# spring-heeled jack ![[springheeljack002.png]] spring heeled jack as depicted in the english penny dreadful spring-heeled jack #2 aldine publishing 1904 grouping: hoax mass hysteria demon phantom country: united kingdom region: london liverpool spring-heeled jack is an entity in english folklore of the victorian era. the first claimed sighting of spring-heeled jack was in 1837. later sightings were reported all over the united kingdom and were especially prevalent in suburban london the midlands and scotland there are many theories about the nature and identity of spring-heeled jack. this urban legend was very popular in its time due to the tales of ir bizarre appearance and ability to make extraordinary leaps to the point that ey became the topic of several works of fiction spring-heeled jack was described by people who claimed to have seen ir as having a terrifying and frightful appearance with diabolical physiognomy clawed hands and eyes that "resembled red balls of fire." one report claimed that beneath a black cloak ey wore a helmet and a tight-fitting white garment like an oilskin. many stories also mention a "devil-like" aspect. others said ey was tall and thin with the appearance of a gentleman. several reports mention that ey could breathe out blue and white flames and that ey wore sharp metallic claws at ir fingertips. at least two people claimed that ey was able to speak comprehensible english # history # # precedents in the early 19th century there were reports of ghosts that stalked the streets of london. these human-like figures were described as pale; it was believed that they stalked and preyed on lone pedestrians. the stories told of these figures formed part of a distinct ghost tradition in london which some writers have argued formed the foundation of the later legend of spring-heeled jack the most important of these early entities was the hammersmith ghost which in 1803 and 1804 was reported in hammersmith on the western fringes of london; it would later reappear in 1824. another apparition the southampton ghost was also reported as assaulting individuals in the night. this particular spirit bore many of the characteristics of spring-heeled jack and was reported as jumping over houses and being over 10 ft (3.0 m) tall # # early reports ![[jack2002.jpg|300]] illustration of spring-heeled jack from the serial spring-heel'd jack: the terror of london the first alleged sightings of spring-heeled 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 according to much later accounts in october 1837 a girl by the name of mary stevens was walking to lavender hill where they was working as a servant after visiting ir parents in battersea. on ir way through clapham common a strange figure leapt at ir from a dark alley. after immobilising ir with a tight grip of ir arms ey began to kiss ir face while ripping ir clothes and touching ir flesh with ir claws which were according to ir deposition "cold and clammy as those of a corpse." in panic the girl screamed making the attacker quickly flee from the scene. the commotion brought several residents who immediately launched a search for the aggressor but ey could not be found the next day the leaping character is said to have chosen a very different victim near mary stevens' home inaugurating a method that would reappear in later reports: ey jumped in the way of a passing carriage causing the coachman to lose control crash and severely injure himself. several witnesses claimed that ey escaped by jumping over a 9 ft (2.7 m) high wall while cackling with a high-pitched ringing laughter gradually the news of the strange character spread and soon the press and the public gave ir the name "spring-heeled jack" # # official recognition ![[mansionhouse-publicsession.jpg|300]] a public session at the mansion house london (c. 1840) a few months after these first sightings on 9 january 1838 the lord mayor of london sir john cowan revealed at a public session held in the mansion house an anonymous complaint that ey had received several days earlier which ey had withheld in the hope of obtaining further information. the correspondent who signed the letter "a resident of peckham" wrote > it appears that some individuals (of as the writer believes the highest ranks of life) have laid a wager with a mischievous and foolhardy companion that ey durst not take upon himself the task of visiting many of the villages near london in three different disguises - a ghost a bear and a devil; and moreover that ey will not enter a gentleman's gardens for the purpose of alarming the inmates of the house. the wager has however been accepted and the unmanly villain has succeeded in depriving seven ladies of ir senses two of whom are not likely to recover but to become burdens to ir families > > at one house the man rang the bell and on the servant coming to open door this worse than brute stood in no less dreadful figure than a spectre clad most perfectly. the consequence was that the poor