Spring Heeled Jack
Illustration circa 1890
Creature
Name:	Spring Heeled Jack
Classification
Grouping:	Hoax/Mass hysteria/Demon/Alien
Data
First reported:	1837
Last sighted:	1986
Country:	UK
Region:	London
Habitat:	Urban

Spring Heeled Jack (also Springheel Jack, Spring-heel Jack, etc), is a character from English folklore said to have existed during the Victorian era and able to jump extraordinarily high. The first claimed sighting of Spring Heeled Jack that is known occurred in 1837.^[1] Later alleged sightings were reported from all over England, from London up to Sheffield and Liverpool, but they were especially prevalent in suburban London and later in the Midlands and Scotland.^[2] Spring Heeled Jack(also Springheel Jack, Spring-heel Jack, etc. ... Image File history File links Jack6. ... A hoax is an attempt to trick an audience into believing that something false is real. ... Mass hysteria, also called collective hysteria or collective obsessional behavior, is the sociopsychological phenomenon of the manifestation of the same or similar hysterical symptoms by more than one person. ... “Fiend” redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... English folklore is the folk tradition which has developed in England over a number of centuries. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her accession to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of the United Kingdom marked the height of the British Industrial Revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Sheffield (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... Illustration of the backyards of a surburban neighbourhood Suburbs are inhabited districts located either on the outer rim of a city or outside the official limits of a city (the term varies from country to country), or the outer elements of a conurbation. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the country. ...

Many theories have been proposed to ascertain the nature and identity of Spring Heeled Jack, none of which has completely explained the phenomenon. The urban legend of Spring Heeled Jack gained immense popularity in its time due to the tales of his bizarre appearance and ability to make extraordinary leaps, to the point where he became the topic of several works of fiction. For other uses, see Human nature (disambiguation). ... Identity in psychological terms relates to self-image, self-esteem and individuation. ... An anomalous phenomenon is an observed event (phenomenon) which deviates from the standard or expected (anomaly). ... An urban legend or urban myth is similar to a modern folklore consisting of stories often thought to be factual by those circulating them. ... For other uses, see Fiction (disambiguation). ...

Spring Heeled Jack was described by people claiming to have seen him as having a terrifying and frightful appearance, with diabolical physiognomy that included clawed hands and eyes that "resembled red balls of fire". One report claimed that, beneath a black cloak, he wore a helmet and a tight-fitting white garment like an "oilskin". Many stories also mention a "Devil-like" aspect. Spring Heeled Jack was said to be tall and thin, with the appearance of a gentleman, and capable of making great leaps. Several reports mention that he could breathe blue and white flames and that he wore sharp metallic claws at his fingertips. At least two people claimed that he was able to speak in comprehensible English. This is an overview of the Devil. ... Physiognomy (Gk. ... A person wearing a helmet. ... This is an overview of the Devil. ... Cat claw A claw is a curved pointed appendage, found at the end of a toe or finger or, in arthropods, of the tarsus. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

History

Early reports

Picture from a penny dreadful of Spring Heeled Jack jumping over a gate.

The first accounts of Spring Heeled Jack were made in London in 1837 and the last reported sighting was in Liverpool in 1904. ^{[3] [4]} Image File history File links Springheel_Jack. ... Image File history File links Springheel_Jack. ... Penny Dreadful can refer to: The 19th century British penny dreadful publications. ...

The first reports of Jack was from a businessman returning home late one night from work, who told of being suddenly shocked as a mysterious figure jumped with ease over the high railings of a cemetery, landing right in his path. No attack was reported, but the submitted description was disturbing: a muscular man with devilish features including large and pointed ears and nose, and protruding, glowing eyes.

