George Major, a famous London figure known as the Pearly King of Peckham, died in August at the age of 88. Instantly recognizable by his black suit decorated with shimmering mother-of-pearl buttons, Major spent decades raising money for charity while keeping traditional Cockney rhyming slang and street hawker dialects alive in the capital.
The tradition of London's Pearly Kings and Queens began in the 1870s with Henry Croft, an orphaned street sweeper who decorated his clothes with mother-of-pearl buttons salvaged near textile factories. Street hawkers, historically known as costermongers, adopted the practice to stand out in crowded markets and raise funds for community neighbors in an era before the modern welfare state. Born in a Peckham military barracks in 1938 and raised in a workhouse, Major followed Croft’s tradition from an early age, running market stalls and collecting money for charitable causes alongside his family.
Major’s distinctive personality made him a local icon and left a broader mark on British popular culture. He took part in the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics and is widely believed to have inspired Del Boy, the beloved lead character in the long-running British sitcom Only Fools and Horses. At his funeral service in September, relatives and fellow Pearly royals gathered in matching button-covered suits to celebrate a man who spent his life representing London's working-class heritage.