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| From the Penny Illustrated Paper, 7th Oct 1893. |
She originally came from London: "The police have found that Wilkie's stepfather is at the Emigrant's Home, Blackwall, London." I found here
that a Mr Wilkie was in fact the manager of the Emigrants' Home: this
seems to have been somewhere from which girls who'd been in domestic
service in this country went out on boats to Australia to find work out
there. "The
girls are received in this home free of expense, provided with beds,
·food, and
good advice gratis."
It's interesting if this bit of information turns out to be true, because Arthur Coombs didn't believe it, and appears to have broken off their engagement because he thought she'd been lying. "She falsely represented herself, and said she was a young lady, and that her father was Superintendent of the Emigrants' Home, at Blackwall, London. She said he had £1,000 a year from that institution, and that he was connected with another in Germany which brought him in £750 a year." His girlfriend at the time of the trial, Miss Sheppard, had told him "that to obtain her situation in Canynge Square she had forged a character." But it seems, maybe she really had come from a wealthier background than it appeared. That's a lot of money: this site suggests £1000 then would be like £90k today. So was she estranged from her family so much that she had to work in other people's houses?
But, in another newspaper report, it says "Mr and Mrs Wilkie kept a coffee shop near the Tidal Basin railway station" in Canning Town. That sounds a bit different - not working class, but not exactly worth £1000 a year, surely. It's true to say that the Emigrants Home and the Tidal Basin railway station are extremely close to each other. I don't yet know what's going on here.
There's also a rather strange letter 'from a person named Bevan' in one of the newspaper reports. Henry Bevan (connected with Barnardo's) wrote, rather obscurely, that "to fully explain - as you put it - my connection with the deceased, and the real reason of her leaving for Bath, would take too long in a letter. The visit I paid her was a friendly one, and.. whether at her suggestion or my own, I cannot, after this length of time, remember." He signs off, "I should be pleased to hear that the coroner sees at once that it is not necessary to further connect my name, at any rate, publicly, with the matter." Again, mysterious.
So this is intriguing - it seems that Elsie's background wasn't quite what it might appear to be, and she'd left London for Some Reason. In one of his statements, Arthur says "She falsely represented herself to me - she said she was a young lady, and that her father was superintendant of the Emigrants' Home at Blackwall, London. She said he had £1,000 a year from that institution, and that he was connected with another in Germany which brought him in £750 a year.
She told you all this? - Yes, when I first made her acquaintance. I asked her what made her leave her home, and she said that her stepfather struck her. She said her people were in the habit of sending her sums of money to her every fortnight which were addressed to Turleigh. She said the sums were about 10s. each."
At one point, Mr Collins, the prosecution in the trial, "explained that he believed that the deceased girl was some time during her life convicted of some offence in London and sent to the reformatory at Limpley Stoke". This refers to the Girls Reformatory School which was in Limpley Stoke Manor House at the time (now demolished). And it's true. I've found a record of Elsie being there in 1881, in the census ('Elizabeth Wilke') At that time she's 15, and it says she was born in "London, Middlesex." There are about fifty girls living there, from age 12 to 19, though most of them seem to be 16-18. Ten of them come from London. The staff include two laundresses as well as a 'work mistress' and a 'school mistress', so it sounds like Elsie got plenty of experience there in household work. You can see what else such a school was supposed to provide here (also at Peter Higginbotham's excellent site). I don't know why Elsie would have been sent all the way to Bath rather than remaining in London.
I found out (thank you again, PH) that before 1899, children entering a Reformatory had to spend a period of up to 14 days in prison (this explains one of the rumours circulating that she'd been to prison, albeit not for long). Those sent to reformatories had committed crimes - Elsie must have done something considered pretty bad - perhaps it was stealing something, but who knows (records must exist, should anyone want to look into it... it's tempting isn't it). To excuse them staying in prison longer, convicted juvenile offenders under the age of 16 could be sent to a Reformatory School for 2 to 5 years. Their parents had to pay something towards their upkeep while they were there.
You will notice that on the gravestone it says 'Elsie Luke' but when she's at the Reformatory aged 15 - and indeed in many other places where she's referred to - her name is given as Elsie (or Elisabeth) Wilkie. She's taken the name of her stepfather, Mr Wilkie. Perhaps the circumstances of her real father no longer being 'on the scene' or the advent of her new stepfather, had something to do with her deliquent behaviour?
