Costermonger

Article summary

, 1877 by John Thomson A costermonger, coster, or costard is a street seller of fruit and vegetables in British towns. The term is derived from the words costard (a medieval variety of apple) and monger (seller), and later came to be used to describe hawkers in general. Some historians have noted a class hierarchy in which the costermonger sold from a handcart or animal-drawn cart, while the lower-level hawker carried wares in a basket. Costermongers distributed food rapidly from wholesale markets (in London: Smithfield for meat, Spitalfields for fruit and vegetables, Billingsgate for fish) to convenient locations for the labouring classes. Costermongers used a variety of devices to transport and display produce: a cart stood stationary at a market stall; a horse-drawn or wheelbarrow cart made the rounds; or a hand-held basket carried around light-weight goods such as herbs and flowers. Costermongers survived numerous attempts to eliminate their class from the streets. Programmes to curtail them occurred during the reigns of Elizabeth I and Charles I. Victorian times saw a peak in both their numbers and attempts to suppress them. However, solidarity among costers along with public support enabled their commercial survival until the second half of the 20th century, when they began to take up pitches in the regulated markets.…

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1792 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. publication date: 1518 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. publication date: 1759 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
4. publication date: 1851 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
5. publication date: 1877 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
6. publication date: 1600 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
7. publication date: 1791 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
8. publication date: 1880 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
9. publication date: 1851 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
10. publication date: 1873 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
11. publication date: 1891 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
12. publication date: 1878 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1792". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the publication date is "1518". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the publication date is "1759". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. The record states that the publication date is "1851". What evidence would count against this claim?
6. The record states that the publication date is "1877". What evidence would count against this claim?
7. The record states that the publication date is "1600". What evidence would count against this claim?
8. The record states that the publication date is "1791". What evidence would count against this claim?
9. The record states that the publication date is "1880". What evidence would count against this claim?
10. The record states that the publication date is "1851". What evidence would count against this claim?
11. The record states that the publication date is "1873". What evidence would count against this claim?
12. The record states that the publication date is "1891". What evidence would count against this claim?
13. The record states that the publication date is "1878". What evidence would count against this claim?
14. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
15. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378849300