In this lively social history, first published in 1988, Lionel Rose explores in detail the plight of the street poor between 1815 and 1985.

He describes the Victorian Rogues and Vagabonds who made elicit peddling, begging frauds and other petty crime their profession. He considers the relevant legislation and systems for coping with the street poor, from the 1824 Vagrancy Act and accompanying improvements in policing, through the casual ward systems of the workhouses and the role of common lodging houses, to the development of Social Services in the 1940s and local authority provision of accommodation. This title will be of interest to students of history, criminology and sociology.