Hop Picking in Kent.

One reason, but probably not the main reason that people travelled to Kent to pick hops, was the atmosphere that would great them on their arrival and stay with them for the six week period. The atmosphere in the hop fields was happy and there was rarely misery. Other reasons were the fresh air that people thought built the children up before winter. There was also the factor of money, they enjoyed themselves and they earn money, which was excellent because they did not earn much in London and were mostly poor.

The families needed extra money for special luxuries for Christmas. They also thought it was a good idea to have a few extra shillings for items such as winter coats or to pay a surprise bill. Most families had the children picking hops as well because they needed more money. People had large families and on some occasions the man of the house was the only person earning money and hop picking was all the woman could find to do that would earn the family money. The children thought of it as a holiday because it was different and they enjoyed it.

People came to Kent - the countryside - because it was good for their health. The fresh air was good for the children and adults and 'unclogged' their lungs, which helped their bodies prepare for the illness of winter. There was also wildlife in Kent which there was not in the east end of London. The Londoners that came to Kent for the first time were surprised to see creatures like grasshoppers.

The money or the countryside was not the only reason many women went hop picking, they often had a legitimate reason to escape London. It was away from the normal routine that, for some women was being hit by their husbands. A violent home was the norm in that time in the east end. Coming to Kent got them away from that and let them have a break.

From about 1870 hop-pickers could get trains from London Bridge to their stops in Kent. Families used to walk to Kent from London but now that trains were available this was an incentive for families to come to Kent. Often the families were large and could not afford the entire train fare so, the parents and the oldest children would pay but the smaller children were lifted over the wall of the station and snuck on the train. The station workers probably knew this was going on but turned a blind eye. On the train journey the train was packed full of young people and old people and pets that people could bring with them.

When you got to your station in Kent the farmers wagon would be waiting. They would all get on the wagon and go to the farm. The improved transport encouraged more hoppers and helped the existing hoppers.

The hoppers came to Kent because the hop farms were in great needed for a large labour force so the Londoners would come to Kent, but to encourage them to come to Kent you needed to offer them perks and incentives which were the money and the fun. To increase the amount of pickers there were eventually hopper trains that bought the hoppers to Kent more quickly.

John Thompson - Hop Picking