Comments on: Henry Mayhew, The London Vagabond https://spitalfieldslife.com/2018/03/21/henry-mayhew-the-london-vagabond/ In the midst of life I woke to find myself living in an old house beside Brick Lane in the East End of London Sun, 06 Jul 2025 09:51:30 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 By: Mrs Hilary a c Viana https://spitalfieldslife.com/2018/03/21/henry-mayhew-the-london-vagabond/#comment-1747952 Sun, 06 Jul 2025 09:51:30 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=164935#comment-1747952 Fascinating post. I have discovered a collection of nearly 100 ( 2 missing) sheets of original London Labour and the London Poor from 1864 amongst my late Mother’s papers. I would be interested in knowing if they have any value and who I should contact to discuss them.

]]> By: Steve Hanscomb https://spitalfieldslife.com/2018/03/21/henry-mayhew-the-london-vagabond/#comment-1199512 Wed, 21 Mar 2018 18:06:20 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=164935#comment-1199512 I was fascinated by my Dad’s copy of Mayhew’s Characters when I was young. All of these strange looking people telling about jobs I couldn’t believe anyone would do. I think my interest in victorian London and love of the cobbled alleys and old brick buildings comes from here. London has always been more attractive for me when it’s dirty and unpolished. The honest old working class areas, old trades that have been overlooked and are almost gone now. In fact, most of the subject matter of this site.

]]> By: Barbara McHugh https://spitalfieldslife.com/2018/03/21/henry-mayhew-the-london-vagabond/#comment-1199501 Wed, 21 Mar 2018 15:55:49 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=164935#comment-1199501 I read London Labour and London Poor many years ago and found it fascinating. So pleased to hear there is a biography of this interesting man. Nice to know he supported the Hugeunot weavers as my great grandmother was Anna Maria Auvache. She came from a long line of Spitalfield weavers. Love these blogs. Thank you

]]> By: Helen Breen https://spitalfieldslife.com/2018/03/21/henry-mayhew-the-london-vagabond/#comment-1199481 Wed, 21 Mar 2018 11:32:04 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=164935#comment-1199481 Greetings from Boston,

GA, thanks for your moving tribute to Henry Mayhew. His name does ring a distant bell in British cultural history. He captured the story of his distressed subject so well while allowing them their dignity.

The drawings are excellent, obviously by a number of artists with much attention to detail.

]]> By: Judith Baxter https://spitalfieldslife.com/2018/03/21/henry-mayhew-the-london-vagabond/#comment-1199479 Wed, 21 Mar 2018 10:58:28 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=164935#comment-1199479 I want to tell you I have a very old copy of Mayhew’s London “Being Selections from ‘London Labour and the London Poor’’ which was first published in 1851″. I don’t know when my book was published. In pencil, on the flyleaf, it says “Mrs Beech. 2/- deposit”.
I must admit I haven’t read it all, but it’s fascinating.

]]> By: Vince Quinlivan https://spitalfieldslife.com/2018/03/21/henry-mayhew-the-london-vagabond/#comment-1199454 Wed, 21 Mar 2018 08:13:09 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=164935#comment-1199454 Mayhew is absolutely essential to any study of Victorian social history. His four volumes are in constant use here!

]]> By: Greg Tingey https://spitalfieldslife.com/2018/03/21/henry-mayhew-the-london-vagabond/#comment-1199449 Wed, 21 Mar 2018 08:04:28 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=164935#comment-1199449 Is it actually any better, now?
It was a lot better, when I was young, but now, we have beggars on the streets again & people scraping very thin livings

]]> By: David Tarrant https://spitalfieldslife.com/2018/03/21/henry-mayhew-the-london-vagabond/#comment-1199397 Wed, 21 Mar 2018 01:41:55 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=164935#comment-1199397 Fascinating post. Wonderful illustrations. I especially appreciated the “tossing the pieman” wager!

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