirit that has a tangible effect in the world. Right. That's for anyone who hasn't heard our episode, go and listen to it immediately. But it's someone, something attacking people in and around Hammersmith I think from memory, haunting a graveyard in particular. But there's a sort of element of the supernatural. Yes, but also physical threat, isn't there? Which I suppose Springield Jack has all of those.

[Kerry Holbrooke]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So at the start of the century we're seeing elements of this in other stories, other urban legends and it kind of just merges into a figure really. And it isn't until 1838 when the newspapers start reporting on it and start giving this figure kind of one name, this catch all name that kind of from that period on anything that happened that was slightly strange. Any figure who kind of came out of the darkness in the villages around London. Spring Heeled Jack. And that name would be applied to whatever that threat was.

[Anthony Delaney]

And it's an odd name. I mean it suggests, let's see, it suggests somebody maybe appearing and disappearing quite quickly.

[Maddy Pelling]

Someone a bit bouncy.

[Anthony Delaney]

Bouncy is literally what I like. Impish. So there is this threat. There's like a real idea of threat but there's also then this idea of almost playfulness or something and you know you're talking about penny dreadfuls and I guess that would feed into that. But do we know why he became known as Spring Heel Jack? What's in a name?

[Kerry Holbrooke]

I guess so the Spring Heel part is absolutely the bounciness. Early reports describe him kind of bounding over nine foot high walls quite effortlessly laughing as he did so. So that idea again of mischief. And a couple of early reports do describe him as wearing springed heels. So a kind of technological contraption that enabled him to jump over walls and bound effortlessly along.

[Anthony Delaney]

I knew you'd like this as soon as you said that I was like she's going to.

[Maddy Pelling]

But that's so interesting because that suggests that in those versions at least he's not supernatural, he is a person. And I mean he's sort of a proto Batman making his own equipment to be able to. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. To be. Are they Part of the same universe. DC and Myra don't come for me, please. That, you know, he's able to literally jump over, to move around the city, to transcend it in a way that other people aren't. As we've said, at a time when there's overcrowding, there's huge slum areas, there's poverty. Everyone's experiencing London in particular in a very different way to how they were even 50 years, 60 years earlier. And all this industrialization, this grime, you know, the city's literally grimy at this point. There's smog, there's dust, there's thick sort of grease on everything. And then you've got this creature who can kind of come out of those clouds of smoke and shadow, but who can leap over your roof, come into your bedroom at night, attack you in an alleyway. There's something there, you know, Is he. Could we view him maybe as a sort of manifestation of the city itself, that the city is turning on people, that this urban experience is harmful to people? That's a good question. I was very impressed.

[Anthony Delaney]

I'm not surprised. I'm just a good question.

[Maddy Pelling]

It's a good question. Occasionally.

[Anthony Delaney]

Okay.

[Kerry Holbrooke]

Yes, thank you.

[Maddy Pelling]

And that was an excellent answer.

[Kerry Holbrooke]

But, yeah, no, I like that theory. I think, you know, there is something very much about the city growing up around them and these kind of higher, higher walls. And I think also this idea of him being able to kind of leap from roof to roof. You know, we love that idea today in kind of superhero stories. And I think that it will have both appealed and terrified people. So, I mean, he the bogeyman. And, you know, parents would warn their children that Spring Heeled Jack could leap up and look at you through the bedroom window. You know, so this idea that he. Boundaries couldn't keep him out.

[Maddy Pelling]

Absolutely haunting if you're a little Victorian child. And if you were a little Victorian.

[Anthony Delaney]

Child, you were haunting yourself.

[Maddy Pelling]

That's the least of your.

[Anthony Delaney]

Well, and that. Yeah. Come here to me. We have been provided with two pictures today, two pictures that Carrie is far more familiar with than we are. Again, I must admit, this is a new personage to me. So, Maddie, I'll take the first one.

[Maddy Pelling]

I'm obsessed with these, by the way.

