- Articles for amusement, second-hand sellers of, 16
- Bear-baiting, 54
- Bedding, &c., second-hand sellers of, 15
- Bird-catchers who are street sellers, 64
- —— duffers, tricks of, 69
- —— street-seller, the crippled, 66
- Birds’-nests, sellers of, 72
- —— —— —— life of a, 74
- Birds, stuffed, sellers of, 23
- —— live, sellers of, 58
- —— foreign, sellers of, 70
- Bone-grubbers, 139
- —— —— narrative of a, 141
- Boots and shoes, second-hand, sellers of, 42
- Boy crossing-sweepers’ room, 504
- Brisk and slack seasons, 297
- Brushes, second-hand, sellers of, 22
- Burnt linen or calico, 13
- Cabinet-ware, second-hand, sellers of, 22
- Casual labour in general, 297
- —— —— brisk and slack seasons, 297
- —— —— among the chimney-sweeps, 374
- Carpeting, &c., second-hand, sellers of, 14
- Cesspool emptying by trunk and hose, 447
- Cesspool system of London, 437
- —— —— of Paris, 438
- Cesspool-sewerman, statement of a, 448
- Cesspoolage and nightmen, 433
- Chimney-sweepers, the London, 339
- —— —— of old, and climbing-boys, 346
- —— —— stealing children, 347
- —— —— sores and diseases, 350
- —— —— accidents, 351
- —— —— cruelties towards, 352
- —— —— of the present day, 354
- —— —— work and wages, 357
- —— —— general characteristics of, 365
- —— —— dress and diet, 366
- —— —— abodes, 367
- —— —— festival at May-day, 371
- —— —— “leeks”, 375
- —— —— knullers and queriers, 376
- Cigar-end finders, 145
- Clocks, second-hand, sellers of, 23
- Clothes worn in town and country, table showing comparative cost of, 192
- Coal, consumption of, 169
- —— sellers of, 81
- Coke, sellers of, 85
- Commissioners of Sewers, powers of, 416
- “Coshar” meat killed for the Jews, 121
- Criminals, number of, in England and Wales, 320
- Crossing-sweeper, the aristocratic, 467
- —— —— the bearded, 471
- —— —— a Regent-Street, 474
- —— —— a tradesman’s, 476
- —— —— “old woman over the water”, 477
- —— —— old woman who had been a pensioner, 478
- —— —— one who had been a servant-maid, 479
- —— —— the female Irish, 482
- —— —— the Sunday, 484
- —— —— the wooden-legged, 486
- —— —— the one-legged, 488
- —— —— the most severely afflicted, 488
- —— —— the negro who lost both his legs, 490
- —— —— the maimed Irish, 493
- —— —— Mike’s statement, 498
- —— —— Gander the captain, 499
- —— —— the king of the tumbling-boy crossing-sweepers, 501
- —— —— the girl sweeper sent out by her father, 505
- Crossing-sweepers, 465
- —— —— able-bodied male, 467
- —— —— who have got permission from the police, narratives of, 472
- —— —— able-bodied Irish, 481
- —— —— the occasional, 484
- —— —— the afflicted, 486
- —— —— boy, and tumblers, 494
- —— —— where they lodge, 503
- —— —— their room, 504
- —— —— girl, 505
- Curiosities, second-hand, sellers of, 21
- Curtains, second-hand, sellers of, 14
- Dog “finder’s” career, a, 51
- Dog-finders, stealers, and restorers, the former, 48
- —— —— extent of their trade, 49
- Dogs, sellers of, 52
- —— sporting, sellers of, 54
- “Dolly” business, the, 108
- Dredgers, the, or river-finders, 147
- Dust-contractors, 168
- Dust-heap, composition of a, 171
- —— —— separation of, 172
- Dustmen, the, 166
- —— “filler” and “carrier”, 175
- —— their general character, 177
- Dustmen, sweeps, and nightmen, 159
- —— number of, 162
- Employers, “cutting,” varieties of, 232
- —— “drivers”, 233
- —— “grinders”, 233
- Fires of London, 378
- —— abstract of causes of, 379
- —— extinction of, 381
- Flushermen, the working, 428
- —— history of an individual, 430
- Furs, second-hand, sellers of, 45
- Gander, the “captain” of the boy sweepers, 499
