What a Wage Buys at Dover, and What It Does Not

The streets behind the quays at Dover are the oldest part of the town and are run by nobody in particular, which is the first thing to understand about them. They are narrow enough that two carts cannot pass, they are wet underfoot for most of the winter, and at any hour of the night there is light in some of the windows because somebody in the street is working a tide. There is a beadle for the whole quarter and two constables for the borough, and neither is present in an ordinary week. What actually governs a quay street is a small number of women who hold rent books, keep credit, know every household, and are consulted before anything is done.