[Anthony Delaney]

And you take the second one. And let's describe what we're looking at. Let's get serious now, right? I'm looking at a black and white image from a very 19th century. It costs 5p. I'm imagining there's some kind of penny dreadful situation going on. Here it says Terror of London above the image of this kind of devilish looking man. And then to the left of that it says Spring Heel Jack. So he's being very clearly identified. There's a skull and kind of a laurel wreath thing beside that as well. Okay, so springy old Jack in this instance is. He seems to be. He almost had like the face of the Joker. It's very smiley, but angular and evil looking.

[Maddy Pelling]

But then a very long square chin, isn't there?

[Anthony Delaney]

That's the Joker element, I think. And then he almost has like devil horns, ears on top of his head. Yeah, looks like Batman Y or Catwoman even.

[Maddy Pelling]

Oh my God, he's Catwoman.

[Anthony Delaney]

Then he has like gloves in his hand, but actually underneath he has almost Batman like wings actually. So now he's looking very, very Batman like. And then he's almost got Spider man type design down the thing. Although actually looking at it now, what it is is it's vertebrae and ribs.

[Maddy Pelling]

But it looks like a military uniform.

[Anthony Delaney]

It does absolutely look like.

[Maddy Pelling]

And he's got these glossy, very well polished black knee length boots and then these sort of khaki again, almost military trousers.

[Anthony Delaney]

Look what's going on there? That's amazing. Okay, I'm getting a little distracted because there's loads of those ads, you know the ads you see on the side of old buildings. You're seeing them in like ghosts in situ here. Yeah, yeah, they're kind of amazing actually. God, they're so present. And then he seems to be bounding over what I presume is London. So I mean, you know, usually we have to ask the expert, is this what it is? But it's quite clear what's going on here. You know, it's a demonic bad influence. It looks like he's breathing that fire that you mentioned. Is there anything that like is specifically standing out to you in this image, Kerry? Anything that you want to share with us that I missed?

[Kerry Holbrooke]

I think what really interests me about this is by the time Spring Heeled, Jack was appearing in penny dreadfuls or kind of centering in them, he'd started to shift to become a kind of anti hero. So a kind of Robin Hood type figure. So think, kind of vigilantes, think, you know, modern day superheroes. We keep saying Batman, but actually he's incredibly similar to Batman in that he is quite an ambiguous figure. He's not kind of all light and airy, but he's there to stop the bad guys rather than be the bad guy. He eventually becomes kind of a figure of adventure and Kind of rescuing the poor and the victims. So in this picture I'm seeing. Yeah, absolutely demonic and the fire breathing. But also he's not necessarily the villain.

[Maddy Pelling]

It's so interesting that he is. Yeah. Literally attacking people at the beginning and that he. Because he exists in the outside parts of the city, that even when he runs to someone's door and tries to get through that he can't. And he can't transgress that boundary. But then later on he becomes. I don't know if this is fair, Carrie. Sort of maybe a protector of those same streets. That's so interesting. And do you think I'm going. I'm really doubling down on the he is the manifestation of the city theory here. But is there a sense by the early 1900s, the later versions that we get of him, that people have become more comfortable with the city that they live in, that they've managed to kind of maybe come to terms with the change that's happening in the landscape with industrialization, that they've got a harness on it and are working alongside rather than being completely oppressed by it. Do you think that's a fair summary of that?

[Kerry Holbrooke]

Possibly. I mean, certainly something happened that made them want to kind of claim him as one of their own. Maybe it was just that need turn something frightening into something that'll work for you or fight for you. Or maybe it was just it sold more. So it was a purely commercial reason. But, yeah, I mean, this is such a period of change. You know, London was growing so much. Yeah. The folklore will have changed to keep up with all this progress.

