A History of the Cries of London, Ancient and ModernHindley, Charles
History
A History of the Cries of London, Ancient and Modern
Hindley, Charles
Cries -- England -- London; London (England) -- Social life and customs
At the time Jemmy Catnach commenced business in Seven Dials it took all
the prudence and tact which he could command to maintain his position, as
at that time "Johnny" Pitts,[12] of the Toy and Marble Warehouse, No. 6,
Great St. Andrew-street, was the acknowledged and established printer of
street literature for the "Dials" district; therefore, as may be easily
imagined, a powerful rivalry and vindictive jealousy soon arose between
these "two of a trade"--most especially on the part of "Old Mother" Pitts,
who is described as being a coarse and vulgar-minded personage, and as
having originally followed the trade of a bumboat woman at Portsmouth: she
"wowed wengeance" against the young fellow in the court for daring to set
up in their business, and also spoke of him as a young "Catsnatch,"
"Catblock," "Cut-throat;" many other opprobrious terms being also freely
given to the new comer. Pitts' staff of "bards" were duly cautioned of the
consequences which would inevitably follow should they dare to write a
line for Catnach--the new _cove_ in the court. The injunction was for a
time obeyed, but the "Seven Bards of the Seven Dials" soon found it not
only convenient, but also more profitable to sell copies of their
effusions to both sides at the same time, and by keeping their council
they avoided detection, as each printer accused the other of buying an
early sold copy, and then reprinting it off with the utmost speed, and
which was in reality often the case, as "Both Houses" had emissaries on
the constant look-out for any new production suitable for street-sale.
Now, although this style of "double dealing" and competition tended much
to lessen the cost price to the "middle-man," or vendor, the public in
this case did not get any of the reduction, as a penny broadside was still
a penny, and a quarter-sheet still a halfpenny to them, the
"street-patterer" obtaining the whole of the reduction as extra profit.
The feud existing between these rival publishers, who have been somewhat
aptly designated as the Colburn and Bentley of the "paper" trade, never
abated, but, on the contrary, increased in acrimony of temper until at
last not being content to vilify each other by words alone, they resorted
to printing off virulent lampoons, in which Catnach never failed to let
the world know that "Old Mother Pitts" had been formerly a bumboat woman,
while the Pitts' party announced that--
"All the boys and girls around,
Who go out prigging rags and phials,
Know Jemmy _Catsnatch_!!! well,
Who lives in a back slum in the Dials.
He hangs out in Monmouth Court,
And wears a pair of blue-black breeches,
Where all the 'Polly Cox's crew' do resort
To chop their swag for badly printed Dying Speeches."
A mournful and affecting COPY OF VERSES on the death of
ANN WILLIAMS,
Who was barbarously and cruelly murdered by her sweetheart,
W. JONES, near Wirksworth, in Derbyshire, July, 1823.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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