London in the eighteenth century was the greatest city in the world. It was a magnet that drew men and women from the rest of Britain and the world in huge numbers. If for a few the streets were paved with gold, for the majority it was a harsh world with little guarantee of money or food.
For the poor and destitute London's streets offered little more than the barest existence. Yet men, women and children found a great variety of ways to make a living out of sweeping roads, selling matches, singing ballads and performing all sorts of menial labour. Many of these activities, apart from the direct begging of the disables, depended on an appeal to charity, but one often mixed with threats and promises.
'Down and Out in Eighteenth Century London' provides a remarkable insight into the lives of Londoners, for all whom the demands of charity and begging were part of their everyday world.
Contents:
Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
1. The Streets of London
2. Sleeping Rough
3. Pauper Professions
4. Menaces and Promises
5. The Rhetoric of Rags
6. Begging from the Parish
7. Charity in Stone
8. The Begging Year
9. A Beggar's Mark
10. The History of the Poor
Notes
Bibliography
Index