Later, in October 1837, a girl by the name of Mary Stevens was walking to Lavender Hill, where she was working as a servant, after visiting her parents in Battersea. On her way through Clapham Common, according to her later statements, a strange figure leapt at her from a dark alley. After immobilising her with a tight grip of his arms, he began to kiss her face, while ripping her clothes and touching her flesh with his claws, which were, according to her 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, who could not be found. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Battersea is a place in the London Borough of Wandsworth. ... Clapham Common Clapham Common is a triangular area of grassland of about 220 acres (0. ...

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: he jumped in the way of a passing carriage, causing the coachman to lose control, crash, and severely injure himself. Several witnesses claimed that he escaped by jumping over a nine foot-high wall while babbling with a high-pitched and ringing laughter. Catherine IIs carved, painted and gilded Coronation Coach (Hermitage Museum) George VI and Queen Elizabeth in a landau with footmen and an outrider, Canada 1939 The classic definition of a carriage is a four-wheeled horse drawn private passenger vehicle with leaf springs (elliptical springs in the 19th century...

Gradually, the news of the strange character spread, and soon the press and the public gave him a name: Spring Heeled Jack.^[5] Popular press redirects here; note that the University of Wisconsin Press publishes under the imprint The Popular Press. Mass media is a term used to denote a section of the media specifically envisioned and designed to reach a very large audience such as the population of a nation state. ...

Official recognition

A public session at the Mansion House, London (c. 1840).

A few months after these first sightings, on January 9, 1838, the Lord Mayor of London, Sir John Cowan, revealed at a public session held in the Mansion House an anonymous complaint that he had received several days earlier, which he had withheld in the hope of obtaining further information. The correspondent, who signed the letter "a resident of Peckham", wrote: Image File history File links Mansion_House-Public_Session. ... Image File history File links Mansion_House-Public_Session. ... is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Current Lord Mayor of London John Stuttard during the parade on November 11th, 2006 Michael Berry Savory, Previous Lord Mayor (2004–2005) The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the Mayor of the City of London and head of the Corporation of London. ... Mansion House An early 19th century banquet in the Egyptian Hall at the Mansion House A public session at the Mansion House, London (c. ... , Peckham is an area of London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, located 3. ...

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 he 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 he 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 their senses, two of whom are not likely to recover, but to become burdens to their 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 her 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 their finger-ends but, through interested motives, are induced to remain silent.^[6]

Though the Lord Mayor seemed fairly sceptical, a member of the audience confirmed, "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, and other national papers on 10 January, and the day after that (January 11) 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 his 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. , A wealthy area in Kensington, that is just south of Kensington High Street. ... Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, approximately 5 miles (8km) west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames. ... , Ealing is a town in the London Borough of Ealing. ... For other uses, see Ghost (disambiguation). ... This is an overview of the Devil. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom (and the Kingdom of Great Britain before the United Kingdom existed) since 1788 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ... is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... , Stockwell is an inner city area of London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth. ... Brixton is an area of South London, England, part of the London Borough of Lambeth. ... Camberwell is a district of London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark. ... Vauxhall is an inner city area of south London in the London Borough of Lambeth. ... Lewisham is a district in south-east London, England and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Lewisham. ... Blackheath is a suburb of London, divided between the London Borough of Lewisham and the London Borough of Greenwich. ...

The Lord Mayor himself was in two minds about the affair: he 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 he trusted had told him of a servant girl at Forest Hill who had been scared into fits by a figure in a bear's skin; he was confident the person or persons involved in this "pantomime display" would be caught and punished.^[7] The police were instructed to search for the individual responsible, and rewards were offered. View from the top of Forest Hill. ...

The Scales and Alsop reports

Spring Heeled Jack as depicted on an early penny dreadful.

Perhaps the best known alleged incidents involving Spring Heeled Jack were the alleged attacks on two teenage girls, Lucy Scales^[8] and Jane Alsop. The Alsop report was widely covered by the newspapers, while a single paper covered the Scales report, presumably because Alsop came from a comfortably well-off family and Scales from a family of tradesmen. This coverage by newspapers fuelled the collective hysteria surrounding the case. Image File history File links Spring_Heeled_Jack-penny_dreadful. ... Image File history File links Spring_Heeled_Jack-penny_dreadful. ... Penny Dreadful can refer to: The 19th century British penny dreadful publications. ... Collective hysteria, or mass hysteria, is the sociopsychological phenomenon of the manifestation of the same hysterical symptoms by more than one person. ...