It doesn't particularly seem that people were lining up to say nice things about her - but then the newspaper reports are focused on the trial of Arthur Coombs, not her. She seems to have been very keen on him, and spent lots of time with him - Coombs said he saw her three times a week while they were 'keeping company'. She told people, at various times, that they were getting married. When he told her he didn't want to see her any more - like many jilted young people, she evidently wasn't pleased about this and allegedly harrassed his new girlfriend in the street. She went round to the house where he lived with his parents and ranted at them that he'd "taken liberties with her" in the Royal Victoria Park, and "got her into trouble" (that is, one assumes, alleged he'd got her pregnant - not that any of several witnesses ever thought she looked pregnant). But it seems she took up with him again anyway, though he evidently had more than one girl on the go. But she seems to have eyes only for him: a James Robbins said he'd never heard of her having any other sweetheart, and "he did not believe she was a fast girl."
Elsie used to visit a Mrs Isaacs on Sunday evenings, taking Arthur with her. Mrs Isaacs doesn't give a terribly glowing reference for someone she had to tea every week, but ultimately paints a lively portrait of Elsie:
“Did Coombes and Wilkie seem to be on good terms?” – “Yes, they were always jolly and full of fun.” “During your acquaintance with Wilkie did you know of any other man with whom she was intimate?” – “No; she seemed a desperate flirt, but never kept to any man, excepting Coombes, for long.”
The Reformatory at Limpley Stoke weren't that impressed either: "she was of violent temper and very revengeful. Because of this the matron refused to recommend her for a situation. This lady saw the girl on aSunday just before Bank Holiday and rebuked her for being overdressed." (Leeds Times 7th October 1893). 'Overdressed' is an interesting criticism.
Her last employer was generally pleased with her: he told the Bath Herald "that she was rather above the average for a servant girl [...] Being of an untruthful disposition he had occasion to give her notice, although she was willing and skilful." It was only after she'd disappeared that the missing clothing was discovered, so her dismissal wasn't to do with theft. The Evening Express continued: "Other information has been obtained from persons who knew the victim, which points to the conclusion that she was not a very wild character, but in one instance had let young men into a house where she was in service."
Despite the reporting of the (perhaps rather one-sided) evidence that Elsie behaved angrily when she was dumped, I was surprised that there was little misogyny evident in the newspapers (after all, she was a domestic servant who'd been in a Reformatory, and was claiming to have become pregnant through her liaison with Coombs) - I'd think that kind of thing would actually be more noticeable today. Or maybe I'm being too cynical.
Poor Elsie clearly didn't deserve her fate, even if she was a fibber and a bit of a thief. As the Coroner said, there can be " little doubt that a horrible murder" was committed.]
It's interesting if this bit of information turns out to be true, because Arthur Coombs didn't believe it, and appears to have broken off their engagement because he thought she'd been lying. "She falsely represented herself, and said she was a young lady, and that her father was Superintendent of the Emigrants' Home, at Blackwall, London. She said he had £1,000 a year from that institution, and that he was connected with another in Germany which brought him in £750 a year." His girlfriend at the time of the trial, Miss Sheppard, had told him "that to obtain her situation in Canynge Square she had forged a character." But it seems, maybe she really had come from a wealthier background than it appeared. That's a lot of money: this site suggests £1000 then would be like £90k today. So was she estranged from her family so much that she had to work in other people's houses?
But, in another newspaper report, it says "Mr and Mrs Wilkie kept a coffee shop near the Tidal Basin railway station" in Canning Town. That sounds a bit different - not working class, but not exactly worth £1000 a year, surely. It's true to say that the Emigrants Home and the Tidal Basin railway station are extremely close to each other. I don't yet know what's going on here.
There's also a rather strange letter 'from a person named Bevan' in one of the newspaper reports. Henry Bevan (connected with Barnardo's) wrote, rather obscurely, that "to fully explain - as you put it - my connection with the deceased, and the real reason of her leaving for Bath, would take too long in a letter. The visit I paid her was a friendly one, and.. whether at her suggestion or my own, I cannot, after this length of time, remember." He signs off, "I should be pleased to hear that the coroner sees at once that it is not necessary to further connect my name, at any rate, publicly, with the matter." Again, mysterious.
So this is intriguing - it seems that Elsie's background wasn't quite what it might appear to be, and she'd left London for Some Reason. In one of his statements, Arthur says "She falsely represented herself to me - she said she was a young lady, and that her father was superintendant of the Emigrants' Home at Blackwall, London. She said he had £1,000 a year from that institution, and that he was connected with another in Germany which brought him in £750 a year.
She told you all this? - Yes, when I first made her acquaintance. I asked her what made her leave her home, and she said that her stepfather struck her. She said her people were in the habit of sending her sums of money to her every fortnight which were addressed to Turleigh. She said the sums were about 10s. each."
