Costermonger

Costermonger, coster, or costard is a street seller of fruit and vegetables, in London and other British towns. Costermongers were ubiquitous in mid-Victorian England, and some are still found in markets. As usual with street-sellers, they would use a loud sing-song cry or chant to attract attention. The costermonger's cart might be stationary at a market stall, or mobile (horse-drawn or wheelbarrow). The term is derived from the words costard (a now extinct medieval variety of large, ribbed apple) and monger (seller).

Costers met a need for rapid food distribution from the central markets (e.g., Smithfield for meat, Spitalfields for fruit and vegetables or Billingsgate for fish). Their membership as a coster was signalled by their large neckerchief, known as a kingsman, tied round their necks. Their hostility towards the police was legendary.

The term is now often used to describe hawkers in general; sometimes a distinction is made between the two: a costermonger sells from a handcart or animal-drawn cart, while a hawker carries his wares in a basket.

The term, costermonger, was coined during the early sixteenth century. It first appeared in the English language in around 1510. The term, 'coster' is a corruption of costard, a kind of apple and the term 'monger' meaning a trader or broker. Although the literal meaning refers to an itinerant apple-seller, the term was used more generally to refer to anyone who sold fresh fruit or vegetables from a hand cart.

Technically, costermongers were hawkers since they rarely traded from fixed stalls. They purchased produce from the wholesale markets and sold it at retail. Their fruit and vegetables were placed in baskets, barrows or carts and the costermonger walked the streets crying out to sell their produce. Although the term, 'costermonger', was used to describe any hawker of fresh produce, the term became strongly associated with London-based street vendors. Costermongers were known to have been in London from at least the 16th century. Both Shakespeare and Marlowe mention costermongers in their writings. They probably were most numerous during the Victorian era, when there were said to be over 30,000 in 1860.

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