[Maddy Pelling]

I love that that is mixed in with the commercialism, actually, in that we think about the Marvel movies, for example, that just keep coming and coming. And actually, is there something of that in this? There has to be a thousand reinventions of him because he does sell. And so you have to keep it fresh. That's so interesting. I'm looking at the second image here, which is also titled Springhill the Terror of London, which is a great subtitle, by the way. I would like to be billed as that anywhere I go from now on. This is a black and white printed image, obviously from the front of some kind of illustrated magazine. This scene is a little bit more gothic and it's less playful and darker. I would say it's taking place at night. It's a sort of moonscape over the rooftops of the city of London. And standing on one rooftop is Springhill Jack, and he has shoved what looks to be a male victim down the chimney. This guy's head and arms are inside the chimney. I will say this guy's dressed not unconvincingly, like a skinny Father Christmas, but that's probably beside the point. And his legs are up in the air flailing. And Jack himself, he looks a little bit like the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. He appears to be naked, which is interesting given the version of him we've just had with these very polished boots and this almost kind of balletic pose in this military style uniform. He's very animalistic. I think he might even have a tail or some kind of. I don't know. There's spikes growing out of the back of his spine.

[Anthony Delaney]

I think it's still got, like winged appendages. Like, if you look under his arms.

[Maddy Pelling]

Yes, under his arms.

[Anthony Delaney]

Yeah, he's still kind of like a bat.

[Maddy Pelling]

He is, but he has back of his legs, too. And he has this terrible face. Again, he's got this kind of angular, long face and horns this time coming out the top of his head. But he's also got this shaggy, crazy mane. And, I mean, this version is a lot more frightening. You wouldn't be pleased if you looked out of your little attic bedroom window as a Victorian child and you saw this guy on your roof. It's not great.

[Anthony Delaney]

Yeah, no, he is a little. This one's giving Werewolf. It's like, it's a very different, very different thing. And I presume, Carrie, that that's just because nobody knew what they were talking about. And so we have a huge array of things that he could be. I presume there's nothing more to it than that, really.

[Kerry Holbrooke]

Yeah, because there were so many different reports and everyone kind of focused on a different element. Yeah, they didn't know what he looked like, so they just. Their imaginations went wild. Also, it probably reflected what was popular at the time. You know, there were so many different horror stories and different penny dreadfuls going around. So, yeah, this one is much more kind of bestial than the other one. Still demonic in the face, but, yeah, this is a beast rather than kind of a gentleman. Whereas the other one, you can kind of get to some of the descriptions where he was, you know, tall and thin and gentleman, like, whereas this is a monster.

[Anthony Delaney]

Well, let's unpack that gentlemanly potential in Spring Hilljack, because there was a rumor that he was potentially an Irish aristocrat. Tell us about that. Why did that come about? That seems oddly specific in a genre that is full of vagaries. So now we potentially have a Name. I mean, it's not true, but there was a name attached to it.

[Maddy Pelling]

You don't know if it's not true yet. Wait and see.

[Anthony Delaney]

I was there.

[Maddy Pelling]

You were Spring kilcher.

[Kerry Holbrooke]

So in January 1838. So this was before Jane Alsop was attacked. An open letter was written to the Lord Mayor of London from an anonymous source. Just a resident of PEC was how they signed the letter, saying that the newspapers had been ignoring a lot of attacks that had been going on in villages around London, attacks usually on women. And the person who wrote the letter claimed that it was a group of men from the higher ranks of life, is the quote, who were betting themselves, kind of wagering themselves to go and scare people dressed as ghosts, beasts and devils.

[Maddy Pelling]

So the idea was, did this really happen? This is really people doing this. People actually went out and dressed up.

[Kerry Holbrooke]

This is what the letter said. Okay. So, yeah, the theory was that people from higher ranks of life were betting each other to go and scare people dressed up as things. And after that, a servant boy reported seeing Spring Heeled Jack wearing a cloak with a family crest with a wood on it. So the idea of aristocrats dressing up to prank people to scare people, and then this idea that it was somebody who had a W on their family crest, there was already quite a nefarious aristocrat, the Marquis of Waterford. So W who that period in London was present in London, a lot of rumours around him causing brawls and playing quite dangerous pranks. And later on, people accusing him of lying in wait, jumping out to scare people, and then his friends following suit. So at the time it was thought that it might have been the Marquis of Waterford and his friends dressing up to scare people just for a bit of fun. We don't know.

