Mary Ann Nichols

Mary Ann Nichols
Mortuary photograph of Mary Ann Nichols
Born
Mary Ann Walker

(1845-08-26)26 August 1845
London, England
Died31 August 1888(1888-08-31) (aged 43)
Whitechapel, London, England
Cause of deathSyncope due to haemorrhage caused by the severance of the carotid arteries
Body discoveredBuck's Row (Durward Street), Whitechapel, London, England
51°31′12″N 0°03′38″W / 51.5200°N 0.0605°W / 51.5200; -0.0605 (Site where Mary Ann Nichols body was found in Whitechapel)
Resting placeCity of London Cemetery, Manor Park, London, England
51°33′27″N 0°03′12″E / 51.55759°N 0.053368°E / 51.55759; 0.053368 (approximate)
OccupationsDomestic servant, prostitute
Known forFirst canonical victim of Jack the Ripper
Spouse
William Nichols
(m. 1864; sep. 1880)
Children5
Parent(s)Edward Walker
Caroline Walker (née Webb)

Mary Ann Nichols, known as Polly Nichols (née Walker; 26 August 1845 – 31 August 1888), was the first canonical victim of the unidentified serial killer known as Jack the Ripper, who is believed to have murdered and mutilated at least five women in and around the Whitechapel district of London between late August and early November 1888.

The two earlier murders linked to the Whitechapel murderer are unlikely to have been committed by Jack the Ripper. When Nichols's murder was first associated with the series, it heightened both press and public interest in the criminal activity and general living conditions of the inhabitants of London's East End.