Hawkers

[tullamore]

Hello fellow posters, contributers,
Can anyone recommend a site which deals with the topic of hawkers in particular around the Manchester area.

As always many thanks for any assistance.

Tullamore

[Buckinghamster]

Try Manchester City Police Museum via Greater Manchester Police Website.
They would have been responsible for issuing licenses to hawkers and pedlars and may still have the records.

[viphi]

Try Manchester City Police Museum via Greater Manchester Police Website.
They would have been responsible for issuing licenses to hawkers and pedlars and may still have the records.

Would the same apply to other areas of the country? For example, Kent?
I'm trying desperately to trace a couple of my ancestors who were both hawkers at various points in thier lives but am finding it hard to get any real information about them. I know that they were living in Kent whilst working as Hawkers.
Any information I could uncover would be a huge step for me right now and just may be the breakthrough I need.
Thanks in advance,
viphi

[Reeve99]

Try these sites for info on gypsies and travelling folk.

https://users.nwon.com/pauline/Travellers.html

https://www.spub.co.uk/tgi3/links11e.php (bottom of page)

Anna

[Colin Moretti]

You could try the A2A website: https://www.a2a.org.uk/ and search the relevant area(s) for hawkers and pedlars (or pedlers or pedalers, some cataloguers can't spell). Survival of licenses is very patchy. Individuals are very unlikely to be named in the catalogue unless they had been naughty and brought before the court.

Note that the A2A catalogue is not complete, either in its coverage of archives or the catalogues of those archives that are included. Searching the ARCHON directory https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archon/ may lead to further relevant repositories.

Don't forget, too, that pedlars and hawkers would often move around the country and might well apply for licenses away from their normal place of abode.

Good luck

Colin

[viphi]

Thanks for replying so promptly. I'd started to feel like I'd never get any further with tracing this couple but now I have a renewed sense of hope.
Is it worth trying to contact Kent Police museum as well though? I don't want to waste thier time if they aren't likely to have records.