It was reported that, on February 20, 18-year-old Jane Alsop opened the door of her father's house in the district of Bow to a man claiming to be a police officer, who asked her to bring a light because he and other policemen had "caught Spring Heeled Jack here in the lane", but this man then attacked her, tearing at her dress and hair until other members of her family ran to help her. ^[3] She told the Lambeth police investigators that "he was wearing a kind of helmet, and a tight fitting white costume like an oilskin. His face was hideous; his eyes were like balls of fire. His hands had claws of some metallic substance, and he vomited blue and white flames." ^[3] The Scales report is as follows: Five days later February 28, 1838,^[9] 18-year-old Lucy Scales and her sister were returning home after visiting their brother, a butcher who lived in a respectable part of Limehouse. Slightly ahead of her sister, Lucy was halfway along Green Dragon Alley when a character who had been waiting at an angle in the passage appeared and attacked her. The figure breathed fire into Lucy's face and then walked away as the girl fell to the ground, seized by violent spasms which lasted for several hours. A few days later, on March 6, Lucy and her sister made their deposition at Lambeth Street police court in the company of their brother, William.^[10] is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Bow is an area of East London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. ... Lambeth is a place in the London Borough of Lambeth. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... , Limehouse Town Hall Limehouse is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. ... is the 65th day of the year (66th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The legend spreads

The Times reported the alleged attack on Jane Alsop under the heading "Outrage at Old Ford". This was followed with the 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 he was Spring Heeled Jack. He 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 he dropped outside the house, and the candle he dropped was also found. He escaped conviction only because Jane Alsop insisted her attacker had breathed fire, and Millbank admitted he could do no such thing. Most of the other accounts were written long after the date; contemporary newspapers do not mention them. The Red Barn, scene of the murder, so called because of its half red-tiled roof. ...

Ad for a Spring Heeled Jack penny dreadful (1886)

After these incidents, Spring Heeled Jack became one of the most popular characters of the moment. His 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. But, as his fame was growing, reports of his appearances became less frequent if more widespread. In 1843, however, a wave of sightings swept the country again. A report from Northamptonshire described him 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. Download high resolution version (626x889, 130 KB)Ad for a Spring Heeled Jack penny dreadful - January 8th, 1886 Source: http://www. ... Download high resolution version (626x889, 130 KB)Ad for a Spring Heeled Jack penny dreadful - January 8th, 1886 Source: http://www. ... Penny Dreadful can refer to: The 19th century British penny dreadful publications. ... Penny Dreadful can refer to: The 19th century British penny dreadful publications. ... Northamptonshire (abbreviated Northants or Nhants) is a landlocked county in central England with a population of 629,676 (2001 census). ... This is an overview of the Devil. ... Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ...

The 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 of 1873, there were numerous sightings of the "Park Ghost" in Sheffield, which locals came to identify as Spring Heeled Jack. The News of the World is a British tabloid newspaper published every Sunday. ... For other uses, see Sheffield (disambiguation). ...

Aldershot Barracks – North Camp, Central Road 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's barracks. This story went as follows: A sentry on duty at the North Camp peered into the darkness, his attention attracted by a peculiar figure bounding across the road towards him, making a metallic noise. The soldier issued a challenge, which went unheeded, and the figure vanished from sight for a few moments. As the soldier turned back to his post, the figure reappeared beside him and delivered several slaps to his face with "a hand as cold as that of a corpse". Attracted by the ensuing noise, several men rushed to the place, but they claimed that the character leapt several feet over their heads and landed behind them. According to their testimony, Spring Heeled Jack simply stood there, watching them and grinning, apparently waiting for their reaction with glee. One of the guards shot at him, with no visible effect other than to enrage his target; some sources claim that the soldier may have fired blanks at him, merely used to make warning shots. The strange figure then charged towards them and spat blue flames at them from his mouth, making the guards desert their posts in panic, and then disappeared into the surrounding darkness. Image File history File links Aldershot_Barracks-1866. ... Image File history File links Aldershot_Barracks-1866. ... Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland approximately 55 km (35 miles) southwest of London. ... Sentry may refer to: A sentry is a guard at a gate or other point of passage. ... Blank cartridges, as used in nail guns Yugoslavian 7. ...

