London in the eighteenth century was the greatest city in the world, and a magnet that drew men and women from the rest of England 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 living. Yet men, women and children found a great variety of ways to eke out their existence, sweeping roads, selling matches, singing ballads and performing all sorts of menial labour. Many of these activities, apart from the direct begging of the disabled, 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 of whom the demands of charity and begging were part of their everyday world.
- ISBN10 1852855525
- ISBN13 9781852855529
- Publish Date 1 May 2007 (first published 1 November 2004)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
- Imprint Hambledon Continuum
- Edition New edition
- Format Paperback
- Pages 360
- Language English