Hart Cant - A Gentleman's Guide

The Language of Rogues in Georgian London
1. Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-0-9924922-2-9
Verlag: Improbable Fictions
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 276 Seiten

Visiting the Underworld of Georgian London but can't tell a clapperdogeon from a running smobbler? Wouldn't know the upright man if he noped your costard with his filchman? This fascinating guide will teach you all you need to know about the vocabulary of the Rogues of Georgian London and how to function in society at the lowest level.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hart, Stephen

Leseproben

Chapter 2 - Buying a Drink Time travelling is thirsty work so, shortly after arriving, you are likely to need a drink. The terms alehouse (which sells drink only), tavern (food and drink) and inn (food, drink and accommodation) are perfectly acceptable but there are some other terms you may hear, which are presented below. Georgian London has hundreds of these establishments. You should have no trouble finding one. There are a large number of terms for drink and drinking. Whilst there is no need for you to use them all, you should at least recognise the terms when you hear them. Don’t forget that you can use Bene, Rum and Queer as additional descriptors. A Bowsing Ken is an alehouse but if you like it you can describe it as a Bene Bowsing Ken. Digression: Taverns There are one or two taverns which might be of special interest to the gentleman time traveller. The Mitre in Fleet Street was Dr. Johnson’s favourite supper-house and his coterie included Oliver Goldsmith, Thomas Percy, John Hawkesworth and James Boswell. If you are in the mood to be richly insulted by an eminent lexicographer you need do no more than attempt to interrupt the good Doctor’s dinner. The Rose Tavern in Covent Garden was a favourite venue in the early Georgian period for dramatists and poets. Poet and playwright John Gay (famous for The Beggar’s Opera) was a patron. One inspired if drunken evening, Gay and his friends concocted a popular love ditty, entitled Molly Mogg of the Rose, in compliment to the then barmaid. The Rummer is located between Whitehall and Charing Cross. If you are in London before November 7th 1750 (when it burned down) it is well worth a visit. It is, among other things, the site of the first recorded robbery by escapologist Jack Sheppard (executed in 1724) from whence he stole two silver spoons. If you happen to be in Pall Mall on 26th January 1765 and aren’t upset by the sight of blood, you might care to visit The Star and Garter and check out the duel/drunken brawl between Lord Byron (the 5th Baron and grand-uncle of the more famous poet) and his soon to be late friend Mr Chaworth. In an undignified scuffle in one of the rooms, Byron ran his sword through his opponent’s stomach, causing him to expire the next day. More importantly, in 1774 the tavern was the meeting place of the first cricket club where Sir Horace Mann (Kent), The Duke of Dorset (Surrey) and Lord Tankerville (Hampshire) laid down the first set of rules of the game. If you are interested in boxing, The Castle Tavern in Holborn is, in the later Georgian period, a must see. It was the headquarters of the Prize Ring, kept by two of its heroes, Tom Belcher (until 1828) and, thereafter, Tom Spring. The Daffy Club was inaugurated here by a Mr James Soares for its members to enjoy gin (daffy) and sports. It met in the long room beneath the portraits of pugilistic heroes, including Jem Belcher, Burke, Jackson, Tom Belcher, Joe Ward, Dutch Sam, Gregson, Humphreys, Mendoza, Cribb, Molyneux, Gulley, Randall, Turner, Martin, Harmer, Spring, Neat, Hickman, Painter, Scroggins and Tom Owen and also Jem Belcher’s dog, Trusty, who apparently rated in this august company. If you want to try your luck in low company you can visit The Queen’s Head in Duke’s Court, Bow Street but more study of this guide is recommended before you do so. If you don’t know what you are doing you are likely to Catch a Cold or get into trouble. Don’t Sit on Thorns - we shall get there soon enough. The tavern is known locally as the Go Shop due to their serving gin and water in three-halfpenny bowls known as Goes. Inns and Taverns Bowsing Ken     Alehouse (literally