In the autumn of the same year, Spring Heeled Jack was reportedly seen at Newport Arch, in Lincolnshire, wearing a sheep skin. An angry mob supposedly chased him and cornered him, and just as in Aldershot a while before, residents fired at him to no effect. Many witnesses claimed that the shots did hit him, sounding as though they were hitting a hollow metallic object like an "empty bucket". As usual, he was said to have made use of his leaping abilities to lose the crowd and disappear once again. For other places with the same name, see Lincolnshire (disambiguation). ...

Modern view of Saint Francis Xavier's Church, Liverpool.

By the end of the 19th century, the reported sightings of Spring Heeled Jack were moving towards western England. In September 1904, in Everton, in north Liverpool, Spring Heeled Jack allegedly appeared on the rooftop of Saint Francis Xavier's Church, in Salisbury Street. Witnesses reported that he suddenly jumped and fell to the ground, landing behind a nearby house. When they rushed to the point, so the story goes, they faced there a tall and muscular man, fully dressed in white and wearing an "egg shaped" helmet, standing there waiting. He laughed hysterically at the crowd and rushed towards them, making several women gasp in dismay. Clearing them all with a gigantic leap, he disappeared behind the neighbouring houses. Modern day view of St. ... Modern day view of St. ... Everton is a district of Liverpool, Merseyside and a Liverpool City Council Ward. ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... Church of Saint Francis Xavier is a Roman Catholic church in Liverpool, England. ...

On June 18, 1953, a figure in part resembling some descriptions of Spring Heeled Jack was sighted in a pecan tree in the yard of an apartment building in Houston, Texas. Mrs. Hilda Walker, Judy Meyers, and Howard Phillips described a man in a "black cape, skin-tight pants, and quarter-length boots", and "grey or black tight-fitting clothes". is the 169th day of the year (170th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Binomial name Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh. ... “Houston” redirects here. ...

In South Herefordshire, not far from the Welsh border, a travelling salesman named Marshall claimed at some unspecified time until as late as 1997 to have had an encounter with a Spring Heeled Jack–like entity in 1986. The man leaped in enormous, inhuman bounds, passed Marshall on the road, and slapped his cheek. He wore what the salesman described as a black ski-suit, and Marshall noted that he had an elongated chin.^[11] Categories: Stub ...

Theories

No one was ever caught and identified as Spring Heeled Jack; combined with the extraordinary abilities attributed to him and the very long period during which he was reportedly at large, this has led to all sorts of theories of his nature and identity. While several researchers seek a rational explanation for the events, other authors explore the more fantastic details of the story to propose different kinds of paranormal speculation. Rationality as a term is related to the idea of reason, a word which following Websters may be derived as much from older terms referring to thinking itself as from giving an account or an explanation. ... Paranormal is an umbrella term used to describe a wide variety of reported anomalous phenomena. ...

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 him. ^[12] Mass hysteria, also called collective hysteria or collective obsessional behavior, is the sociopsychological phenomenon of the manifestation of the same or similar hysterical symptoms by more than one person. ... For other uses, see Bogeyman (disambiguation). ... This is an overview of the Devil. ... This is an overview of the Devil. ...

