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Story: City children and youth

Bad-mouthed larrikins

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Bad-mouthed larrikins

Larrikins’ use of offensive language was a common cause of complaint in colonial towns and cities. This 1892 letter to the editor of the Marlborough Expresscalls on the police to make examples of one or two offenders to deter others.

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National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past

Reference: Marlborough Express, 6 May 1892, p. 2

Permission of the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Ben Schrader, City children and youth – Bad behaviour, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/21964/bad-mouthed-larrikins (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Ben Schrader, published 4 February 2010.