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A look back on the life of London's Pearly King of Peckham : NPR
npr.org • • world
Key Points:
- George Major, known as the Pearly King of Peckham, was a beloved East London figure famous for his sequined pearly suits and use of Cockney rhyming slang and "backspeak," a form of backslang.
- The Pearly Kings and Queens tradition began in the 1870s with Henry Croft, who decorated his suit with mother-of-pearl buttons to dignify working-class street hawkers and charity canvassers in East London.
- Major grew up in hardship, working as a costermonger and fly-pitcher, and later became a plumber and local celebrity, even participating in the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony.
- Cockney rhyming slang and backspeak, used by Major, are complex linguistic codes historically used by street vendors to confuse outsiders and authorities, with phrases like "frog and toad" meaning road.
- Major passed away in August 2023 at age 88, and his funeral celebrated his life with traditional pearly attire, raucous singing, and symbolic rituals, highlighting his lasting impact on London’s working-class culture.
