Historical enquiry using sources, information and evidence

Historians can know about the past from By using this they can construct their view of history.

Sources on the investigative methods of H Division and the Metropolitan Police

Historians can use a variety of sources from the Whitechapel murders investigation and sources detailing the police's activities at the time, to make judgements about the investigative methods of H Division and the Metropolitan Police. These sources include photographs, sketches, witness statements, police observation notes and Punch cartoons. The strengths and weaknesses of these sources are influenced by the nature of the historical enquiry that they are being used for.

Source	Strengths	Weaknesses
Photographs	Photographs were taken at the scene of Mary Kelly’s murder. They show the environment in which she was killed and the brutality of her murder.	The Metropolitan Police were not using photographs regularly in their investigations at the end of the 19th century. This did improve after they worked more closely with the City of London Police.
Sketches	Sketches created during the Whitechapel murder investigations show the type of person the people of Whitechapel believed to be the murderer.	The police gave the press very little information about the investigation. Therefore, the sketches were created by newspapers based on interviews with the people of Whitechapel. This means the sketches may not be very accurate for historians. They may be prone to artistic license and stereotyping of communities.
Witness statements	The Police Code detailed how witness statements should be recorded, and this was used during the Whitechapel murder investigations. Only the exact words of witnesses were to be used, and any mistakes were crossed out so that the original words could be seen. Each page of the statement was then signed.	Many false witness statements were given to the police and the press during the Whitechapel murder investigations. Some people liked to sensationalise the murders or provide false information to lead the police to a dead end.
Police observation notes	Notes from police observations provide descriptions of crime scenes as well as any bruises or marks on the victims. The Police Code instructed police to record these details before moving any objects in the crime scene.	In some cases, the actions of others led to the crime scenes changing before the police constable had the chance to record his notes. This happened after the doctor called for Mary Nichols’ body to be taken to the mortuary.
Punch cartoons	Punch was a weekly humorous magazine in the 19th century. Its cartoons during the Whitechapel murder investigations show that the police were criticised for not catching the murderer. Police constables were very often the subject of jokes and mockery about the ineffectiveness of the police force at the end of the 19th century.	Punch’s cartoons were drawn to be humorous and with the aim of selling copies of the magazine, so some cartoons could show an exaggerated opinion. In addition, the cartoons might show the views of the artist, in which case they would not reflect the views of everyone in Britain.

Source	Photographs
Strengths	Photographs were taken at the scene of Mary Kelly’s murder. They show the environment in which she was killed and the brutality of her murder.
Weaknesses	The Metropolitan Police were not using photographs regularly in their investigations at the end of the 19th century. This did improve after they worked more closely with the City of London Police.

Source	Sketches
Strengths	Sketches created during the Whitechapel murder investigations show the type of person the people of Whitechapel believed to be the murderer.
Weaknesses	The police gave the press very little information about the investigation. Therefore, the sketches were created by newspapers based on interviews with the people of Whitechapel. This means the sketches may not be very accurate for historians. They may be prone to artistic license and stereotyping of communities.

Source	Witness statements
Strengths	The Police Code detailed how witness statements should be recorded, and this was used during the Whitechapel murder investigations. Only the exact words of witnesses were to be used, and any mistakes were crossed out so that the original words could be seen. Each page of the statement was then signed.
Weaknesses	Many false witness statements were given to the police and the press during the Whitechapel murder investigations. Some people liked to sensationalise the murders or provide false information to lead the police to a dead end.

Source	Police observation notes
Strengths	Notes from police observations provide descriptions of crime scenes as well as any bruises or marks on the victims. The Police Code instructed police to record these details before moving any objects in the crime scene.
Weaknesses	In some cases, the actions of others led to the crime scenes changing before the police constable had the chance to record his notes. This happened after the doctor called for Mary Nichols’ body to be taken to the mortuary.

Source	Punch cartoons
Strengths	Punch was a weekly humorous magazine in the 19th century. Its cartoons during the Whitechapel murder investigations show that the police were criticised for not catching the murderer. Police constables were very often the subject of jokes and mockery about the ineffectiveness of the police force at the end of the 19th century.
Weaknesses	Punch’s cartoons were drawn to be humorous and with the aim of selling copies of the magazine, so some cartoons could show an exaggerated opinion. In addition, the cartoons might show the views of the artist, in which case they would not reflect the views of everyone in Britain.

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Crime and punishment in Whitechapel, c.1870-c.1900 - EdexcelHistorical enquiry using sources, information and evidence

Historical enquiry using sources, information and evidence

Sources on the investigative methods of H Division and the Metropolitan Police

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