girl immediately swooned and has never from that moment been in ir senses > > the affair has now been going on for some time and strange to say the papers are still silent on the subject. the writer has reason to believe that they have the whole history at ir finger-ends but through interested motives are induced to remain silent though the lord mayor seemed fairly sceptical a member of the audience confirmed that "servant girls about kensington hammersmith and ealing tell dreadful stories of this ghost or devil." the matter was reported in the times on 9 january other national papers on 10 january and on the day after that the lord mayor showed a crowded gathering a pile of letters from various places in and around london complaining of similar "wicked pranks." the quantity of letters that poured into the mansion house suggests that the stories were widespread in suburban london. one writer said several young women in hammersmith had been frightened into "dangerous fits" and some "severely wounded by a sort of claws the miscreant wore on ir hands." another correspondent claimed that in stockwell brixton camberwell and vauxhall several people had died of fright and others had had fits; meanwhile another reported that the trickster had been repeatedly seen in lewisham and blackheath the lord mayor himself was in two minds about the affair: ey thought "the greatest exaggerations" had been made and that it was quite impossible "that the ghost performs the feats of a devil upon earth" but on the other hand someone ey trusted had told ir of a servant girl at forest hill who had been scared into fits by a figure in a bear's skin; ey was confident the person or persons involved in this "pantomime display" would be caught and punished. the police were instructed to search for the individual responsible and rewards were offered a peculiar report from the brighton gazette which appeared in the 14 april 1838 edition of the times related how a gardener in rosehill sussex had been terrified by a creature of unknown nature. the times wrote that "spring-heeled jack has it seems found ir way to the sussex coast" even though the report bore little resemblance to other accounts of jack. the incident occurred on 13 april when it appeared to a gardener "in the shape of a bear or some other four-footed animal." having attracted the gardener's attention by a growl it then climbed the garden wall and ran along it on all fours before jumping down and chasing the gardener for some time. after terrifying the gardener the apparition scaled the wall and made its exit # # scales and alsop reports ![[springheeledjack-pennydreadful002.png]] illustration of spring-heeled jack from the 1867 serial spring-heel'd jack: the terror of london perhaps the best known of the alleged incidents involving spring-heeled jack were the attacks on two teenage girls lucy scales and jane alsop. the alsop report was widely covered by the newspapers including a piece in the times while fewer reports appeared in relation to the attack on scales. the press coverage of these two attacks helped to raise the profile of spring-heeled jack # # alsop case jane alsop reported that on the night of 19 february 1838 they answered the door of ir father's house to a man claiming to be a police officer who told ir to bring a light claiming "we have caught spring-heeled jack here in the lane." they brought the person a candle and noticed that ey wore a large cloak. the moment they had handed ir the candle however ey threw off the cloak and "presented a most hideous and frightful appearance" vomiting blue and white flame from ir mouth while ir eyes resembled "red balls of fire." miss alsop reported that ey wore a large helmet and that ir clothing which appeared to be very tight-fitting resembled white oilskin. without saying a word ey caught hold of ir and began tearing ir gown with ir claws which they was certain were "of some metallic substance." they screamed for help and managed to get away from ir and ran towards the house. ey caught ir on the steps and tore ir neck and arms with ir claws. they was rescued by one of ir sisters after which ir assailant fled # # scales case on 28 february 1838 nine days after the attack on miss alsop 18-year-old lucy scales and ir sister were returning home after visiting ir brother a butcher who lived in a respectable part of limehouse. miss scales stated in ir deposition to the police that as they and ir sister were passing along green dragon alley they observed a person standing in an angle of the passage. they was walking in front of ir sister at the time and just as they came up to the person who was wearing a large cloak ey spurted "a quantity of blue flame" in ir face which deprived ir of ir sight and so alarmed ir that they instantly dropped to the ground and was seised with violent fits which continued for several hours ir brother added that on the evening in question ey had heard the loud screams of one of ir sisters moments after