University of Virginia Library

OF THE NUMBER OF COSTERMONGERS AND
OTHER STREET-FOLK.

The number of costermongers, — that it is to
say, of those street-sellers attending the London
"green" and "fish markets," — appears to be,
from the best data at my command, now 30,000
men, women, and children. The census of 1841
gives only 2,045 "hawkers, hucksters, and ped-
lars," in the metropolis, and no costermongers
or street-sellers, or street-performers at all. This
number is absurdly small, and its absurdity is
accounted for by the fact that not one in twenty
of the costermongers, or of the people with whom
they lodged, troubled themselves to fill up the
census returns — the majority of them being un-
able to read and write, and others distrustful of
the purpose for which the returns were wanted.

The costermongering class extends itself
yearly; and it is computed that for the last five
years it has increased considerably faster than
the general metropolitan population. This in-
crease is derived partly from all the children of
costermongers following the father's trade, but
chiefly from working men, such as the servants
of greengrocers or of innkeepers, when out of

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employ, "taking to a coster's barrow" for a live-
lihood; and the same being done by mechanics
and labourers out of work. At the time of
the famine in Ireland, it is calculated, that the
number of Irish obtaining a living in the Lon-
don streets must have been at least doubled.

The great discrepancy between the govern-
ment returns and the accounts of the coster-
mongers themselves, concerning the number of
people obtaining a living by the sale of fish,
fruit, and vegetables, in the streets of London,
caused me to institute an inquiry at the several
metropolitan markets concerning the number of
street-sellers attending them: the following is
the result:

During the summer months and fruit season,
the average number of costermongers attending
Covent-garden market is about 2,500 per market-
day. In the strawberry season there are nearly
double as many, there being, at that time, a large
number of Jews who come to buy; during that
period, on a Saturday morning, from the com-
mencement to the close of the market, as many
as 4,000 costers have been reckoned purchas-
ing at Covent-garden. Through the winter
season, however, the number of costermongers
does not exceed upon the average 1,000 per
market morning. About one-tenth of the fruit
and vegetables of the least expensive kind sold
at this market is purchased by the costers.
Some of the better class of costers, who have
their regular customers, are very particular as
to the quality of the articles they buy; but
others are not so particular; so long as they
can get things cheap, I am informed, they do
not care much about the quality. The Irish
more especially look out for damaged articles,
which they buy at a low price. One of my
informants told me that the costers were the
best customers to the growers, inasmuch as
when the market is flagging on account of the
weather, they (the costers) wait and make their
purchases. On other occasions, such as fine
mornings, the costers purchase as early as others.
There is no trust given to them — to use the
words of one of my informants, they are such
slippery customers; here to-day and gone
to-morrow.

At Leadenhall market, during the winter
months, there are from 70 to 100 costermongers
general attendants; but during the summer not
much more than one-half that number make
their appearance. Their purchases consist of
warren -rabbits, poultry, and game, of which
about one-eighth of the whole amount brought
to this market is bought by them. When the
market is slack, and during the summer, when
there is "no great call" for game, etc., the
costers attending Leadenhall-market turn their
hand to crockery, fruit, and fish.

The costermongers frequenting Spitalfields-
market average all the year through from 700
to 1,000 each market-day. They come from all
parts, as far as Edmonton, Edgeware, and Tot-
tenham; Highgate, Hampstead, and even from
Greenwich and Lewisham. Full one-third of
the produce of this market is purchased by
them.

The number of costermongers attending the
Borough-market is about 250 during the fruit
season, after which time they decrease to about
200 per market morning. About one-sixth of
the produce that comes into this market is
purchased by the costermongers. One gentle-
man informed me, that the salesmen might shut
up their shops were it not for these men. "In
fact," said another, "I don't know what would
become of the fruit without them."

The costers at Billingsgate-market, daily,
number from 3,000 to 4,000 in winter, and about
2,500 in summer. A leading salesman told me
that he would rather have an order from a coster-
monger than a fishmonger; for the one paid ready
money, while the other required credit. The
same gentleman assured me, that the coster-
mongers bought excellent fish, and that very
largely. They themselves aver that they pur-
chase half the fish brought to Billingsgate —
some fish trades being entirely in their hands.
I ascertained, however, from the authorities at
Billingsgate, and from experienced salesmen,
that of the quantity of fish conveyed to that
great mart, the costermongers bought one-
third; another third was sent into the country;
and another disposed of to the fishmongers, and
to such hotel-keepers, or other large pur-
chasers, as resorted to Billingsgate.

The salesmen at the several markets all
agreed in stating that no trust was given to the
costermongers. "Trust them!" exclaimed one,
"O, certainly, as far as I can see them."

Now, adding the above figures together, we have
the subjoined sum for the gross number of

COSTERMONGERS ATTENDING THE LONDON MARKETS.

