My Gran was born in 1878. I was five when she died and I have sketchy memories of her. She was a white haired old lady in an armchair with a blanket on her knee. She would sing "Oh Susannah" and "Little Brown Jug" and give me pieces of sausage. She smelt a bit of wee. My auntie, who cared for her, would give her bottles of milk stout from a cupboard on the landing. When Gran died nobody told me.Her bed was stood on end on the landing and when I asked "Where's Gran?" Mum said she had gone on holiday. Various people cried, especially my auntie.
How different is my life to hers?
Born 1878 Born 1961
Father a costermonger Father in civil service
Had nine children (2 died) Two children
Rented a house with 2 bedrooms Owned a house with 3 bedrooms
Learnt to read and write Degree and diploma
Children in workhouse Child at private school
Loved music hall songs Loves music hall songs
Liked to grow things Likes to grow things
Family was everything Family is everything
Loved a beer Fond of wine
Again, we have the ‘Coster-slang’, or the language used by the costermongers, and which consists merely in pronouncing each word as if it were spelt backwards:—’I say, Curly, will you do a top of reeb (pot of beer)?’ one costermonger may say to the other. ‘It’s on doog, Whelkey, on doog (no good, no good),’ the second may reply. ‘I’ve had a reg’lar troseno (bad sort) to-day. I’ve been doing b—y dab (bad) with my tol (lot, [-6-] or stock)—ha’n’t made a yennep (penny), s’elp me.’ ‘Why, I’ve cleared a flatch-enorc (half-a-crown) a’ready,’ Master Whelkey will answer, perhaps. ‘But kool the esilop (look at the police); kool him (look at him) Curly! Vom-us! (be off). I’m going to do the tightner (have my dinner).’
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