Cross coves, buzzers and general sorts of prigs: juvenile crime and the criminal 'underworld' in the early nineteenth century

This article examines the nature of the criminal 'underworld' in the early nineteenth century, considering specifically the activities of young offenders within the criminal networks operating in the 1830s. Traditionally, examination of such networks has been hindered by the tendency to mythologize by both contemporary commentators and historians of crime. Consequently much historical analysis has been criticized for conforming to stereotypical characterizations of criminality, painting a lurid picture of an organized criminal 'underworld'. Despite such criticisms it is possible to provide insights into some aspects of how young offenders understood the networks and structures of criminal enterprise in London, principally through the locations from which they operated, the role of receivers and fences, and common allegation about the operations and corruption of the police.