At one point, Mr Collins, the prosecution in the trial, "explained that he believed that the deceased girl was some time during her life convicted of some offence in London and sent to the reformatory at Limpley Stoke". This refers to the Girls Reformatory School which was in Limpley Stoke Manor House at the time (now demolished). And it's true. I've found a record of Elsie being there in 1881, in the census ('Elizabeth Wilke') At that time she's 15, and it says she was born in "London, Middlesex." There are about fifty girls living there, from age 12 to 19, though most of them seem to be 16-18. Ten of them come from London. The staff include two laundresses as well as a 'work mistress' and a 'school mistress', so it sounds like Elsie got plenty of experience there in household work. You can see what else such a school was supposed to provide here (also at Peter Higginbotham's excellent site). I don't know why Elsie would have been sent all the way to Bath rather than remaining in London.
I found out (thank you again, PH) that before 1899, children entering a Reformatory had to spend a period of up to 14 days in prison (this explains one of the rumours circulating that she'd been to prison, albeit not for long). Those sent to reformatories had committed crimes - Elsie must have done something considered pretty bad - perhaps it was stealing something, but who knows (records must exist, should anyone want to look into it... it's tempting isn't it). To excuse them staying in prison longer, convicted juvenile offenders under the age of 16 could be sent to a Reformatory School for 2 to 5 years. Their parents had to pay something towards their upkeep while they were there.
You will notice that on the gravestone it says 'Elsie Luke' but when she's at the Reformatory aged 15 - and indeed in many other places where she's referred to - her name is given as Elsie (or Elisabeth) Wilkie. She's taken the name of her stepfather, Mr Wilkie. Perhaps the circumstances of her real father no longer being 'on the scene' or the advent of her new stepfather, had something to do with her deliquent behaviour?
It doesn't particularly seem that people were lining up to say nice things about her - but then the newspaper reports are focused on the trial of Arthur Coombs, not her. She seems to have been very keen on him, and spent lots of time with him - Coombs said he saw her three times a week while they were 'keeping company'. She told people, at various times, that they were getting married. When he told her he didn't want to see her any more - like many jilted young people, she evidently wasn't pleased about this and allegedly harrassed his new girlfriend in the street. She went round to the house where he lived with his parents and ranted at them that he'd "taken liberties with her" in the Royal Victoria Park, and "got her into trouble" (that is, one assumes, alleged he'd got her pregnant - not that any of several witnesses ever thought she looked pregnant). But it seems she took up with him again anyway, though he evidently had more than one girl on the go. But she seems to have eyes only for him: a James Robbins said he'd never heard of her having any other sweetheart, and "he did not believe she was a fast girl."
Elsie used to visit a Mrs Isaacs on Sunday evenings, taking Arthur with her. Mrs Isaacs doesn't give a terribly glowing reference for someone she had to tea every week, but ultimately paints a lively portrait of Elsie:
“Did Coombes and Wilkie seem to be on good terms?” – “Yes, they were always jolly and full of fun.” “During your acquaintance with Wilkie did you know of any other man with whom she was intimate?” – “No; she seemed a desperate flirt, but never kept to any man, excepting Coombes, for long.”
The Reformatory at Limpley Stoke weren't that impressed either: "she was of violent temper and very revengeful. Because of this the matron refused to recommend her for a situation. This lady saw the girl on aSunday just before Bank Holiday and rebuked her for being overdressed." (Leeds Times 7th October 1893). 'Overdressed' is an interesting criticism.
Her last employer was generally pleased with her: he told the Bath Herald "that she was rather above the average for a servant girl [...] Being of an untruthful disposition he had occasion to give her notice, although she was willing and skilful." It was only after she'd disappeared that the missing clothing was discovered, so her dismissal wasn't to do with theft. The Evening Express continued: "Other information has been obtained from persons who knew the victim, which points to the conclusion that she was not a very wild character, but in one instance had let young men into a house where she was in service."
Despite the reporting of the (perhaps rather one-sided) evidence that Elsie behaved angrily when she was dumped, I was surprised that there was little misogyny evident in the newspapers (after all, she was a domestic servant who'd been in a Reformatory, and was claiming to have become pregnant through her liaison with Coombs) - I'd think that kind of thing would actually be more noticeable today. Or maybe I'm being too cynical.
Poor Elsie clearly didn't deserve her fate, even if she was a fibber and a bit of a thief. As the Coroner said, there can be " little doubt that a horrible murder" was committed.]
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