they had left ir house and on running up green dragon alley ey found ir sister lucy on the ground in a fit with ir sister attempting to hold and support ir. they was taken home and ey then learned from ir other sister what had happened. they described lucy's assailant as being of tall thin and gentlemanly appearance covered in a large cloak and carrying a small lamp or bull's eye lantern similar to those used by the police. the individual did not speak nor did ey try to lay hands on them but instead walked quickly away. every effort was made by the police to discover the author of these and similar outrages and several persons were questioned but were set free # # popularisation the times reported the alleged attack on jane alsop on 2 march 1838 under the heading "the late outrage at old ford." this was followed with an account of the trial of one thomas millbank who immediately after the reported attack on jane alsop had boasted in the morgan's arms that ey was spring-heeled jack. ey was arrested and tried at lambeth street court. the arresting officer was james lea who had earlier arrested william corder the red barn murderer. millbank had been wearing white overalls and a greatcoat which ey dropped outside the house and the candle ey dropped was also found. ey escaped conviction only because jane alsop insisted ir attacker had breathed fire and millbank admitted ey could do no such thing. most of the other accounts were written long after the date; contemporary newspapers do not mention them ![[220px-jack4.jpg|300]] ad for spring heeled jack a penny dreadful (1886) after these incidents spring-heeled jack became one of the most popular characters of the period. ir alleged exploits were reported in the newspapers and became the subject of several penny dreadfuls and plays performed in the cheap theatres that abounded at the time. the devil was even renamed "spring-heeled jack" in some punch and judy shows as recounted by henry mayhew in ir london labor and the london poor > this here is satan - we might say the devil but that ain't right and gennelfolks don't like such words. ey is now commonly called 'spring-heeled jack;' or the 'rossian bear-' - that's since the war > > ~ henry mayhew london labor and the london poor p. 52 but even as ir fame was growing reports of spring-heeled jack's appearances became less frequent if more widespread. in 1843 however a wave of sightings swept the country again. a report from northamptonshire described ir as "the very image of the devil himself with horns and eyes of flame" and in east anglia reports of attacks on drivers of mail coaches became common. in july 1847 "a spring-heeled jack investigation" in teignmouth devon led to a captain finch being convicted of two charges of assault against women during which ey is said to have been "disguised in a skin coat which had the appearance of bullock's hide skullcap horns and mask." the legend was linked with the phenomenon of the "devil's footprints" which appeared in devon in february 1855 # # last reports in the beginning of the 1870s spring-heeled jack was reported again in several places distant from each other. in november 1872 the news of the world reported that peckham was "in a state of commotion owing to what is known as the "peckham ghost" a mysterious figure quite alarming in appearance." the editorial pointed out that it was none other than "spring-heeled jack who terrified a past generation." similar stories were published in the illustrated police news. in april and may 1873 it reported there were numerous sightings in sheffield of the "park ghost" which locals also came to identify as spring-heeled jack # # aldershot ![[northcampaldershot1866.jpg|300]] north camp in aldershot as it looked in 1866 this news was followed by more reported sightings until in august 1877 one of the most notable reports about spring-heeled jack came from a group of soldiers in aldershot garrison. this story went as follows: a sentry on duty at the north camp peered into the darkness ir attention attracted by a peculiar figure "advancing towards ir." the soldier issued a challenge which went unheeded and the figure came up beside ir and delivered several slaps to ir face. a guard shot at ir with no visible effect; some sources claim that the soldier may have fired blanks at ir others that ey missed or fired warning shots. the strange figure then disappeared into the surrounding darkness "w/ astonishing bounds" lord ernest hamilton's 1922 memoir forty years on mentions the aldershot appearances of spring-heeled jack; however ey (apparently erroneously) says that they occurred in the winter of 1879 after ir regiment the 60th rifles had moved to aldershot and that similar appearances had occurred when the regiment was barracked at colchester in the winter of 1878. ey adds that the panic became so great at aldershot that sentries were issued ammunition and ordered to shoot "the night terror" on sight following which the appearances