ABSTRACT
This chapter explores two case studies, based first on an autobiography written by a woman whose family was within the skilled sector, and second on the group that came to define disreputable plebeian life: the costermongers. It examines the ways in which these impulses played out in the lives of a number of plebeian women and men. Clearly different sectors of plebeian London were acting according to different temporalities. In 1844, when she was fifty-seven, Mary Anne Ashford wrote her autobiography, Life of a Licensed Victualler's Daughter. Ashford chose her trade because it seemed to offer greater economic security than the 'genteel' trades indeed, her focus throughout her life was on long-term security rather than on immediate appearances. A number of factors - economic uncertainty, use of street space and the nature of poor relief - all helped ensure that the costars would continue to embrace their customary cultural practices.