- Garret workmen, labour of, 302
- Glass and crockery, second-hand, sellers of, 15
- Gold and silver fish, sellers of, 78
- Hare and rabbit-skins, buyers of, 111
- Harness, second-hand, sellers of, 23
- Hill men and women, 173
- Hogs’-wash, buyers of, 132
- Home work, 313
- Horse, food consumed by, and excretions in twenty-four hours, 194
- Horse-dung of the streets of London, 193
- —— —— gross annual weight of, 195
- House-drainage, as connected with the sewers, 395
- Iron Jack, 11
- Jew old clothes-men, 119
- —— street-seller, life of a, 122
- —— boy street-sellers, 122
- —— their pursuits, traffic, &c., 123
- —— girl street-sellers, 124
- —— sellers of accordions, &c., 131
- Jews, the street, 115
- —— history of, 117
- —— trades and localities, 117
- —— habits and diet, 121
- —— synagogues and religion, 125
- —— politics, literature, and amusements, 126
- —— charities, schools, and education, 127
- —— funeral ceremonies, fasts, and customs, 131
- Jewesses, street, the, 124
- Kitchen-stuff, grease, and dripping, buyers of, 111
- Knullers and queriers, 376
- Labour, economy of, 307
- Lasts, second-hand, sellers of, 23
- “Leeks,” the, 375
- Leverets, wild rabbits, &c., sellers of, 77
- Linen, second-hand, sellers of, 13
- Live animals, sellers of, 47
- London street drains, 398
- —— —— —— extent of, 400
- —— —— —— order of, 401
- —— —— —— outlets, ramifications, &c., of, 405
- Low wages, remedies for, 254
- “Lurker’s,” a, career, 51
- Marine-store shops, 108
- May-day, 370
- May-day, sweeps’ festival, 371
- Men’s second-hand clothes, sellers of, 40
- Metal trays, second-hand, sellers of, 12
- Metropolitan police district, the, 159
- —— inhabited houses, 164
- —— population, 165
- “Middleman” system of work, 329
- Monmouth-street, Dickens’s description of, 36
- Mud-larks, 155
- —— —— story of a reclaimed, 158
- Mineral productions and natural curiosities, sellers of, 81
- Music “duffers”, 19
- Musical instruments, second-hand, sellers of, 18
- Night-soil, present disposal of, 448
- Nightmen, the, working and mode of work, 450
- Offal, how disposed of, 7
- Old Clothes Exchange, the, 26
- —— —— —— wholesale business at the, 27
- Old clothes-men, 119
- Old hats, sellers of, 43
- Old John, the waterman, statement of, 480
- Old woman “over the water,” the, 477
- Old wood gatherers, 146
- Paris, cesspool and sewer system of, 439
- —— rag-gatherers of, 141
- Paupers, street-sweeping, narratives of, 245
- ——, number of, in England and Wales, 320
- Petticoat-lane, street-sellers of, 36
- “Pure” finders, 143
- —— —— narrative of a female, 144
- Purl-men, the, 93
- “Rag and bottle” shops, 108
- Rag-gatherers, 139
- Rags, broken metal, bottles, glass, and bone, buyers of, 106
- “Ramoneur Company,” the, 373
- Rat-killing, 56
- River beer-sellers, 93
- River finders, 147
- Rosemary-lane, street sellers of, 39
- Rubbish-carters, the, 281, 289
- —— —— wages and perquisites of, 292
- —— —— social characteristics of, 295
- —— —— casual labourers among, 323
- —— —— scurf trade among, 327
- Salt, sellers of, 89
- Sand, sellers of, 90
- Scavenger, statement of a “regular”, 224
- Scavengers, master, of former times, 205
- —— —— oath of, 206
- —— working, 216
- —— labour and rates of payment, 219
- —— “casual hands”, 220
- —— habits and diet, 226
- —— influence of free trade on their earnings, 228
- —— worse paid, the, 232
- Scavengery, contractors for, 210
- —— contractors, regulations of, 211
- —— contractors, premises of, 216
- Scavenging, jet and hose system of, 275
- Scurf-labourers, 236
- Second-hand apparel, sellers of, 25
