Ragandbone

Rag-and-bone refers to itinerant scavengers who collected discarded textiles (rags) and bones to sell to reclaimers in Britain and Ireland from the 17th through the early 20th century. The workers, commonly known as rag-and-bone men, operated across urban and semi-rural areas, often driving horse-drawn carts through streets to take household, market, and factory waste for resale. Materials were sorted for resale: rags could be sold to textile merchants and papermakers, while bones found use in bone mills for soap, animal feed, or fertilizer.

The rag-and-bone trade played a role in early recycling within the urban economy, providing a low-cost stream of raw materials and helping with waste management before formal municipal systems existed. The work was precarious and low-paid, conducted outdoors and in all weather, and workers faced social stigma as part of the informal economy. The trade tended to cluster in working-class neighborhoods and along common routes, forming an informal network that supported local recycling.

Decline began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as municipal waste collection, regulations, and expanding formal recycling industries reduced the demand for mobile scavenging. By the mid-20th century rag-and-bone activity had largely disappeared in Britain, though local variants persisted longer in some regions and the phrase left a mark on language and culture.

In popular culture and literature, rag-and-bone men are associated with urban life in the Victorian era, appearing in discussions of poverty, industry, and everyday survival. The term also survives in modern branding, notably as Rag & Bone, a contemporary fashion brand, which is distinct from the historical trade.