The History of Spring-Heeled Jack

Spring-Heeled Jack as depicted in a Penny Dreadful from 1904.

Spring-Heeled Jack is a being from the Victorian Era, from English folklore. Sightings of this horrifying menace erupted during a time when ghost sightings were commonplace in London. Some city-goers believed that pale entities would stalk and attack anyone walking home alone at night. A cautionary tale that we've seen in different formats across many cultures. Let's talk about the history of Spring-Heeled Jack.

From 1803 to 1804, sightings of The Hammersmith Ghost were reported on the Western side of the city.  There were also rumors of a Southampton ghost, both taking their name from their neighborhoods of origin. 

In 1837, residents of a London neighborhood started to report strange encounters and incidents with a mysterious and terrifying man. Spring-Heeled Jack was a folk figure that scared locals. Some thought he was a demonic, fire breathing non-human entity. Others believed him to be an incredibly agile human who could jump strangely high. Jack seemed to have an affinity for women, most of the attacks and incidents surrounded gals. And the very first sighting attributed to Jack happened in October 1837, reported by a woman working as a servant named Mary Stevens, who was walking on Lavender Hill after visiting her parents in Battersea.

As Mary walked through Clapham Common, a terrifying shadowy figure leaped out in front of her. The man held her arms and kissed her, while he ripped her clothing. She described his hands as "cold and clammy as those of a corpse." After screaming, the man fled the scene. A search ensued but he couldn’t be found. The next day, a figure leapt out in front of a traveling carriage causing a crash. 

Sometimes he was reported to ring a doorbell and use his claws to shred the clothing of the person who came to the door. Other times, it was reported that Jack would attack people as they walked along the street. Reports around this time also claimed the assailant presented as a ghost or bear, in addition to a man and devil. Some reports claimed the man to be wearing red shoes, and armor. One theory holds that a group of fancy, well-to-do men took to the streets on a bet and caused chaos. 

The press generally remained skeptical of the reports. In January of 1838, John Cowan, The Lord Mayor of London made a public statement. He tried to reinforce the theory that the attacks were due to a band of wealthy men causing chaos. Eventually the figure came to be known as Spring-Heeled Jack, due to his supernatural ability to leap. 

The Examiner. Sunday February 25th 1838.

In 1838 a man rang the doorbell of Jane Alsop, he was yelling that Spring Heeled Jack had been caught! But they needed her help. Jane delivered a glowing candle to the man on the street outside her home. But he rewarded her by blowing blue flames into her face, and shedding her clothes and scratching her with metal claws. Jane was unable to get away until her sister came to her rescue. She would later describe the man as having red, fireball-like eyes, wearing a tight white outfit and a helmet. This account only fueled the rumors that Jack was indeed a devil. 

A few days later, a woman named Lucy Sales was walking with her sister in a different London neighborhood, when a man jumped in front of the pair. Again, he was described as breathing blue flames. This time, Jack’s dragon’s breath caused the woman to have a seizure-like fit. Both of the attacks on Lucy and Jane happened closer to London’s city center than the others, which took place in the suburbs mainly. 

Sightings of Spring-Heeled Jack lasted until 1904. Many believe the last sighting happened in Liverpool. 

But Jack wasn't only memorialized in Penny Dreadful's from the early 1900s. His legacy has lived on. In 1989, Phillip Pullman's Spring Heeled-Jack is a graphic novel that makes Jack the hero. He's also depicted in the alternate history, time-travel novel The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack from 2010. And so much more.

For more, listen to episode #158 of the Lunatics Radio Hour podcast.