Springheeled jack, a devillike character of english urban legend escapes from an angry mob at newport arch in lincoln, 1877. Later sightings were reported all over great britain and were especially prevalent in suburban london, the midlands and scotland there are many theories about the nature and identity of springheeled jack. Later sightings were reported all over great britain and were especially prevalent in suburban london, the midlands and scotland. With iron tipped fingers, he tore the blouse off of adams and scratched her stomach before bounding into the darkness. The second incident occurred on february 23rd, 1838. Springheeled jack did a firebreathing phantom haunt. She was married to robert carter and michael ingham.
Later sightings were all over england and most prominent in suburban london, the midlands and scotland. Before jack the ripper began his reign of horror, there was another mysterious entity terrorizing the streets of london. The legend of springheeled jack is recorded across england, from london to liverpool. My one hope now, springheeled jack related, is that dodo press or some other pod publisher will get their hands on some of the other springheeled jack penny dreadfuls that were released during the heyday of both jack and penny dreadfuls and give modern readers even. Springheeled jack escaped again, this time victimless. Shop for vinyl, cds and more from spring heeled jack at the discogs marketplace. A most intriguing victorian urban myth is that of the terrifying flying man called springheeled jack. The name evoked awe from both criminals and upstanding citizens alike. Formed in 1993 in london, england, spring heel jack began their career exploring drum and bass and jungle, but have since branched out into free improvisation and jazz, collaborating with many musicians from europe and the united states. The next time a sighting of jack was reported wasnt until 1837, when a businessman. The first alleged sightings of springheeled jack were made in london in 1837 and the last reported sighting is said in most of the secondary literature to have been made in liverpool in 1904. But in the late 1880s, spring heeled jack was eclipsed by another jack even more monstrous than himself. During the 1850s and 60s springheeled jack was also seen all over england, particularly in the midlands.
It would also mean that springheeled jack and the scarlet pimpernel would be contemporaries. Spring heeled jack is the hero, except he is also grotesque according to pullmans description of him as a devil and ppl fear him. Joanna duncan was born on january 21, 1922 in abbottabad, pakistan as joan brenda duncan. The black country of the 19th century was a somewhat superstitious, inwardlooking place. Springheeled jack, a devillike character of english.
By that time, however, he had become notorious in the us. He has a degree in cultural studies and loves british history 1850 to 1950, in particular. His legendary status gained popularity between 1850 and 1880 as people became fascinated with his abilities to. The tale of springheeled jack, the victorian demon who.
Spring heel jack is an english electronic music duo, consisting of john coxon and ashley wales. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. She died on july 30, 1995 in sonning common, oxfordshire, england. Springheeled jack made an aborted attempt at the same trick a few nights. Spring heeled jack was first reportedly seen in 1837 in the black country, an area in the west midlands that was the heart of the 19 thcentury industrial revolution in england. Springheeled jack or the terror of epping forest is a 1950 british play by the writer geoffrey carlile and the actormanager tod slaughter who was known for. I heard the story of the park ghost from my grandparents during my childhood, but in 1990 few people were still alive who knew anything about the victorian legend. A 28page comic featuring the amusing adventures of springheeled jack, a mysterious hero in olden days britain. This may make his gear spring loaded boots, shock gloves a bit too anachronistic. Waterford returned to ireland with his new wife and reportedly turned his back on cruel jokes to live a respectable life, until his death in 1859. Australia brazil canada china france germany india italy japan mexico. Read why some think spring heeled jack may have been an alien humanoid. Jacks american visits were first reported in louisville, ky in july of 1880.
A typical spring heeled jack attack as depicted in the penny dreadfuls. Intermittent reports of further spring heeled jack. Spring heeled jack is a legendary english character. Start reading the mystery of springheeled jack on your kindle in under a minute. He has a degree in cultural studies and loves british history 1850 to 1950. I am struck by the similarities between accounts of spring heeled jack and certain other cryptic figures. The legend of springheeled jack it started with a ring at a gate, and ended with a. Australia brazil canada china france germany italy japan mexico. Please see the links under article milestones below for its original nomination page for older articles, check the nomination archive and why it was removed this article appeared on wikipedias main page as todays featured article on june 1, 2005. The first claimed sighting of springheeled jack was in 1837. The army in 1870 set traps to catch him after scared sentries reported being terrified by a man who sprang on to the roof of their sentry box. In the very first recorded sighting, a servant named mary stevens reported walking to lavender hill when a figure leaped out at her, grabbing.
Their mysterious assailant, dubbed the leaping man, is now believed to be. Evidently, springheeled jack was a spaceman marooned on earth. Legends of spring heeled jack, the uncatchable demon of. In particular, mothman from the usa, who also was reported to leap or fly at inhuman speeds and distances, black shuck, also from the british isles a monstrous shapeshifting hound who also belched flames and smoke, and a strange monkey man who terrorised the streets of. The band was formed by guitaristvocalist ron ragona and drummer dave karcich in 1991. After jacks resumption of his title many scamps and ruffians played the part of springheeled jack in various garbs in and around london, but the story which we have told of brave jack dacre is the only authentic history of springheeled jack. Its kinda sorta set in the victorian era and features many historical figures who are misused to serve the authors evil purposes. Springheeled jack was an unidentifiable assailant that began tormenting london in 1837. Springheeled jack is a british superhero who was legendary long before todays popular comics.
