A tenacious genealogist who supplies this blog with a steady stream of fascinating information and ideas for posts discovered that a relative of London's original Pearly King , famous street sweeper Henry Croft, moved to Queensland in the 1950s .
Born in a workhouse in 1861, Croft died in the same workhouse from cancer . He made "smother " suits decorated with mother of pearl shell buttons to draw attention to his campaigns to raise money for people in hospitals. In addition, he made smother suits, covered in thousands of white buttons , and hats , belts and ties for other people to wear . The wearing of pearlshell buttons on clothing by costermongers -street traders- was common , buttons mass produced in East End factories .
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Modern Pearlies
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Croft's efforts led to what became known as the Pearly Kings and Queens , called the Pearlies , described as a working class culture in the British capital.
His charitable work resulted in him being presented to Edward Vll and Queen Alexandra at the Horse of the Year Show at Olympia . In 1911 the Pearly Society was officially founded , 28 London boroughs having their own Pearly King and Pearly Queen .
Croft's funeral in 1930 , filmed by Pathe , was a spectacular event , the cortege spread over half a mile , with a horse drawn hearse, musicians , and 400 Pearly Kings and Queens . During his lifetime he had raised about 5000 pounds for hospitals .
A statue was made of him in 1931, in a smother suit with a top hat and cane , and after some vandalism was eventually placed in the crypt at St Martin-in-the Fields in 2002. At the summer Olympic Games in 2012 a parade of Pearly Kings and Queens took part in the opening ceremony .
Pearlshell from the Australian pearling centres of Darwin , Broome and Thursday Island contributed to the button industry until plastics took over .
