Seven Curses of London

To certain squeamish readers this useful and well-written volume will prove an unsavoury book; and even to those who have the nerve to witness agony and explore the lurking-places of crime, it will occasion no ordinary sadness and sense of repugnance. Redolent with the unwholesome smell of ill-drained alleys and over-crowded dwellings for the poor, it resounds in every chapter with the cries of violence and the mutterings of woe ... [review of The Seven Curses of London from the Athenaeum, 1869]. The 'Curses' themselves are: 1. Neglected Children 2. Professional Thieves 3. Professional Beggars 4. Fallen Women 5. Drunkenness 6. Betting Gamblers 7. Waste of Charity. There is more of Greenwood's 'undercover' work, including a visit to a 'baby-farmer' - one of those women who advertised in the press to 'adopt' unwanted children for a fee (the fate of such unfortunates was often criminal abuse or neglect). Other vivid passages include interviews with convicts; begging-letter writers; harangues against the corrupting influence of penny dreadfuls (sample prose: '... pouting coral lips, in which a thousand tiny imps of love are lurking ...'); the unfortunate class of prostitutes known as 'dress-lodgers'; a full list of the ingredients used to adulterate beer ('... Multum is a mixture of opium and other ingredients, used to increase the intoxicating qualities of the liquor ... '); a survey of betting scams ('... Mr. Ben W. will forfeit GBP500 if he does not send first and second for the Chester Cup. Send four stamps and stamped envelope, and promise a present, and I will send you the Chester Cup, Great Northern, Derby, and Oaks winners ...') and a good deal more. All of these combine to paint a revealing picture of life in 1860s London, making this book worthy of your attention. (Amazon)