On the other hand there are still a huge amount of gaming ideas waiting to be exploited. Or was there a mysterious aristocrat playing tricks on the working class. Jack was first sighted in london in 1837, and was described as tall and thin, with fiery eyes, claws, and a capacity for making prodigious leaps. A man came to a manor home and asked to see the master of the house. In this weeks episode of monstertalk, we talk with historian mike dash about the legendary. He subsists on raw animal meat, from deer to house rat to beetle. Springheeled jack keeps up a reputation for gruesome killing sprees and tends to flee the crime scene by leaping onto buildings. In response, everybodys published a letter from inman race of sheffield, who had an ingenious answer to dyalls question.
Springheeled jack was a cultural and folkloric trope that was defined by its rich heterogeneity and therefore bigger than any singular interpretation one may care to cage him in. She is known for her work on springheeled jack 1950, the scarlet pimpernel 1955 and all for mary 1954. Spring heeled jacks first reported sightings took place in 1808, when a letter to the sheffield times discussed the legend of the park ghost, a. Throughout the 19th century, springheeled jack was sighted all over. My nan told me and my sister about spring heeled jack when we were kids in the 1950s, and how he would jump over walls and attack anyone.
The strange affair of spring heeled jack by mark hodder. The legend of spring heeled jack was kept alive through the 1870s by the penny dreadfuls and tabloid journalism of the time, with noteworthy reports of mayhem caused by him coming from aldershot, a town in england known for its army barracks. On 20 th february 1838, the attack on jane alsop occurred and on 28 th february another young woman, lucy scales, was the victim of a similar assault. The legend of spring heeled jack today i found out. Bastei lubbe taschenbucher german edition kindle edition by mark hodder, kristina koblischke. The misadventures of spring heeled jack by tom sparke.
Springheeled jack could also be moved directly to the napoleonic era. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. He was a mysterious a victorianera murderer, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, leaving a trail of tragedy in his wake. He is said to have a devil like diabolic appearance with clawed hands, red eyes and he always wore a black cloak. Springheeled jack is an entity in english folklore of the victorian era. The legend of springheeled jack, with text based upon a chapter in my book strange south yorkshire 1990 forms the centrepiece of the display, produced by sheffield city council.
A very special thank you to laive who have provided korean subtitles for this video. Spring heeled jack known alternatively for a time as spring heeled jack u. Appearing from out of darkened corners, the impossibly tall figure accosted women, ripping their clothing with metallike claws while blue flames belched froth from sulfur tinted. Win a copy of the legend of springheeled jack by dr. Springheeled jack, a phantom that took delight in frightening people, and which made prodigious leaps. London of the 1830s was terrorized by an astonishing figurea caped man with long sharp metallic claws who spouted blue fire from his mouth and leaped over rooftops. For this was the realm of spring heeled jack, one of the most popular and frightening characters from recent english lore. Spring heeled jack is an old legend that dates back to the victorian era. The investigation of the vicious attacks on samantha grey, 27, and catherine hulme, 32, last week in greenwich has taken a strange turn. In 1837, shj appeared to polly adams and two other women outside blackheath fair.
Tom sparke is raising funds for the misadventures of spring heeled jack on kickstarter. However, its origins are related to the area of barnes common london in the early 19th century with the appearance of a ghostly white bull. Some thought he was the devil, but he was actually the original superheroleaping over the buildings of victorian england with the help of springs in the heels of his shoes. Springheeled jack goes on to gain more fame and to commit fresh crimes. Surely such a creature could be no more than myth, right. He wore a tightfitting white oilskin suit and a shiny metal. An urban legend originating in england during the 1800s, the springheeled jack was said to have clawed hands and eyes of fire. We tend to regard the victorian era as an age of science and reason, not unlike our own. Springheeled jack is a character in english folklore of the victorian era who was known for his startling jumps.
Autoplay when autoplay is enabled, a suggested video will automatically play next. Spring heeled jack made his first appearance in the sheffield times where it was accounted that he would scare local residents and play pranks within the city of sheffield, a city in south yorkshire, uk, then would bound away in enormous leaps. Spring heeled jack was seen leaping up and down the streets and rooftops of liverpool in 1904, then disappeared from england for close to seventy years. Guisepublic domain in victorian england, the scariest boogeyman was a firebreathing devilman who could jump unnaturally high. Spring heeled jack would often go underground when the going got too rough, and he often unchivalrously pitted himself against women. A mercurial and unfixed cultural phenomenon, springheeled jack found. The blend of graphic novel elements with paragraphs of text will encourage elementarylevel readers in grades 46. Explore releases from spring heeled jack at discogs. However, there was another victorian age, running parallel with this, an age that.
Meet springheeled jack, the leaping devil that terrorized. After a short breakup, ragona and karcich reformed the band with a. A servant boy turned to go fetch him, but noticed from the corner of his eye that the man was in fact springheeled jack. The legend of springheeled jack dressed in white oilcloth, a long dark cape, a helmet obscuring his face, and possessing firelike red eyes, springheeled jack terrorized the london streets. High quality spring heeled jack gifts and merchandise. The story begins as three young innocents escape their orphanage one dark and stormy night. A composite description of spring heeled jack was a man with devilish facial features, a frightening grin, glowing red eyes, and a terrifying highpitched laugh.
With tod slaughter, hugh cross, peter collingwood, michael ingham. This solution struck a chord with a generation mesmerised by the developing space race, the flying saucer mystery and the possibility of return visits from other worlds. Whether man or beast, spring heeled jack was never caught. Inspired designs on tshirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more by independent artists and designers from around the world.
338 587 1382 599 884 533 1038 750 1204 759 841 1252 1368 1486 1550 730 1023 223 930 225 132 770 1510 421 998 1528 879 522 556 162 110 287 1143 657 943 774 943 728