ceased. hamilton thought that the appearances were actually pranks carried out by one of ir fellow officers a lieutenant alfrey. however there is no record of alfrey ever being court-martialled for the offence # # lincolnshire in the autumn of 1877 spring-heeled jack was reportedly seen at newport arch in lincoln lincolnshire wearing a sheep skin. an angry mob supposedly chased ir and cornered ir and just as in aldershot a while before residents fired at ir to no effect. as usual ey was said to have made use of ir leaping abilities to lose the crowd and disappear once again # # liverpool by the end of the 19th century the reported sightings of spring-heeled jack were moving towards the north west of england. around 1888 in everton north liverpool ey allegedly appeared on the rooftop of saint francis xavier's church in salisbury street. in 1904 there were reports of appearances in nearby william henry street # # aftermath and impact upon victorian popular culture the vast urban legend built around spring-heeled jack influenced many aspects of victorian life especially in contemporary popular culture. for decades especially in london ir name was equated with the bogeyman as a means of scaring children into behaving by telling them if they were not good spring-heeled jack would leap up and peer in at them through ir bedroom windows by night however it was in fictional entertainment where the legend of spring-heeled jack exerted the most extensive influence owing to ir allegedly extraordinary nature. three pamphlet publications purportedly based on the real events appeared almost immediately during january and february 1838. they were not advertised as fiction though they likely were at least partly so. the only known copies were reported to have perished when the british library was hit during the blitz but ir catalogue still lists the first one the character was written into a number of penny dreadful stories during the latter half of the 19th century initially as a villain and then in increasingly heroic roles. by the early 1900s ey was being represented as a costumed altruistic avenger of wrongs and protector of the innocent effectively becoming a precursor to pulp fiction and then comic book superheroes # theories no one was ever caught and identified as spring-heeled jack; combined with the extraordinary abilities attributed to ir and the very long period during which ey was reportedly at large this has led to numerous and varied theories of ir nature and identity. while several researchers seek a normal explanation for the events other authors explore the more fantastic details of the story to propose different kinds of paranormal speculation # # sceptical positions sceptical investigators have dismissed the stories of spring-heeled jack as mass hysteria which developed around various stories of a bogeyman or devil which have been around for centuries or from exaggerated urban myths about a man who clambered over rooftops claiming that the devil was chasing ir ![[220px-marquessofwaterford.jpg|300]] henry de la poer beresford 3rd marquess of waterford (1840) other researchers believe that some individual(s) may have been behind its origins being followed by imitators later on. spring-heeled jack was widely considered not to be a supernatural creature but rather one or more persons with a macabre sense of humour. this idea matches the contents of the letter to the lord mayor which accused a group of young aristocrats as the culprits after an irresponsible wager. a popular rumour circulating as early as 1840 pointed to an irish nobleman the marquess of waterford as the main suspect. haining suggested this may have been due to ir having had bad experiences with women and police officers the marquess was frequently in the news in the late 1830s for drunken brawling brutal jokes and vandalism and was said to do anything for a bet; ir irregular behavior and ir contempt for women earned ir the title "the mad marquis" and it is also known that ey was in the london area by the time the first incidents took place. in 1880 ey was named as the perpetrator by e. cobham brewer who said that the marquess "used to amuse himself by springing on travellers unawares to frighten them and from time to time others have followed ir silly example." in 1842 the marquess married and settled in curraghmore house county waterford and reportedly led an exemplary life until ey died in a riding accident in 1859 sceptical investigators have asserted that the story of spring-heeled jack was exaggerated and altered through mass hysteria a process in which many sociological issues may have contributed. these include unsupported rumours superstition oral tradition sensationalist publications and a folklore rich in tales of fairies and strange roguish creatures. gossip of alleged leaping and fire-spitting powers ir alleged extraordinary features and ir reputed skill in evading apprehension captured the mind of the superstitious public - increasingly so