The term Cockney comes from the 14th Century Norman word, 'Cokeney' – or - "Cocks egg" and loosely refers to the people who lived in the "sub burbs" - places like Whitechapel, Bethnal Green etc.

By tradition a true Cockney is born within the sound of Bow Bells - the bells of St. Mary-Le-Bow Church ("Bow Church") - in Cheapside, London EC2

But from the earliest times, like many Londoners these days, their family could have been immigrants from anywhere in the world. 

Cockney Rhyming Slang - a unique code of speech where a word is  replaced by a well-known phrase which rhymes with that word - is believed to have originated from the many seamen and soldiers who used the London Docks and was adopted by the Costers. 

The Costers were traditional 'Cockney' market sellers who shouted and plied their wares in the street markets of London, trading everything from Fruit and Veg to fine Fabrics.

Londoners, rich and poor, depend on these street hawkers for their daily supplies. The poorest traders, excluded from the Guilds of the rich, scrape a living here selling whatever they could carry to whoever could afford it.