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^[13] Spring Heeled Jack was widely considered not to be a supernatural creature but rather one or more persons with a macabre sense of humor. ^[3] 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. ^[3] A popular rumour circulating as early as 1840 pointed to an Irish nobleman, the Marquess of Waterford, as the main suspect. ^[3] Haining suggested this may have been due him having previously had bad experiences with women and police officers.^[14] Image File history File links Marquess_of_Waterford. ... Image File history File links Marquess_of_Waterford. ... Look up Supernatural in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Henry de La Poer Beresford, 3rd Marquess of Waterford (1840) Henry de La Poer Beresford, 3rd Marquess of Waterford(April 26, 1811–March 29, 1859) was the Marquess of Waterford from July 1826 till his death. ...

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; his irregular behaviour and his contempt for women earned him the moniker "the Mad Marquis", and it is also known that he was in the London area by the time the first incidents took place. But The Waterford Chronicle was able to report his presence at the St Valentine's Day Ball at Waterford Castle, giving him an alibi for the reported attacks on Jane Allsop and Lucy Scales that are central to Jack's alleged existence. Nevertheless, in 1880 he was named as the perpetrator by the Rev. E. C. Brewer^[vague], who attested that the Marquess "used to amuse himself by springing on travellers unawares, to frighten them, and from time to time others have followed his silly example".^[15] In 1842, the Marquess of Waterford married and settled in Curraghmore House, Ireland, and reportedly led an exemplary life until he died in a riding accident in 1859. Spring Heeled Jack remained active for decades after, which leads the aforementioned modern researchers^{[attribution needed]} to the same conclusion as Brewer's. Henry de La Poer Beresford, 3rd Marquess of Waterford (1840) Henry de La Poer Beresford, 3rd Marquess of Waterford(April 26, 1811–March 29, 1859) was the Marquess of Waterford from July 1826 till his death. ...

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, his alleged extraordinary features and his 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 effects from ageing. As a result, a whole urban legend was built around the character, being reflected by contemporary publications, which in turn fuelled this popular perception.^[16] Mass hysteria, also called collective hysteria or collective obsessional behavior, is the sociopsychological phenomenon of the manifestation of the same or similar hysterical symptoms by more than one person. ... Sociology (from Latin: socius, companion; and the suffix -ology, the study of, from Greek λόγος, lógos, knowledge) is an academic and applied discipline that studies society and human social interaction. ... For other uses, see Superstition (disambiguation). ... Oral tradition or oral culture is a way of transmitting history, literature or law from one generation to the next in a civilization without a writing system. ... Sensationalism is a manner of being extremely controversial, loud, attention-grabbing, or otherwise sensationalistic. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... by Sophie Anderson For other uses, see Fairy (disambiguation). ... An urban legend or urban myth is similar to a modern folklore consisting of stories often thought to be factual by those circulating them. ...

During WWII, the German Army, apparently inspired by the story, attempted to duplicate Jack's method of propulsion by attaching steel springs to the boots of soldiers and having them jump from rooftops, in an effort to increase their troops' speed and mobility. The project was abandoned when all that resulted from the experiment was several broken ankles. German soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad World War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the worlds nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. ... The German Army (German: [1], [IPA: heɐ]  ) is the land component of the Bundeswehr (Federal Defence Forces) of the Federal Republic of Germany. ...

Paranormal conjectures

A variety of paranormal explanations have been proposed to explain the origin of Spring Heeled Jack, including that he was an extraterrestrial entity with a non-human appearance and features, (e.g., retro-reflective red eyes, or phosphorous breath) and a super-human agility deriving from life on a high gravity world, jumping ability and strange behaviour^[17] and that he 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.^[18] “Green people” redirects here. ... Retroreflectors are clearly visible in a pair of bicycle shoes. ... Phosphite is a polyatomic ion with the formula: PO33-. The archaic name for phosphite was phosphorous, not to be confused with phosphorus. ... “Fiend” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Occult (disambiguation). ...