Drinking Place) Touting Ken     Alehouse (refers to Innkeepers touting for custom) Hedge Tavern     A small, obscure tavern; also one frequented by sharpers (dishonest gamblers) Flash Ken; Flash Crib     A tavern frequented by rogues Mumpers’ Hall     A tavern frequented by beggars Stop Hole Abbey     The nick name of the chief rendzvous of the canting crew If you think the landlord will let you run a tab you can ask to Hang it up or to Walk up the Wall. At the end of the evening you pay your Scran. If you really want to be popular you can offer to Stand Huff or pay for everyone’s drinks. The alternative, to Lush at Freeman’s Quay, is to drink at another’s expense, but this is seldom as well appreciated. Tavern Workers Beggar Maker     Publican or alehouse keeper Bluffer     Innkeeper Flash Cove or Covess     Landlord or landlady of a flash ken Draper; Ale Draper     Alehouse keeper Dash; Rum Hopper     The man who draws beer or other drinks Neck Stamper     A pot boy Note that an innkeeper can be referred to as a Buffer rather than a Bluffer. However, as this is also a term for dog, it is best avoided. Drinks There are many different terms for drink. Booze; Bowse; Bub; Fuddle; Guzzle     General term for drink Taplash; Wibble     Poor quality drink Christened; Baptised     Drinks that have been watered Bene Bowse; Cup of the Creature; Suck; Swizzle; Tipple     Strong liquor Balderdash     Adulterated wine Beer, Brandy, Gin and Wine Belch; Bub; Hum Cap; Knock Me Down; Nappy Ale; Oil of Barley; Sir John Barleycorn; Stingo; Stitchback     Strong beer Act of Parliament; Rot Gut; Water Bewitched     Small (heavily watered) beer Bingo; Blue Ruin; Blue Tape; Daffy; Diddle; Drain; Frog’s Wine; Geneva; Heart’s Ease; Jackey; Lady Dacre’s Wine; Lightning; Max; Rag Water; Sky Blue; South Sea Mountain; Strip Me Naked; White Ribbon; White Tape; White Wool     Gin Cold Tea; Cool Nantz; French Cream; Red Ribbon; Rum Nantz; Red Tape; Suit and Cloak     Brandy Black Strap; Kill Priest; Red Fustian     Port or sometimes claret Bristol Milk     Sherry Rum Gutlers     Canary wine The most popular drinks are beer or ale, gin and brandy, but many drink wine and there is a variety of punches. Beer needs to be divided into strong beer and small beer - the latter being quite dilute. The enormous popularity of gin is shown by the number of different terms for it. Don’t worry if you can’t remember all these terms. A general selection will suffice. Digression: Gin The ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688 brought William of Orange to the British throne. Accompanying him on the ship was an uninvited guest but her presence was so familiar that no one commented on it. Her name was Madame Geneva, more commonly known in the short form - Gin. Distilled alcohol flavoured with juniper berries, it was encouraged by successive governments, which at the same time were restricting the imports of French brandy. As the 18th century got going, gin became more and more popular and drunkenness became common to the point of affecting the economy through lost labour. Moralists and politicians joined forces to try and bring this foreign lady to heel but she refused to go quietly. Compared to malt distilling (for, say, whiskey), producing gin is fairly simple and it could be produced cheaply in back rooms. When an Act in 1729 attempted to tax gin, the excise men had the devil’s own job tracking where it was being made. Moreover, the Act defined gin as spirits to which juniper berries had been added. The rogues of London, no fools, simply left out the juniper berries and carried on. The poorer people of London were prepared to drink what was effectively raw spirit if it were cheap enough. Determined to dig itself into a hole, the Government, in 1736, brought in punitive taxes of 20 shillings to the gallon and required £50 for an annual licence to sell gin. People ignored it. Informers were encouraged at £5 a time. This resulted in the Magistrates’ Courts being nearly overwhelmed, organised gangs of informers, mob riots and lynchings (of said informers). The government introduced more and more harsh measures to even less effect. The Riot Act was read and the mobs ignored it. Madame Geneva’s supporters were manning the barricades. In 1751, Josiah Tucker of...