Cries of London

These phrases or poems were shouted, called or chanted by the pedlars who roamed the streets of London for hundreds of years, advertising for sale such diverse products and services as ripe cherries, hot muffins, fresh eels and chimney-sweeping. Over six hundred years ago a poem called London Lickpenny, attributed to John Lydgate, quoted scraps of the cries which then resounded through the busy streets. Some of the cries used phrases from ballads, others in turn inspired musicians and composers. George Frederick Handel, who composed for George I and his successors, acknowledged his debt to the London cries as inspirations for various musical phrases which appeared in his works.

The first printed collections of Cries of London began to be published in the seventeenth century, embellished with engraved pictures of the various types of peddlers. Children’s publishers found a ready market for chapbook and miniature collections of the cries, and from the eighteenth century John Newbery’s successors and printer-publishers in other cities had issued numerous versions of the Cries of London, as well as adaptations such as the Cries of York. Many collections of the cries were produced very cheaply indeed, with clumsy woodcuts or engravings, and yet these must have been prized possessions to many who could not afford other types of reading material, or who were surfeited with improving religious works and found the cheerful little pamphlets a welcome and amusing change. The editions shown here were chosen from among Osborne holdings because they include the most common cries, and for the quality of the illustration.

How did the cries really sound? Listen to the recordings provided, then try them out yourself. The Osborne Collection is grateful to Brian Alderson, Chair of the Children’s Books History Society of Britain, and to Pat Garrett, Secretary of the CBHS, for providing authentic renditions of the Cries of London for all to enjoy.

The cries of London. AdornÕd with copper plates. London, Published by O. Hodgson, [ca. 1835]. Ff. 12. 16.4 x 9.7 cm.

Hand-coloured engravings. The leaves appear in the order 1, 11, 5, 6, 10, 4, 9, 3, 8, 7, 2, 12.
Gift of Mrs. Isabella Makin.

The cries of London. Otley, Published by Walker and Son, [ca. 1840]. Pp. [8]. 17 x 10.5 cm.