In popular culture

Spring Heeled Jack on a penny dreadful cover page (c. 1904)

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, his name was equated with bogeymen, as a means of scaring children into behaving by telling them that if they were not good, Spring Heeled Jack would leap up and peer in at them through their bedroom windows, by night. Download high resolution version (2296x2948, 863 KB)pic of jack File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (2296x2948, 863 KB)pic of jack File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Penny Dreadful can refer to: The 19th century British penny dreadful publications. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her accession to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of the United Kingdom marked the height of the British Industrial Revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... Popular culture, sometimes abbreviated to pop culture, consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society. ... For other uses, see Bogeyman (disambiguation). ...

However, it was in fictional entertainment where the legend of Spring Heeled Jack exerted the most extensive influence, owing to his allegedly extraordinary nature. Almost from the moment the first incidents gained public knowledge, he turned into a successful fictional character, becoming the protagonist of many penny dreadfuls from 1840 to 1904. Several plays where he assumed the main role were staged as well. Alice, a fictional character based on a real character from the work of Lewis Carroll. ... Penny Dreadful can refer to: The 19th century British penny dreadful publications. ...

The most notable fictional Spring Heeled Jacks of the 19th and early 20th centuries were:

• A play by John Thomas Haines, in 1840, Spring-Heeled Jack, the Terror of London, which shows him as a brigand who attacks women because his own sweetheart betrayed him.
• Later that decade, Spring Heeled Jack's first penny dreadful appearance came in the anonymously written Spring-Heeled Jack, The Terror of London, which appeared in weekly episodes.
• W. G. Willis's 1849 play, The Curse of the Wraydons, where Spring Heeled Jack is a traitor who spies for Napoleon Bonaparte, and stages murderous stunts as a cover.
• An 1863 play, Spring-Heel'd Jack: or, The Felon's Wrongs, written by Frederick Hazleton.
• Spring-heel'd Jack: The Terror of London, a penny dreadful published by the Newsagents’ Publishing Company c. 1864–1867.
• Spring-heel'd Jack: The Terror of London, a 48-part penny weekly serial published c. 1878–1879 in The Boys' Standard, written either by veteran author of dreadfuls George Sala or by Alfred Burrage (as "Charlton Lea").
• Spring-Heel Jack; or, The Masked Mystery of the Tower, appearing in Beadle's New York Dime Library #332, 4 March 1885, and written by Col. Thomas Monstery.
• a 48-part serial published by Charles Fox and written by Alfred Burrage (as "Charlton Lea"), 1889–1890
• a 1904 version^[vague] by Alfred Burrage.^[19]
• a remake of the Willis play The Curse of the Wraydons, written in 1928 by surrealist Swiss author Maurice Sandoz, and a 1946 film version.^[20]

His appearances in modern popular culture include: For other senses of this word, see outlaw (disambiguation). ... Napoléon I, Emperor of the French (born Napoleone di Buonaparte, changed his name to Napoléon Bonaparte)[1] (15 August 1769; Ajaccio, Corsica – 5 May 1821; Saint Helena) was a general during the French Revolution, the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from... Penny Dreadful can refer to: The 19th century British penny dreadful publications. ... is the 63rd day of the year (64th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Max Ernst. ...

• An appearance as a troll in the Jackie Chan Adventures series episode "The Return of the Pussycat", who seeks revenge upon the descendants of the magician who imprisoned him. He is turned to stone when sprinkled with salt.
• As part of the Thieve's Guild questline in the game The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, the player meets Jakben, Earl of Imbel (a play on "Jack be Nimble"), who is posing as Springheel Jak's future relative. The player is tasked with acquiring the "Boots of Springheel Jak" and must travel to Jakben to find the location of Jak's grave. Soon after finding the grave the player is attacked by Jakben himself, and finds the boots on his corpse. It is revealed that Jakben is in fact Springheel Jak himself, who had managed to stay alive so long by becoming a vampire(a homage to the stories of his demon-like appearance). When worn, the boots increase the player's ability to jump.
• In the novella "Ariel" by Lucius Shepard (published in Asimov's Science Fiction), Shepard uses Springheel Jack as the basis for his story about male and female travelers in the multiverse postulated by some versions of quantum theory, who pursue each other in infinite variations across all universes. In one universe, the lovers resemble Springheel Jack, and invade our own universe.

