Cockney Heritage

The first use of the word “cockney” occurs in 1859 and describes the urban dwelling people of east London with its mix of cultural backgrounds - like Newham’s population today. Cockneys have embraced their identity with pride and their language is classified in the Encyclopaedia Britannica as Cockney Rhyming Slang.  It was developed from Irish and Yiddish traditions by the English working class, close to the Docks, and densely populated with new arrivals keen to make a living. Historically, Cockneys were those born within the sound of St. Mary-le-Bow’s church bells, from Cheapside in the City of London, but as populations shift and change it’s a dialect you may hear in Essex or Kent as much in East London’s boroughs.

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