- —— —— articles, sellers of, 5
- —— —— —— experience of a dealer in, 11
- —— —— live animals, productions, &c., street-sellers of, their numbers, capital, and income, 97
- —— —— garments, uses of, 29
- —— —— varieties of, 32
- —— —— store-shops, 24
- Seven-dials, Dickens’s description of, 35
- Sewage, metropolitan, quantity of, 387
- —— qualities and uses of, 407
- Sewerage, the City, 403
- —— new plan of, 411
- Sewerage and scavengery, London, history of, 179
- Sewers, ancient, 388
- —— kinds and characteristics of, 390
- —— subterranean character of, 394
- —— house-drainage in connection with, 395
- —— ventilation of, 423
- —— flushing and plunging, 424
- —— rats in the, 431
- —— management of the, and the late Commission, 414
- —— Commissioners, powers of, 416
- —— rate, 420
- Sewer-hunters, 150
- —— —— numbers of, 152
- —— —— strange tale of, 154
- Sewermen and nightmen of London, 383
- Shells, sellers of, 91
- Shoddy mills, 30
- —— fever, 31
- Smithfield market, second-hand sellers at, 46
- Smoke, evils of, 339
- —— —— scientific opinions upon, 340
- Squirrels, sellers of, 77
- “Strapping” system, the, illustration of, 304
- Street-buyers, the, varieties of, 103
- Street-cleansing, modes and characteristics of, 207
- —— —— men and carts employed in, 213
- —— —— pauper labour employed in, 243
- —— —— narratives of individuals, 245
- Street-finders or collectors, varieties of, 136
- Street-folk, census of, 1
- —— —— capital and trade, 2
- —— —— proscription of, 3
- —— —— rate of increase, 5
- Street-muck, or “mac”, 198
- —— —— uses of, 198
- —— —— value of, 199
- Street Jews, the, 115
- Street-orderlies, the, 253
- —— —— condition of, 261
- —— —— expenditure of, 265
- —— —— earnings of, 266
- —— —— City surveyor’s report of, 271
- Street-sweeping, employers, 209
- —— —— parishes, 209
- —— —— philanthropists, 209
- Street-sweeping machines, 208
- —— —— hands employed, 238
- Streets of London, how paved, 181
- —— —— traffic of, 184
- —— —— dust and dirt of, 185
- —— —— —— loss and injury from, 185
- —— —— mud of the, 200
- —— —— cost and traffic of, 278
- Sweeping chimneys of steam-vessels, 372
- Surface-water of the streets of London, 202
- —— —— —— —— analysis of, 205
- Tan-turf, sellers of, 87
- Tea-leaves, buyers of, 133
- Telescopes and pocket-glasses, second-hand, sellers of, 22
- “Translators” of old shoes, 34
- —— extent of the trade, 35
- Tumbling boy-sweepers, king of the, 501
- Umbrellas and parasols, buyers of, 115
- Washing expenses in London, 190
- Waste-paper, buyers of, 113
- Water, daily supply of the metropolis, 203
- Watermen’s Company, form of license, 95
- Weapons, second-hand, sellers of, 21
- Wet house-refuse, 383
- —— —— —— means of removing, 385
- Women’s second-hand apparel, sellers of, 44
- Wrappers or “bale-stuff”, 13
- Young Mike the crossing-sweeper, 498
About This Book
The volume presents close observational reporting and interviews with urban street workers and traders, cataloguing sellers of food, second-hand goods, live animals, mineral wares, and small manufactures, along with buyers, collectors, and informal labourers. It combines vignettes, statistics and estimates to show numbers, capital outlay, incomes and seasonal fluctuation; outlines tools, routines and family labour; and describes sanitary and service roles such as chimney-sweepers, sewer-hunters, scavengers, nightmen and crossing-sweepers. Illustrated case studies highlight daily working conditions, economic precarity, and the social mechanisms that sustain and marginalize this class within the city.