| Cockneys
have the reputation of
being happy-go-lucky,
flamboyant and jocular
characters; a people of
simple needs and an even
simpler philosophy of
life who talk in rhyme
and wear their hearts
of gold proudly on
their sleeves. They are
sometimes thought as
dressing in the
sequin-decorated finery
of pearly kings and
queens, feasting on
jellied eels and pies
‘n’ mash
and being ever-ready for
a knees up.
However the events of
World War II proved that cockneys
were more than just
friendly figures of fun.
The war brought out their
bull dogged
tenacity and strength and
allowed them to resist
the might of Hitler and
his mates Tenacious,
sentimental, a colourful
vocabulary - but who is a
cockney? I used to
think that this could
easily be defined. To me
it meant anyone being
born within the sound of Bow
Bells. Now that
sounds simple,
doesn’t it? Being
born within the sound of
the bells of the church
of St. Mary-le-Bow in
the City of London makes
you a cockney
– and Bob’s
ya uncle – there
you have it! But like
many things in this life,
it is not as simple as
that.
St.
Mary-le-Bow Church
According
to the authorities, cockney
has both geographical and
linguistic associations.
Who knew that? Today,
being cockney means
an association with
working class Londoners
and in particular those
of the East End. And
Linguistically, it refers
to their spoken English.
So now we know!
In 1600
Samuel Rowlands used the
word in The Letting of
Humours Blood in the
Head-Vaine and Fynes
Moryson said that all
within the sound of Bow
Bells are in reproach
called cockneys. However,
the first recorded use of
the word appeared in 1362
where it meant a small
misshapen egg. To
Chaucer, a cockney was
a tenderly raised
child – an
effeminate fellow or
milksop. Now that
definition would not go
down well in the pubs
of the East End: punch-ups
would ensue and
hooters would get
bashed! By the 16th
Century, the word was
used to insult effeminate
town-dwellers and male
prostitutes. I can
only imagine the response
that this would bring out
of Phil Mitchell!
But it was John Minshew
who in 1617 was the first
to ascribe the term to
those citizens born
within the sound of Bow
bells. Apparently, this
was meant to include
anyone born in the City
of London – but
then, this was a square
mile plus the odd acre or
two about the
river.
The area
where Bow Bells may be
heard has been the
subject of much debate
and studies were
undertaken to determine
their ringing range.
Despite this, the area where
they may be heard has
become associated with
the East End of London.
Some writers believe this
to be as a result of the
misconception that the
bells in question are in
the East End region of
Bow and not those of the
church of St.
Mary-le-Bow. The
areas of the East End
considered to be within bell-hearing
range are Bethnal
Green, Whitechapel,
Spitalfields, Stepney,
Hackney, Hoxton,
Shoreditch, Bow, Mile
End, Polar, Wapping,
Limehouse and Millwall.
Some authorities include
the south London area of
Bermondsey in this list.
The Cockney
dialect is colourful
and has a charm
associated with it that
is perhaps absent in the
more formal language. It
is musical and has a sense
of fun about it. It
has migrated across
London and out into other
counties and is now heard
throughout the country
and around the world.
Despite this, in Britain
the accent and the
dialect were thought of
as of the lower
classes with many
members of society turning
their noses up when
hearing it. In 1909, the
London County Council
dismissed it, saying with
its unpleasant twang, it
is a modern corruption
without legitimate
credentials, and is
unworthy of being the
speech of any person in
the capital city of the
Empire. Well, the Empire
is now a thing of the
past, but the dialect
continues to flourish.
Others at that time
defended the cockney
way of speaking, with its
colourful turn of
phrases and rhyming
slang, and even
sought to legitimize it.
But over the years, the
dialect has become more
acceptable to the average
British ear, and in 2008,
it apparently was voted equal
fourth coolest accent in
Britain. Now, I can
rest easy! Once unheard
on British radio and
television, the cockney
dialect is now heard
and apparently no longer
induces the vapours
in its listeners.
I was born
in Bethnal Green
and despite being moved
out of the area, and out
of London in 1956, still
consider myself as an Eastender
and a cockney. I
am decidedly much more
conservative in my
definition of who is, and
who is not a cockney:
I feel that the bell
range of the Bells of
St. Mary-le-Bow has been
exaggerated. Once they
may well have been heard
at Highgate and so
able to persuade Dick
Whittington and his cat
to turn again and
return to London where he
went on to make his
fortune as well as become
the principal character
of many a pantomime and
junior school play –
in fact, I played him
myself at one time. But,
I am of the mind that the
bells have a somewhat
limited range and can be
heard only in Bethnal
Green, Whitechapel,
Stepney, Hackney and
Hoxton! Regarding the
acceptance and
non-acceptance of the cockney
dialect: it is music
to my ears and a pleasure
to hear, but only when
spoken by a real
cockney and not by a wannabe.
Much as I admired the
talents of both Julie
Andrews and Audrey
Hepburn, when they
affected the accent, it
had the same effect on me
as fingernails
scrapping down a
blackboard and I felt
acute embarrassment for
them both! Am I rigid in
my beliefs? Ain’t
no doubt about it –
you can bet on it!
So then,
what is so special about
the East End of London
and for me, Bethnal
Green? When jazz
virtuosos are asked to
define jazz or the
blues or when others
are asked to define soul,
their answers are always
the same: if ya gotta
ask, you’ll never
know. The specialness
of the East End, and in
particular Bethnal Green,
is more a state of
mind – a feeling
– a sense of being
and belonging to a
special place – a
place where I feel at
home despite having moved
some fifty plus years ago
– it is this that
defines you and makes you
unique – it
isn’t where you live
– it’s where
your heart is that
matters and my heart is
always within the
sound of Bow bells.
Listen
to the peal of 12 bells
of St. Mary-le-Bow
ringing Bristol Surprise
Maximus.
The
Bells of St. Mary-le-Bow
did not ring for 21 years
(1940-1961). They
were damaged in 1941 when
they came crashing to the
ground. In 1956,
the Lord Mayor of
London launched an
appeal to raise money to
repair and restore the
bells to the
church. He
requested help from the
Pearly Kings and Queens
of London in this
appeal. Click
here
to see the launch of the
appeal.
In
1961, the Bells of St.
Mary-le-Bow were restored
to the church. Click
here
to see the restoration
and to hear them rung for
the first time since the
start of World War
II.
I
am grateful to the people
at http://www.pearlysociety.co.uk
for allowing me to
reproduce these pictures.
Are you aware of the origin of the word Cockney? Apparently during the 1700s, country folk would tell a story about people they called Cockaignes. It seemed that the Cockaignes believed that the streets of London were paved with gold and that the houses were made of cake! As a result, anyone that moved from country to live in London began to be called Cockaignes. The name became corrupted into Cockneys. It was either Fuller or Miller, also during the 1700s, who wrote that the definition of a Cockney was related to Bow Bells (the bells of St. Mary-le-Bow). A Cockney was anyone born within the furthest point where the sound of the bells could be heard plus the length of the Lord Mayor’s mace!
Ron of East Dulwich
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