Off Topic 10 myths and mysteries from unsolved murders to the Hull Mermaid

1) The Garbutt Family: Mike Covell's East Hull home was the scene of two mysteries. In March 1929 the homeowner, Ernest Garbutt, vanished without trace. The Hull Daily Mail ran a report on the case, including his photo, but despite a manhunt he was never found. In April, 1945, his widow was attacked and killed with an axe by her lodger, Frederick Watson, who was tried and sent to an asylum. Mike says Watson's file is locked away in the National Archives, with his murderous motives unknown.

2) The Hull Mermaid: Acquired by Sir Alister Hardy, the noted marine biologist, the mermaid perches in cabinet at Hull Maritime Museum. Thought to date back to the late 18th century or early 19th century, the hoax mermaid is crafted from monkey skin and a fish tail with her teeth carved from ivory.

3) Jack the Ripper: There have been 14 previously named Jack the Ripper suspects with links to Hull, including Dr Frederick Richard Chapman, who lived here, and James Thomas Sadler and Carl Feigenbaum who both visited the city. Between 1888 and 1900, Mike says numerous individuals were arrested for "Jack the Ripper-like conduct". The most infamous was James Gray who was held in Norfolk Street police station in 1900 for maliciously wounding five women along Beverley Road. The building later became the Blue Lamp pub.

4) Mary Jane Langley: Mary Jane, from the village of Preston, travelled to Hull one day in 1891 to get her photograph taken at William Mortimer Edmonds photography shop, on the site where Witham Late Night Pharmacy stands today. Having boarded a train to Marfleet, she was later found brutally murdered in a ditch, not far from her home. Although no one was charged, numerous suspects were mentioned in relation to her crime including John Rennard, a local boxer. His dog, "Rough", was also arrested.

5) The Caughey Street Murder: There had not been in a murder in Victorian Hull for 20 years until January, 1871, when 20-year-old Emma Starkie was found with an axe embedded in her skull in Caughey Street. Her body was removed to the "Dead House" in Parliament Street. Despite a wide scale investigation, no suspect was ever charged.

6) The Lime Street Sugar Mill Tragedy: In 1868 a large sugar mill, situated on Lime Street, collapsed killing and injuring numerous people, including two boys who were playing in the street. It has been claimed that there was a cover-up because the full extent of the deaths were not revealed. More recent research, carried out by Mike at the archives of the Hull History Centre, prove this to be false. The Board of Trade carried out a thorough investigation which was published in the local and national press. It revealed the names of those who were killed and injured, and also featured interviews with their families. The bigger mystery was why the building was so overfilled at the time of the tragedy.

7) The Phantom Cannons of Hull: A strange event occurred on October 12, 1658, when people reported hearing three cannons being fired one after another over Hull and a peal of muskets. The muskets continued for around seven minutes, with drums beating as if two armies were at battle. Shortly after, a thick mist or smoke was reported around about the city, although there was no sight of the warring sides.

8) King Arthur at the Humber Estuary: Legend has it that King Arthur fought on the banks of the Humber Estuary at the sixth-century battle of Camlann. Said to have been the third and final battle between Arthur and his traitor nephew Mordred – at which Arthur was mortally wounded – historians have long argued over where and even if it happened at all, with battlefields in Wales, Cornwall and on Hadrian's Wall all being suggested.

9) The Annie, Hull's ghost ship: On July 6, 1849, The Hull Packet and East Riding Times featured a report about a Hull fishing vessel which had been lost at sea. A bottle, picked up at the mouth of the River Clyde in Scotland, contained a note from those on board the Annie, which said they were drifting rapidly into the Atlantic. Mike's research into the shipping news and records for the period failed to turn up any mention of a vessel bearing the name being lost. Whether or not she existed remains a mystery.

10) Witchcraft in Hull: In 1604, Hull was hit by the plague which led to the town gates being closed to stop people getting in and out. During this year accusations of witchcraft were placed on several citizens, with five people put to death by hanging for allegedly practising the dark arts.


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