[Maddy Pelling]

Is there a class struggle going on here then? We've talked about how the main consumers of this story, at least at the penny dreadful end of things, were predominantly working class people. And now we have a figure, someone privileged, someone with power, someone with money in the city who's playing pranks on people, dangerous pranks. And, you know, a lot of the attacks, real life attacks that are reported and then linked to Springilled Jack. And, you know, there's a sort of murk around some of those linkages and, you know, whether or not the original victims of those attacks are claiming that it's Spring killed Jack will probably never know in most instances. But is there a sense that aristocrats are dangerous, that they are somehow to blame here? It just seems too good to be True that. That. That would be the kind of figure who would be brought out as potentially being Spring Heel Jack.

[Kerry Holbrooke]

I think there are definitely class tensions going on here. The idea that there are these wealthy men who have nothing better to do than kind of prey on working class women often, and we know that they did. You know, there is evidence of that. So I think definitely class tensions. And, you know, whether or not he was Springhill Jack, we do know that he did do some dangerous things. You know, it may have been that. That people were copying him and that led to further attacks.

[Anthony Delaney]

Well, I can exclusively reveal, while you've been talking, I have researched the coat of arms for the Marquess of Waterford and there is no W in that.

[Maddy Pelling]

Coat of arms, but it is bat wings.

[Anthony Delaney]

So we can exclusively exonerate Henri Delapoer, what's his name, Henry Delapre Beresford, the third Marquess of Waterford. You heard it here, folks, on After Dark. He was not. Well, he at least was not that particular night scene. But I wonder. Yeah, it's just interesting that, like, the W, I mean, nobody at this time has a letter in their coat of arms. It would be the most bizarre thing. But then you're talking about that class element and maybe the literacy element is coming in there too, and saying, well, there was a W, because Waterford. It's also interesting that he's an Irish aristocrat and blah, blah, blah. But it is. It's an interesting way of inventing, I suppose. And that's what Spring Healer Jack is, is letting people do. It's letting people invent and create for good and bad.

[Maddy Pelling]

I suppose there's something so insidious, isn't there, in the story we heard at the beginning about Jane Alsop, that she thinks she's speaking at first in the dark to a policeman, someone, you know. The police are a relatively new force in the 19th century. They do have their roots in the 18th century, but police as we understand them today really take form in the 19th century and they are put out onto the streets as people that you can trust. They are there to protect your community. And of course, there's nuance and discussion around that then and now, but there's something so terrifying about the fact that she believes that and that Springhill Jack is potentially taking on the form or imitating these figures of authority in order to get closer to his victims, and that there's some kind of illusion and trickery there. That's really unsettling, actually. And, you know, going back to the sort of the changing city and the Changing society. There's so much there about not being able to trust people in positions of power, aristocrats, policemen. And that the working class and female experience in London in the 19th century is incredibly dark. And that brings me to a question I want to ask about Jack the Ripper because. And I suppose other fictional characters as well as Jack, who obviously has roots in reality and very terrible crimes, but also became a sort of character in his own right. We've been joking the whole way through really about Springhill Jack having these descendants in terms of Marvel characters or DC characters or whatever, and sort of being a superhero. But in the 19th century, I mean, I'm thinking about Jekyll and Hyde that we mentioned earlier. I'm thinking about the version of Jack the Ripper that emerges in the press and also characters like Sweeney Todd. Are these all born from Spring Heeled Jap? Because we know that he first appears in stories really early on in the 1820s and 30s, which I believe predates all of those versions. So is he the origin point of these kinds of horror figures that are moving with discretion and skill through the urban landscape and targeting specific victims, or is he just one in a slew of stories that we tell forever?

