The 19th Century West Ham Vanishings

The 19th Century West Ham Vanishings

From Dark Histories by Ben Cutmore

March 3, 2026 · 1h 6m · Season 10 · Episode 4

About this episode

This episode explores a series of mysterious disappearances of young girls in 19th century West Ham.

The East London district of West Ham might be best known globally for the football team of the same name, but in the late 19th century, the area became famous for something much darker. West Ham, and in particular, a single road within the district, became the scene for a series of unusual disappearances that took place over more than a decade, as young girls were vanished away from the streets, never to be seen again. At least until one was found dead and stuffed into a cupboard in an empty house.SOURCES Bondeson, Jan (2016) Rivals of The Ripper: Unsolved Murders of Women in Late Victorian London. Gloucester History Press. UK. London Daily Chronicle (1881) Disappearance Of A Girl. London Daily Chronicle, Thurs 21 April, 1881, p6. London, UK. Tower Hamlets Independent and East End Local Advertiser (1881) Another Mysterious Disappearance. Tower Hamlets Independent and East End Local Advertiser, Sat 23 April, 1881, p3. London, UK. Birmingham Mail (1881) The Mysterious Disappearance Of Girls. Birmingham Mail, Wed 1 June, 1881, p3. Birmingham, UK. Chelmsford Chronicle (1881) Stratford. Chelmsford Chronicle, Fri 13 May, 1881, p3. London, UK. London Evening Standard (1882)…

People in this episode

Host: Ben Cutmore

Topics covered

  • disappearances
  • 19th century
  • West Ham
  • true crime
  • Victorian London

Keywords

  • West Ham
  • disappearances
  • 19th century
  • true crime
  • Victorian London

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: London Daily Chronicle, Tower Hamlets Independent and East End Local Advertiser, Birmingham Mail, Chelmsford Chronicle, London Evening Standard, Selby Times

Books & works: Rivals of The Ripper: Unsolved Murders of Women in Late Victorian London

Places: West Ham

More episodes of Dark Histories

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Dark Histories podcast page.