London Labour and the London Poor, Vol. 2

by Henry Mayhew

Divisions and Districts.	Names of Contractors.	Number of Men employed at scavenging.		Number of Carts used daily in scavenging.		Number of loads collected daily.
		In dry weather.	In wet weather.	In dry weather.	In wet weather.	In dry weather.	In wet weather.
Kensington	Parish	3	5	1	2	3	5
Chelsea	Ditto	3	5	1	2	4	6
Ditto (Hans’ Town)	Mr. C. Humphries	3	4	1	1	3	5
St. George’s, Pimlico	Mr. Redding	2	4	1	2	5	7
Ditto, Hanover Square	Parish	3	5	1	1	1½	2½
St. Margaret’s, Westminster	Ditto	5	7	2	3	8	10
St. John’s, ditto	Mr. Hearne	5	7	1	2	8	10
St. Martin’s	Machine	6	9	4	4	4	6
Hungerford-market	Mr. J. Gore	2	2	1	1	1	3
St. James’s, Westminster	Parish	2	4	1	2	5	7
Piccadilly	Parish and Machine	20	28	2	2	8	12
Regent-street and Pall-mall	Ditto, ditto	8	12	2	2	4	6
St. Ann’s, Soho	Ditto	3	4	1	2	4	6
Woods and Forests	Machine	2	4	1	2	5	7
Paddington	Parish	4	6	1	2	6	8
Marylebone (Five Districts)	Ditto	20	35	3	4	15	25
Portland-market	Mr. Tame	3	5	1	1	2	4
Hampstead	Parish	2	4	1	1	2	4
Highgate	Ditto	2	4	1	1	2	4
St. Pancras, South-west Division	Mr. Stapleton	2	4	1	2	4	6
Somers-town	Mr. Starkey	3	5	1	2	7	9
Southampton Estate	Mr. C. Starkey	4	5	1	1	3	5
Bedford ditto	Mr. J. Gore	2	2	1	1	1	3
Brewers’ ditto	Mr. C. Starkey	2	2	1	1	1	3
Calthorpe ditto	Ditto	2	2	1	1	1	3
Cromer ditto	Ditto	2	2	1	1	1	3
Doughty ditto	Mr. Martin	2	2	1	1	1	3
Foundling ditto	Ditto	2	2	1	1	1	3
Harrison ditto	Ditto	2	2	1	1	1	3
Skinners’ ditto	Mr. H. North	2	2	1	1	1	3
Union ditto	Mr. J. Gore	2	2	1	1	1	3
Islington District	Parish	6	8	1	1	3	5
Battle-bridge	Mr. Starkey	4	6	1	2	5	7
Hackney	Parish	5	7	1	1	2	4
St. Giles-in-the-Fields and St. George, Bloomsbury	Mr. Redding	7	9	2	3	6	10
St. Mary-le-Strand	Mr. J. Gore	2	5	1	2	4	6
Savoy	Ditto	2	3	1	1	1	3
St. Clement Danes	Parish	5	7	3	3 waggons.	2	6
St. Paul’s, Covent Garden	Ditto	3	5	1	2 carts.	3	5
Covent Garden-market	Mr. Stapleton	5	7	5	6	9	12
Holborn	Parish	6	9	2	3	4	6
St. Sepulchre’s	Mr. J. Gore	3	4	1	1	2	4
Hatton-garden	Messrs. Pratt and Sewell	2	2	1	1	1	3
St. James’s, Clerkenwell	Mr. Dodd	5	7	2	3	8	10
St. John’s, ditto	Mr. J. Gould	5	7	3	3	6	8
St. Luke’s	Mr. Dodd	7	10	4	6	8	10
Goswell-street	Mr. Redding	3	4	1	2	4	6
Liberty of the Rolls	Messrs. Pratt and Sewell	2	2	1	1	1	3
Blackfriars Bridge	Mr. Jenkins	3	5	1	1	4	6
City Division, Eastern, A	Mr. G. Sinnott	10	16	4	6	12	16
Ditto, North Middle, B	Mr. T. Rooke	9	13	4	6	8	12
Ditto, Western, C	Mr. C. Redding	12	14	4	6	14	18
Ditto, South Middle, D	Mr. J. Gould	10	12	3	4	9	11
Shoreditch	Mr. Dodd	6	9	2	4	8	12
Norton Folgate	Mr. J. Gould	3	5	1	2	4	6
Finsbury Square District	Ditto	3	4	1	2	6	8
St. Botolph	Mr. Westley	2	4	2	2	4	6
Spitalfields District	Mr. Newman	3	6	1	2	3	5
Spitalfields-market	Mr. Parsons	5	7	3	4	4	6
Bethnal-green	Mr. E. Newman	4	6	3	4	8	10
Whitechapel	Mr. Parsons	3	5	2	3	6	8
Commercial-road	Parish	4	6	2	3	4	6
Mile-end	Mr. Newman	3	5	1	2	3	5
Ditto, New-town	Mr. Parsons	3	6	1	1	3	5
St. John’s, Wapping	Mr. Westley	2	4	1	2	2	4
Shadwell	Ditto	2	4	1	2	3	5
St. George’s-in-the-East	Ditto	4	6	2	3	6	8
Stepney	Mr. E. Newman	4	6	1	2	4	6
Poplar	Parish	2	4	1	1	2	4
East Borough	Mr. Redding	4	6	2	3	3	5
West ditto	Ditto	3	4	2	2	2	4
Borough Clink	Mr. W. Sinnott	3	5	1	2	2	4
Bermondsey	Parish	4	6	2	3	9	15
Newington	Ditto	4	6	1	2	3	5
Lambeth	Ditto	12	16	2	3	8	10
Ditto (Christchurch)	Ditto	14	20	2	3	6	9
Wandsworth	Ditto	2	4	1	1	1	3
Camberwell and Walworth	Ditto	4	6	1	2	5	7
Rotherhithe	Ditto	3	5	1	2	3	5
Greenwich	Ditto	3	5	1	2	4	6
Deptford	Ditto	3	4	1	2	6	8
Woolwich	Ditto	3	5	1	2	3	5
Lewisham	Ditto	2	4	1	1	1	3
	Scavengers’ Total	358	531	130	183	355½	548½
	Average total	444½ men.		156½ carts.		452 loads daily.
	Orderlies	546 ditto.				9 ditto.
	Gross total	990½ men.		156½		461 loads daily.