           

Billingsgate-market	3,500
Covent-garden	4,000
Spitalfields	1,000
Borough	250
Leadenhall	100
	9,350

Besides these, I am credibly informed, that it
may be assumed there are full 1,000 men who
are unable to attend market, owing to the dissi-
pation of the previous night; another 1,000 are
absent owing to their having "stock on hand,"
and so requiring no fresh purchases; and fur-
ther, it may be estimated that there are at least
2,000 boys in London at work for costers, at
half profits, and who consequently have no occa-
sion to visit the markets. Hence, putting these
numbers together, we arrive at the conclusion
that there are in London upwards of 13,000
street-sellers, dealing in fish, fruit, vegetables,
game, and poultry alone. To be on the safe
side, however, let us assume the number of Lon-
don costermongers to be 12,000, and that one-
half of these are married and have two children
(which from all accounts appears to be about the
proportion); and then we have 30,000 for the

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sum total of men, women, and children dependent
on "costermongering" for their subsistence.

Large as this number may seem, still I am
satisfied it is rather within than beyond the
truth. In order to convince myself of its accu-
racy, I caused it to be checked in several ways.
In the first place, a survey was made as to the
number of stalls in the streets of London — forty-
six miles of the principal thoroughfares were
travelled over, and an account taken of the
"standings." Thus it was found that there were
upon an average upwards of fourteen stalls to
the mile, of which five-sixths were fish and fruit-
stalls. Now, according to the Metropolitan
Police Returns, there are 2,000 miles of street
throughout London, and calculating that the
stalls through the whole of the metropolis run
upon an average only four to the mile, we shall
thus find that there are 8,000 stalls altogether
in London; of these we may reckon that at least
6,000 are fish and fruit-stalls. I am informed,
on the best authority, that twice as many costers
"go rounds" as have standings; hence we come
to the conclusion that there are 18,000 itinerant
and stationary street-sellers of fish, vegetables,
and fruit, in the metropolis; and reckoning the
same proportion of wives and children as before,
we have thus 45,000 men, women, and children,
obtaining a living in this manner. Further,
"to make assurance doubly sure," the street-
markets throughout London were severally
visited, and the number of street-sellers at each
taken down on the spot. These gave a grand
total of 3,801, of which number two-thirds were
dealers in fish, fruit, and vegetables; and reckon-
ing that twice as many costers again were on
their rounds, we thus make the total number of
London costermongers to be 11,403, or calcu-
lating men, women, and children, 34,209. It
would appear, therefore, that if we estimate the
gross number of individuals subsisting on the
sale of fish, fruit, and vegetables, in the streets
of London, at between thirty and forty thousand,
we shall not be very wide of the truth.

But, great as is this number, still the coster-
mongers are only a portion of the street-folk.
Besides these, there are, as we have seen, many
other large classes obtaining their livelihood in
the streets. The street musicians, for instance,
are said to number 1,000, and the old clothes-
men the same. There are supposed to be at
the least 500 sellers of water-cresses; 200 cof-
fee-stalls; 300 cats-meat men; 250 ballad-
singers; 200 play-bill sellers; from 800 to
1,000 bone-grubbers and mud-larks; 1,000
crossing-sweepers; another thousand chimney-
sweeps, and the same number of turncocks
and lamp-lighters; all of whom, together with
the street-performers and showmen, tinkers,
chair, umbrella, and clock-menders, sellers
of bonnet-boxes, toys, stationery, songs, last
dying-speeches, tubs, pails, mats, crockery,
blacking, lucifers, corn-salves, clothes-pegs,
brooms, sweetmeats, razors, dog-collars, dogs,
birds, coals, sand, — scavengers, dustmen, and
others, make up, it may be fairly assumed,
full thirty thousand adults, so that, reckoning
men, women, and children, we may truly say
that there are upwards of fifty thousand indi-
viduals, or about a fortieth-part of the entire
population of the metropolis getting their living
in the streets.

Now of all modes of obtaining subsistence,
that of street-selling is the most precarious.
Continued wet weather deprives those who
depend for their bread upon the number of
people frequenting the public thoroughfares of
all means of living; and it is painful to think
of the hundreds belonging to this class in the
the metropolis who are reduced to starvation by
three or four days successive rain. Moreover,
in the winter, the street-sellers of fruit and
vegetables are cut off from the ordinary means
of gaining their livelihood, and, consequently,
they have to suffer the greatest privations at a
time when the severity of the season demands
the greatest amount of physical comforts. To
expect that the increased earnings of the sum-
mer should be put aside as a provision against
the deficiencies of the winter, is to expect that
a precarious occupation should beget provident
habits, which is against the nature of things,
for it is always in those callings which are the
most uncertain, that the greatest amount of im-
providence and intemperance are found to exist.
It is not the well-fed man, be it observed, but
the starving one that is in danger of surfeiting
himself.

Moreover, when the religious, moral, and
intellectual degradation of the great majority of
these fifty thousand people is impressed upon
us, it becomes positively appalling to con-
template the vast amount of vice, ignorance
and want, existing in these days in the very
heart of our land. The public have but to
read the following plain unvarnished account of
the habits, amusements, dealings, education,
politics, and religion of the London coster-
mongers in the nineteenth century, and then
to say whether they think it safe — even if it be
thought fit — to allow men, women, and chil-
dren to continue in such a state.