with the passing of time which gave the impression that spring-heeled jack had suffered no ill effects from age. as a result a whole urban legend was built around the character being reflected by contemporary publications which in turn fuelled this popular perception # # paranormal conjectures ![[jack6002.jpg|300]] spring-heeled jack illustrated on the cover of the 1904 serial spring-heeled jack a variety of wildly speculative paranormal explanations have been proposed to explain the origin of spring-heeled jack including that ey was an extraterrestrial entity with a non-human appearance and features (eg retro-reflective red eyes or phosphorus breath) and a superhuman agility deriving from life on a high-gravity world with ir jumping ability and strange behavior and that ey was a demon accidentally or purposefully summoned into this world by practitioners of the occult or who made himself manifest simply to create spiritual turmoil fortean authors particularly loren coleman and jerome clark list "spring-heeled jack" in a category named "phantom attackers" with another well-known example being the "mad gasser of mattoon." typical "phantom attackers" appear to be human and may be perceived as prosaic criminals but may display extraordinary abilities (as in spring-heeled jack's jumps which it is widely noted would break the ankles of a human who replicated them) and/or cannot be caught by authorities. victims commonly experience the "attack" in ir bedrooms homes or other seemingly secure enclosures. they may report being pinned or paralysed or on the other hand describe a "siege" in which they fought off a persistent intruder or intruders. many reports can readily be explained psychologically most notably as the "old hag" phenomenon recorded in folklore and recognised by psychologists as a form of hallucination. in the most problematic cases an "attack" is witnessed by several people and substantiated by some physical evidence but the attacker cannot be verified to exist # counterpart in prague a similar figure known as perák the spring man of prague was reported to have been seen in czechoslovakia around 1939-1945. as writers such as mike dash have shown the elusiveness and supernatural leaping abilities attributed to perák bear a close resemblance to those exhibited by spring-heeled jack and distinct parallels can be drawn between the two entities. the stories of perák provide a useful example of how the traits of spring-heeled jack have a broad cultural resonance in urban folklore. perák like spring-heeled jack went on to become a folklore hero even starring in several animated superhero cartoons fighting the ss the earliest of which is jiří trnka's 1946 film perák a ss or springman and the ss # in contemporary popular culture the character of spring-heeled jack has been revived or referenced in a variety of 20th and 21st century media including spring-heeled jack (1989) - a combination prose and graphic novel by philip pullman in which spring-heeled jack saves a group of plucky orphans from the malevolent mack the knife "spring heeled jack" - a song composed by neil cicierega published under the pseudonym lemon demon which was released on ir 2008 album view monster the strange affair of spring-heeled jack (2010) - an alternate history novel by author mark hodder portraying spring-heeled jack as a time traveler the springheel saga (2011) - a three-series audio drama produced by the wireless theatre company **+** bell karl. the legend of spring-heeled jack: victorian urban folklore and popular cultures boydell & brewer boydell press 2012. 87-9 **+** berlitz charles. charles berlitz's world of strange phenomena. new york: fawcett crest 1989 **+** clark jerome. unexplained!: strange sightings incredible occurrences and puzzling physical phenomena. detroit: visible ink 1993 **+** clarke david. strange south yorkshire: myth magic and memory in the don valley. wilmslow: sigma press 1994 **+** cohen daniel. the encyclopedia of monsters. dodd mead 1982 **+** dash mike. spring-heeled jack: to victorian bugaboo from suburban ghost in fortean studies vol. 3 moore steve (1996) pp. 7-125. 825 **+** dunning brian (4 september 2007.) "skeptoid #64: the attack of spring heeled jack." skeptoid. retrieved 29 may 2022 **+** haining peter. the legend and bizarre crimes of spring heeled jack. london: muller 1977 **+** matthews john. the mystery of spring-heeled jack: from victorian legend to steampunk hero. destiny books 2016. 968 **+** nevins jess. the encyclopaedia of fantastic victoriana. austin: monkeybrain 2005 **+** paton james. the black book of ghosts ufo's and the unexplained. amazon kindle 2013. asin b00ek40wge **+** randles jenny. strange and unexplained mysteries of the 20th century. new york: sterling 1994 **+** robins joyce. the world's greatest mysteries. london: treasure 1991 **+** simpson jacqueline. spring-heeled jack (leaflet january 2001.) international society for contemporary legend research // republic of bob