Divisions and Districts.	Number of Cart-Loads annually collected by the Scavengers.	Annual value of Dirt collected by Scavengers.
Kensington	1252	£187	16s.	0d.
Chelsea	1565	234	15	0
Ditto (Hans’ Town)	1252	187	16	0
St. George’s, Pimlico	1878	281	14	0
Ditto, Hanover Square	626	93	18	0
St. Margaret’s, Westminster	2817	422	11	0
St. John’s, ditto	2817	422	11	0
St. Martin’s	1565	234	15	0
Hungerford-market	626	93	18	0
St. James’s, Westminster	1878	281	14	0
Piccadilly	3130	469	10	0
Regent-street and Pall-mall	1565	234	15	0
St. Ann’s, Soho	1565	234	15	0
Woods and Forests	1878	281	14	0
Paddington	2191	328	13	0
Marylebone (Five Districts)	6260	939	0	0
Portland-market	939	140	17	0
Hampstead	939	140	17	0
Highgate	939	140	17	0
St. Pancras, South-west Division	1565	234	15	0
Somers-town	2504	375	12	0
Southampton Estate	1252	187	16	0
Bedford ditto	626	93	18	0
Brewers’ ditto	626	93	18	0
Calthorpe ditto	626	93	18	0
Cromer ditto	626	93	18	0
Doughty ditto	626	93	18	0
Foundling ditto	626	93	18	0
Harrison ditto	626	93	18	0
Skinners’ ditto	626	93	18	0
Union ditto	626	93	18	0
Islington District	1252	187	16	0
Battle-bridge	1878	281	14	0
Hackney	939	140	17	0
St. Giles-in-the-Fields and St. George, Bloomsbury	2504	375	12	0
St. Mary-le-Strand	1565	234	15	0
Savoy	626	93	18	0
St. Clement Danes	1252	187	16	0
St. Paul’s, Covent Garden	1252	187	16	0
Covent Garden-market	3130	469	10	0
Holborn	1565	234	15	0
St. Sepulchre’s	939	140	17	0
Hatton-garden	626	93	18	0
St. James’s, Clerkenwell	2817	422	11	0
St. John’s, ditto	2191	328	13	0
St. Luke’s	2817	422	11	0
Goswell-street	1565	234	15	0
Liberty of the Rolls	626	93	18	0
Blackfriars Bridge	1565	234	15	0
City Division, Eastern, A	4382	657	6	0
Ditto, North Middle, B	3130	469	10	0
Ditto, Western, C	5008	751	4	0
Ditto, South Middle, D	3130	469	10	0
Shoreditch	3130	469	10	0
Norton Folgate	1565	234	15	0
Finsbury Square District	2191	328	13	0
St. Botolph	1565	234	15	0
Spitalfields District	1252	187	16	0
Spitalfields-market	1565	234	15	0
Bethnal-green	2817	422	11	0
Whitechapel	2191	328	13	0
Commercial-road	1565	234	15	0
Mile-end	1252	187	16	0
Ditto, New-town	1252	187	16	0
St. John’s, Wapping	939	140	17	0
Shadwell	1252	187	16	0
St. George’s-in-the-East	2191	328	13	0
Stepney	1565	234	15	0
Poplar	939	140	17	0
East Borough	1252	187	16	0
West ditto	939	140	17	0
Borough Clink	939	140	17	0
Bermondsey	3576	563	18	0
Newington	1252	187	16	0
Lambeth	2817	422	11	0
Ditto (Christchurch)	2191	328	13	0
Wandsworth	626	93	18	0
Camberwell and Walworth	1878	281	14	0
Rotherhithe	1252	187	16	0
Greenwich	1565	234	15	0
Deptford	2191	328	13	0
Woolwich	1252	187	16	0
Lewisham	626	93	18	0
Scavengers’ Total	140,983	21,147	9	0
Average total	140,983 loads yearly.	£21,147	9	0
Orderlies	2,817 ditto.	352	2	6
Gross total	143,800 loads yearly.	£21,499	11	6

Of the Street-Dust of London, and the Loss and Injury occasioned by it.

The daily and nightly grinding of thousands of wheels, the iron friction of so many horses’ hoofs, the evacuations of horses and cattle, and the ceaseless motion of pedestrians, all decomposing the substance of our streets and roads, give rise to many distinct kinds of street-dirt. These are severally known as

(1) Dust.

(2) Horse-dung and cattle-manure.

(3) Mud, when mixed with water and with general refuse, such as the remains of fruit and other things thrown into the street and swept together.

(4) Surface-water when mixed with street-sewage.

These productions I shall treat severally, and first of the street-dust.

The “detritus” of the streets of London assumes many forms, and is known by many names, according as it is combined with more or less water.