The famous singer and composer – and prime Jack the Ripper suspect – Michael Maybrick, who lived and was buried in Ryde, died on 26th August 1913.
His death was described in the Portsmouth Evening News as:
“More than a mere local or even territorial loss; it is a matter for national regret, for as a musical composer the deceased gentleman was a national institution.
Article continues below this advertisement “As Stephen Adams (his stage name) he was the composer of numerous songs, which are recognised and are still cherished by Englishmen the world over as representing the quintessence of ballad music.
“In fact, it is not too much to say that no musical library is complete which does not include one or other of the deceased gentleman’s compositions.”
1 of Maybrick’s most popular works was Nancy Lee, which sold over 100,000 copies in sheet music. Another of his compositions was the possibly sinisterly named They All Love Jack. Even today, his songs are still sung – for example Holy City by Charlotte Church.
His compositions brought him fortune and fame; he left £23,000 in his will (over £2million in today’s values).
Michael Maybrick was very active on the Island: he was 5 times Mayor of Ryde, Chairman of the Isle of Wight Hospital, a member of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and President of the Island Conservative Association.
The celebrated Ryde resident was left to rest in peace for a century until the appearance of a 2015 book They All Love Jack: Busting the Ripper by film director Bruce Robinson, who wrote The Killing Fields and also wrote and directed cult classic Withnail & I.
Robinson spent 15 years of his life and half-a-million pounds of his own money in an attempt to prove the former Ryde Mayor was the infamous Victorian serial killer Jack the Ripper, who murdered 5 (or more) women in East London in 1888. His carefully researched book ran to over 800 pages.
How did a former Ryde Mayor and Isle of Wight Conservative Party stalwart become the prime Jack the Ripper suspect? In 1992, a diary allegedly written by Jack the Ripper was found under floorboards in a house in Liverpool. The house was owned by Michael’s brother James, who then came under scrutiny as the suspected 19th-century serial killer.
Of course, many took the diary to be a forgery. However, analysis of the book in which it was written does date it to the late 19th century. Moreover, the person who attempted to sell the diary – scrap metal dealer Michael Barrett – was thought not sufficiently literate to have composed it himself. Finally, the diary is said to contain details of the murders known only to the police.
In 1889 – a year after the 5 murders most closely associated with Jack the Ripper occurred – James Maybrick was found dead of arsenic poisoning. His wife Florence was found guilty of his murder and sentenced to hang (later commuted to life imprisonment).
Bruce Robinson contends that Michael Maybrick murdered his brother and then framed his sister-in-law Florence for James’ death. He also believes that Michael was the true author of the Jack the Ripper Diary.
Numerous letters were sent to the Police at the time of the Whitechapel murders – some of which are said to be genuine – from across the length and breadth of the nation, claiming authorship of the killings and taunting the Police for their incompetence. Michael Maybrick was constantly on tour at the time of the killings, and Robinson contends that the postmarks of many of these letters match his schedule.
Furthermore, Robinson also believes further murders took place at locations associated with Michael Maybrick’s singing tours at times when he was present.
The Whitechapel murders were said to have been accompanied by masonic iconography at the scene of the crimes. Michael Maybrick was a member of 6 masonic lodges. Many of the Police officers at the time were masons – including Charles Warren, the Chief Inspector investigating the crimes – and Robinson contends that much evidence associated with masonic imagery was deliberately destroyed by the Police.
Of course, most would be sceptical that a highly-respected Isle of Wight resident and well-known composer may have been Jack the Ripper. However, the book They All Love Jack: Busting the Ripper has a 4.3 rating on Amazon. It has been reviewed by (among others) the Telegraph, Mail, Guardian, Express and Irish Times newspapers.
Michael Maybrick is buried in Ryde Cemetery.
If anyone can shed further light on Michael Maybrick please let us know in the comments…
Wow.! Amazing piece of history there.!
A murdering masonic Councillor on the isle of wight?
Anyone feel like apologising to David Icke for the past ridicule?
David is switched on to what is happening in this crazy world
There is a fascinating interview with Robinson and more about the book “They All Love Jack” in a GQ Magazine article from 2015:
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/jack-the-ripper-revealed-they-all-love-jack-bruce-robinson
What is unclear though is whether Robinson held his strong views about the Freemasons before researching the book, and if so what influence that had on his findings.
A Tory Mason, nothing surprising in this
He lived in a large house in Corbett Road, Ryde. This has since been demolished. Does anyone know exactly where it was?
The accusation of Maybrick is very weak and based on a fake document and a murder committed by his brother. Indeed, over 100 people have been accused of being Jack the Ripper and many have forged documents associated with them. Of course, the truth will never be known so any discussion is idle speculation, usually to sell books or films.
Michael Maybrick was gay. He married his house maid to increase his standing and adopted James Maybicks two children. No Gay man ever murdered a woman. Michael is well know in the circles of the masonic brotherhood James (the true Jack the ripper) his name was wiped clean off it…how odd. Michael was as much Jack as I was.