The Unusual Occupations That Time Forgot

Have you ever wondered what became of the lamplighters, knockers up and mudlarks? What are these, you may wonder? These are historical occupations that no longer exist or have changed almost entirely since they started.

If you study history, one of the go-to resources in the United Kingdom is the census. The census is a survey that happens every ten years and gives us a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales. It asks questions such as who lives in the house, their ages and occupations. When you look through these ancient documents, a few professions are no longer relevant; these make for fascinating reading. So let's sit back and wander through these five occupations that time forgot.

Lamplighters

If you have seen the latest Mary Poppins film, you may recognise this profession as Jack is one. The lamplighters would walk around at dusk simply lighting the street lamps. They would then return at dawn to extinguish them. However, this was not where their responsibility ended; it was their job to ensure the maintenance and working of the street lamps.

The pay was not brilliant at £2 a week (£91 in today's money), but the job had other perks, including a built-in fitness regime. There are records in the newspapers of a lamplighter that, on retirement, worked out he had walked 150000 miles in his career.

This profession was necessary for all areas. Every citizen benefited from well-lit streets, yet it was an invisible profession that few people acknowledged at the time. The lamplighters would walk in all weathers and was not just a male profession as there were many female lamplighters.

During World War II, it was a critical occupation as lamplighters doubled during the blackout as light watchers, making sure residents covered all windows and lights were extinguished. After the war, the profession started to die out as more lamps became automated with the light outside. Only in Covent Garden, London, did the trade continue, making the most of the flame lights for the atmosphere. However, this became automated in the 1980s, leaving the last lamplighter to hang up his match.

Knocker Up

Now here is a profession I would have been good at. But, as you probably worked out, this career has nothing to do with unwanted children and everything to do with productivity. Simply put, a knocker up was an alarm clock on feet. So for the price of 3d a week (30p in today's time), you could employ one of these people to come to your house and bash on your door until you woke up.

This profession was particularly prevalent in the North of the country, which was the country's manufacturing centre. Many of the factory staff would employ a knocker up to arrive at work on time. The job of the alarm clock would start very early, many of the factory workers had to start their shift at 6 am.

Again this was a job undertaken by both genders; however, it was felt you had to have a particular vengeful personality to enjoy the work of waking people up.

Mudlarks

This is the only profession amongst our five that has changed from a job to a hobby for most. Mudlarks were essentially scavengers who would walk up and down a river's muddy embankment looking for treasure to sell. The profession was mainly in London; many of these young men worked the Thames.

The profession was mainly amongst young boys who did not mind getting covered in mud, hoping to find a dropped shilling or two. Many locals would refer to these boys as the tiny scavengers of the Thames. As you can imagine, many had arguments with those who moored their boats along the Thames.

Papers state that this group of young men had their own language, a cross between the seas and London. There were some promotional prospects for the young boys; some progressed to owning a donkey and cart and selling the goods they found. Today, mudlarking has become a hobby with many business people taking to the river bank on the weekends, metal detector in hand. Unfortunately, the boys in history did not have the luxury of such technology; instead, they relied on their keen eyesight and digging skills.

Rag and Bone Men

These men travelled on a cart and went street to street, calling out for women to bring their rags to them. Before moving on, the rag and bone man would haggle over the price he would give the housewife for her rags.

It was considered a healthy profession with a large amount of fresh air, but unlike lamplighters, not much walking. Instead, most men would travel on the cart that they used to transport their rags. In addition to this, they would also collect bones from locals, which they would take to the glue factory to help with glue production.

On first examination, you would have thought these men would have been poor; however, this was one job that paid well. The clever seller could take the rags bought from the streets, bag them up and sell them to merchants per bag. The going price was 3p per pound which made them on average £4 a week. There was also the possibility of finding a hidden gem in a trouser pocket that someone had forgotten about.

Chimney Sweeps

Many of us are familiar with this profession, especially if we are Charles Dickens fans. In reality, though, this was a cruel profession, with many children abused. Due to the size of the chimneys, many sweeps were children, some as young as six years old. They were often orphans that the sweeps took in.

Some sweeps told stories of straw being lit under them or pins being forced into their feet to make them climb the chimney. Some chimneys were so large that they could be up there for six hours in the pitch dark with only soot to breathe in. When they did come down, knees and elbows would be constantly grazed. Many were soaked in strong brine or soda to toughen their skin, both treatments causing their problems. Many sweeps died from falling; some even became trapped in the chimneys. To keep the boys small enough to climb, rations were kept small.

During the nineteenth century, the profession was finally outlawed with legislation introducing rules for child labour. Industries such as factories were slow to recognise these rules, but luckily chimney sweeping was one of the first to look for alternative methods of carrying out their job.

These were not the only professions that are now no longer employing people. Another career no longer used is that of a crossing sweep who would sweep the road as important aristocrats crossed the horse dung laden street. One of the only professions that have stood the test of time is that of rat catcher, but even that is significantly changed from the profession it was with poisons and sophisticated traps.

As I travelled back in history, I was drawn to one factor, most of these professions stopped because technology took over. Lamplighters were unemployed when the service was automated. Looking at our environment today, could it be that supermarket cashiers will be written about in one hundred years as an example of a profession that ceased to be needed due to automation - unexpected item in the bagging area.

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