During the Victorian Era, Europe was moving away from superstition and working toward a more methodical understanding of the world. This was a time of scientific inquiry, but the older traditions of superstitious belief, adherence to folk-traditions, and concern for demons and witchcraft had not yet died out. One of the most widespread and culturally significant phenomena which emphasizes the lingering spiritual preoccupation of the time is that of Spring-heeled Jack, sometimes called Springy Jack.

As is the case with most beings from folklore and mythology, the descriptions of Spring-heeled Jack vary quite a bit, but it was always reported that he jumped or leapt to inhuman heights and distances, which is what lead to his name. He would be seen jumping from rooftop to rooftop, springing over tall hedges, or among treetops or other tall parts of the landscape. Physical descriptions, while often very different, tended to agree that he had a prominent goatee, brightly glowing or flashing eyes, and pointed ears and horns. These characteristics are reminiscent of common descriptions of humanoid demons and depictions of the devil. His image was popular within the Penny Dreadful magazines that were circulating at the time.

Some of the more interesting but less common characteristics mentioned among those who claimed to have seen Spring-heeled Jack are worth noting, as they paint a more chaotic figure. One is that he would laugh or cackle wildly as he jumped around, flapping his arms or a cape, and enacting general mischief upon the neighborhood. He would laugh and yowl as knocked over barrels, tugged on people’s clothes and leapt away into the shadows. Some say that he could shoot fire from his mouth and would do so to frighten or confuse onlookers. He has been described as mischievous, like some sort of trickster demon. He has been described as malicious as though he were a demon sent from Hell to terrorize the world. Others have described him as an enigmatic and helpful but elusive man.

The sightings of Spring-heeled Jack were most common around 1880 around Great Britain. He was witnessed all over the area, often around London but also around Scotland, Chichester, and Liverpool. Often, after one person in a certain area claimed to have spotted him, more sightings would be reported. This trend points to a form of mass hysteria, which is a well-cited explanation for the phenomenon which is Spring-heeled Jack.

The earliest surviving record of a Spring-heeled Jack sighting took place in September of 1837. This sighting was reported by a man who was walking alone through London one night. He claimed that while he was walking near a cemetery, a noticeably muscular man with pointed ears leapt smoothly and suddenly over the cemetery’s fence and landed in front of him in the road. The mysterious man with a jump like man-sized grasshopper supposedly carried on through the night without causing and trouble for this startled man. This may have been quite lucky for him as many sightings later on declared that Spring-heeled jack would harass or attack the people unfortunate enough to meet him in the night. For example, just a month after this first sighting, a woman claimed to have run into the same entity who then grabbed her and forcibly kissed her on the face. This poor woman was sexually assaulted by some sort of supernatural entity, which I’m sure most people would agree cannot be a pleasant experience.

Sightings of Spring-heeled Jack fluctuated in frequency over the many years that followed, but he became popular again the 1900’s. Witnesses claim to have spotted this figure in Sheffield in the 1970’s, and there was another sighting as recently as 1986.

Many have hypothesized about who or what Spring-heeled Jack is or was. These ideas vary about as widely as the sightings that have been reported. Some believe that he is an extraterrestrial alien who is from a planet which much higher gravity than Earth. This, they say, would explain his ability to leap so high with such ease. Others believe that he is a trickster god from an old and forgotten religion, who wanders the planet trying to spread chaos and misfortune. Many believe that he is a demon or some spirit that arrives for unknown reasons and with unknown intentions. More practical hypothesis include that he was a nobleman of the area who liked to dress up and confuse or startle people out of boredom. Still, the prevalent idea is that Spring-heeled Jack is simply a case of mass hysteria caused by social stress.

References:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/england/black_country/article_1.shtml

https://www.damninteresting.com/spring-heeled-jack/