Local History

Robert James Lees, the Victorian spiritualist and psychic, first became aware of his powers at the tender age of two in the family home on Upper Bond Street, Hinckley.

The  plaque has been installed by kind permission of the owner of the building, Mike Dennehy, landlord of the adjacent Queens Head pub.

Jack the Ripper

By repute Lees was psychic advisor to Queen Victoria and Scotland Yard at the time of the Jack the Ripper murders.

It is claimed that Lees was instrumental in the arrest of Jack the Ripper, the Whitechapel Murderer of 1888. It is further claimed that he assisted in the arrest of Irish Fenian terrorists. 

There are many further claims regarding his spiritual powers, many of which cannot as yet be substantiated. Lees himself spoke very little about his eventful life. The claims were largely those of his children and his admirers.

He figures in many of the books written about the infamous Jack and was portrayed in one film, Murder by Decree (1980), by Donald Sutherland

The town has known about its associations with Robert James Lees for a number of years but this is the first tangible move to commemorate those links formally.

Greg Drozdz, local historian and Treasurer of the Civic Society, said: " The Civic Society is mindful of many towns up and down the length and breadth of the country who are trying to establish their unique identity.

"Hence our collaboration with the Borough Council to reinvigorate the blue plaque programme."

Listen: Robert James Lees

BBC Leicester's Stephen Butt attends the unveiling of a plaque to a Victorian spiritualist in Hinckley

Greg is in no doubt that Lees is worthy of the honour the town has accorded him:

 "Robert James Lees is a fascinating character who has many ties with this area and was clearly a suitable candidate for a plaque on his birthplace."

Members of Lees' family attended the unveiling ceremony, which was performed by the Mayor of Hinckley.

Jane Moon is a great grand-daughter of Lees says "I just wish I'd met him."

Another grand-daughter, Christine van Geersdaele, told Stephen "It is strange to think that my illustrious relative was born right here. I don't know much about Hinckley but it's very interesting looking around."

Mike Hutchinson, Jane and Christine

The Mayor of Hinckley and Bosworth said: "It's tremendously important to Hinckley to recognise its heritage. These people [the ones commemorated on local blue plaques] are role models. Young people have no one to look look up to. They think they've got to remain non-entities. But here are people to look up to and admire."

"He's a very powerful man"

Jane Moon told Stephen a fascinating tale involving her  psychic ancestor.

"In 1995 I went to see a spiritualist.

"I didn't have any agenda. I just went along because a friend of mine was going...

"In the middle of the seance he asked whether there was anyone in the family called Robert.

"I said no. Honestly no because I thought of nothing. He said there are three names.

"At the end I said that my great grand-father was a great spiritualist and then I remembered the name - Robert J. Lees

"And he said 'He's a very powerful man!'"

Lees died in 1931 and the plaque in Hinckley is his only commemoration in the country.