[Kerry Holbrooke]

I mean, they definitely fed on the Spring Heel Jack stories. I think he kind of represents this kind of awakening of interest in these kinds of figures. And Jack the Ripper certainly did feed off it, which is probably why he's named Jack. It's kind of a direct allusion because obviously we don't know what he was called. But the letter that was written to the newspaper saying I am Jack the Ripper, unless his name was Jack, we are assuming that it came from kind of Spring Heeled Jack. Jack being this kind of almost catch all generic term that was used for anonymous male figures in folklore like Joe Bloggs or something. Exactly, yeah. You know, Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack and the Green, Jack and Jill. You know, everyone's named Jack in folklore, so certainly fed off that. And I think that Jack the Ripper was a very different phenomenon in that it was very real and it was very horrific and people did die and he kind of overtook, overshadowed Spring Heel Jack. You see that transition, by the time we get to kind of Jack the Ripper, interest in Spring Heel Jack has started to wane. And all of a sudden you had this, I'm not gonna say more real threat, because I imagine Spring Heel Jack was. Did feel quite real to people who were living in London at the time. But you had this kind of very obviously tangible evidence of what he was doing and there was no denying it. But yeah, I think a lot of the ideas about what these later gothic horrific figures were probably did stem from Spring Heeled Jack.

[Anthony Delaney]

And it sounds like he becomes subsumed within, you know, you're talking about reality, but it sounds like he almost becomes subsumed within the reality of figures like the person we call Jack the Ripper. It's almost like the reality starts to take over because it's so horrific in itself. It starts to take over from this element of invention. Do we see that with urban legends generally? Is that a way in which urban legends that don't last tend to peter out, that they just become part of other stories or other realities or other news stories? Does that account for why he hasn't really stuck with us today? I mean, again, I just wasn't familiar with the name.

[Kerry Holbrooke]

Yeah, I mean, it's the nature of urban legends to shift, constantly shift, because they're representing anxieties of the time. They're of the time and of the place. That's what makes them urban legends. So there aren't really any that stick because the society is always changing. Spring Heel Jack wouldn't necessarily work today because we have so much better lighting in our urban centers. Everyone can carries a phone, you know, you could capture them on the phone. And also because there's so much of the macabre, so much of the horrific on our TVs that there's almost less of a need to kind of get that violence out there through stories like that. But yeah, urban legends, like folklore are always changing. And this is just, this was one that, that lasted quite a long time really when you think about it, from kind of the 1820s up to the early 1900s. And it didn't just stay in London, you know, it traveled. There are examples of sightings in the Midland in Scotland. So up and down the country for nearly a century he was being sighted. So it actually lasted longer than most urban legends. It's just not as relevant today.

[Maddy Pelling]

I love the idea that we may have lost the use for him now, but he might still be out there. That's such a great place to end. Kerry, thank you so much for this discussion. It's been absolutely fascinating and I know we'll have you back for many more folkloric episodes to come. If you've enjoyed this episode then then you can leave us a five star review wherever you get your podcast. And if you're not doing so currently, you can watch this episode on YouTube. If you are watching that. You already know that. Congratulations.

[Anthony Delaney]

Yes Go. We have a new YouTube channel where you will be finding all of our content from the podcast and some extra special content as well. So take a look at that. If you have enjoyed this episode and have an idea for another episode, then you can get in touch with the After Dark team. You can email our producers Freddie and Schwartz Charlotte on after [e-mail] that's after [e-mail] and we cannot wait to see.

[Kristen Bell]

Your [e-mail] we know some travelers crave sand between their toes, others want to be poolside with a drink on the way, and more often than not, those two people end up in a relationship with the Hotels.com app. Compare properties side by side across amenities like pool and oceanview. Compromise isn't so bad when you're holding a Mai Tai bio pool with an ocean view. Agreeing that yeah, this is better than finding sand in awkward places for three days. Book now in the hotels.com app and find your perfect somewhere.