For other uses, see Troll (disambiguation). ... Jackie Chan Adventures was a successful childrens animated television series chronicling the adventures of a fictionalized version of action film star Jackie Chan. ...

Notes

1. ^ Sharon McGovern ("The Legend of Spring Heeled Jack") claims that a letter to the editor of the Sheffield Times in 1808 talks of a ghost by that name years previously; McGovern neither specifies the day in 1808 so that the letter can be verified nor lists any secondary source (for this or anything else).
2. ^ For an account from Edinburgh, see The Weekly Scotsman, 16 January 1897.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f} David Cordingly, "Lives and Times: Spring-Heeled Jack", The Scotsman 7 October 2006. Excerpted from the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
4. ^ David Cordingly, "Spring Heeled Jack", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004; ISBN 019861411X).
5. ^ Clark, Unexplained! mentions that the press referred variously to "Spring-Heeled Jack", "Springheel Jack" or "Springald". Haining, The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack, asserts that the term "springald" was rather the origin of the name Spring Heeled Jack, to which it evolved later; alas, there is no proof to support this claim, according to Clark. Dash, op. cit., reveals that there is no contemporary evidence that this term was used in the 1830s, and establishes that the first original name was "Steel Jack", a possible reference to his supposed armoured appearance.
6. ^ As quoted by Jacqueline Simpson, Spring-Heeled Jack (2001).
7. ^ Peter Haining, The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack, based on reports from The Times of 10th and 12 January 1838.
8. ^ This name differs according to the source. "Scales" is the name used by Haining (The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack), and the usually accepted version, while Charles Berlitz's World of Strange Phenomena provides the variation "Sales" and Cohen (The Encyclopedia of Monsters) mentions it as "Squires".
9. ^ Peter Haining, The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack based on reports from The Times of 20 February and 22 February 1838. Most sources agree on these dates with the exception of Charles Berlitz's World of Strange Phenomena, which assigns them two days later each.
10. ^ Cohen, The Encyclopedia of Monsters, based on Limehouse police's records, where the name is registered as "Squires".
11. ^ "Spring Heeled Jack" (Haunted Scotland). The anonymous writer of this article does not comment on why this remarkable experience of "Mr. Marshall, (Who does not want his Christian name known)" went unremarked in the press at the time. "It all happened so fast Mr. Marshall was dum [sic] shocked with his senses haywire."
12. ^ Randles, Strange and Unexplained Mysteries of the 20th Century
13. ^ Dash, "Spring Heeled Jack", in Fortean Studies, ed. Steve Moore.
14. ^ Haining, The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack.
15. ^ Jacqueline Simpson, Spring-Heeled Jack.
16. ^ Massimo Polidoro, "Notes on a Strange World: Return of Spring-Heeled Jack", Skeptical Enquirer, July. Accessed on March 24, 2005.
17. ^ Charles Berlitz's World of Strange Phenomena.
18. ^ Supporters of this theory include John Keel author of the The Mothman Prophecies) and Jacques Vallée.
19. ^ Jess Nevins, The Encyclopaedia of Fantastic Victoriana (2005), and Jacqueline Simpson, ibid.
20. ^ Internet Movie Database entry for "The Curse of the Wraydons". Accessed on March 23, 2005.

is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom (and the Kingdom of Great Britain before the United Kingdom existed) since 1788 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ... is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom (and the Kingdom of Great Britain before the United Kingdom existed) since 1788 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ... is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... John A. Keel. ... This page is about the book, for the movie see The Mothman Prophecies (film) The Mothman Prophecies is a 1976 book by parapsychologist John Keel, described as nonfiction. ... Jacques F. Vallée, Ph. ... is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further reading

