THOUGHTS FROM THE FIELD

Last Sunday (2 October) the Pearly Kings and Queens of St Pancras held their harvest festival at the church of St Martin-in-the-fields. The capital’s ‘Pearlies’ had a vested interest in a good harvest. They were costermongers — mobile retailers noisily hawking fresh produce from handcarts, often much to the annoyance of well-to-do residents.

Every year, costers from each London borough would elect a king and a queen, who would represent their rights. The elaborate costume originated in the 1880s. Henry Croft, a chimney sweep and ratcatcher, found (or possibly liberated) a stash of smoked pearl buttons. He stitched them to his well-worn suit to read ‘All for Charity’. Fellow costers followed his example and the intricate dress then became an outfit of honour. The dapper Pearly Kings and Queens follow their trendsetter’s lead in altruism and continue to raise hundreds of thousands for charity.