• Berlitz, Charles. Charles Berlitz's World of Strange Phenomena. Fawcett, 1989. ISBN 0-449-21825-2.
• Clark, Jerome. Unexplained!: Strange Sightings, Incredible Occurrences and Puzzling Physical Phenomena. Visible Ink, 1993. ISBN 1-57859-070-1. An entertaining book that covers many strange phenomena in a shallow fashion, without consistent proofs.
• Clarke, David. Strange South Yorkshire: Myth, Magic and Memory in the Don Valley. Sigma Press, 1994. ISBN 1-85058-404-4.
• Cohen, Daniel. The Encyclopedia of Monsters. Dodd Mead, 1982. ISBN 0-396-09051-6.
• Dash, Mike. 'Spring-Heeled Jack', Fortean Studies 3 (1996), 7–125.
• Haining, Peter. The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack. London: Muller, 1977. ISBN 0-584-10276-3. A rather colourful book that provides many of the more sensational details and the most fantastic theories, but lacks a serious investigation of the events.
• Moore, Steve. Fortean Studies. John Brown, 1995. ISBN 1-870870-55-7. Includes a very long article by Mike Dash dedicated to Spring Heeled Jack that is by far the best source currently available on the subject.
• Nevins, Jess. The Encyclopaedia of Fantastic Victoriana. MonkeyBrain, 2005. ISBN 1-932265-08-2.
• Randles, Jenny. Strange and Unexplained Mysteries of the 20th Century. Sterling, 1994. ISBN 0-8069-0768-1.
• Robbins, Joyce. Borderlands: The World's Greatest Mysteries. Bounty, 1991. ISBN 1-85051-698-7.
• Simpson, Jacqueline. Spring-Heeled Jack (leaflet, January 2001). International Society for Contemporary Legend Research. A short article that provides much hard-to-find information on the coverage dedicated by the Victorian press to the incidents.

Charles Frambach Berlitz (November 20, 1914 – December 18, 2003) was a linguist and language teacher[1] known for his books on anomalous phenomena, as well as his language-learning courses. ... Jerome Clark (1946 - ) is an American researcher and writer, specializing in unidentified flying objects and other anomalous phenomena; he is also a songwriter of some note. ... Peter Haining is a well-known journalist and author who lives and works in London. ... Jess Nevins is an American author and librarian. ... Jenny Randles is a British author and member of BUFORA who specialises in writing books on UFO and paranormal phenomena. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Spring Heeled Jack

• Dash, Mike. "Spring-heeled Jack: To Victorian Bugaboo from Suburban Ghost." Here et seq. (four web pages), or as a single PDF file. A long paper, a slightly revised version of one published in Fortean Studies vol. 3 (1996). Scrupulously sourced. Accessed 26 June 2007.
• McGovern, Sharon. "The Legend of Spring Heeled Jack". The Cobra's Ghost: Terrifying (or not, Depending) True Ghost Stories!. Accessed on March 22, 2005.
• "Spring-Heeled Jack: The Terror of London." From The Boy's Standard, six installments from No. 219, Saturday, July 18, 1885 to No. 224, August 22, 1885. Justin Gilbert, Penny Dreadfuls. Accessed 26 June 2007.
• "Spring Heeled Jack". Haunted Scotland. "Taken from Issue 1 / E-Published 11th January 1997". "Each week in Highlander Web Magazine, Haunted Scotland brings you stories of Ghosts, UFO's, Castles, Sightings and Strange Phenomina [sic] reported throughout Scotland...."
• Upton, Chris. "Spring Heeled Jack". Local Legends. BBC.co.uk.
• "The Top 10 Most Mysterious Creatures of Modern Times." About.com. ("Hairy hominids, serpentine beasts, and beings even more bizarre and inexplicable have been seen around the world for centuries. Here are 10 mystifying creatures that science has yet to explain.") Cites no sources. Accessed 26 June 2007.

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...