19 Old Jobs I Can't Believe Genuinely Existed
Many of us have had our fair share of undesirable jobs, but history has us feeling pretty thankful for what's on offer these days.
From the unpleasant to the outright bizarre, let's take a trip down memory lane to see all the jobs we've managed to dodge in the 21st century...
1.Knocker-ups, or knocker-uppers
2.Pinsetter
3.Lector
4.Town crier
5.Ice cutters
6.Lamplighter
7.Groom of the stool
8.Gong farmer
9.Tosher or mudlarks
10.Faker
11.Billy boy
Have you ever been junior in a job and had to do the tea or coffee run? Well, that's essentially what the role of a billy boy was!
These entry-level boys and men were often found at building sites, blacksmiths, and railway yards, and would light a fire to boil water for hot drinks in billy cans.
The job was not well paid, and the billy boys were often as young as 13 years old. They commonly left school to pick up these roles, with the aim of learning their trade over a number of years. (Source: Herald Sun)
If you've watched Peaky Blinders, you may also be familiar with the Billy Boys for another reason — they were a gang from Glasgow that Tommy encountered. However, this gang was not a bunch of men who wanted to make you a nice cup of joe, so don't get the two confused!
12.Flatulists
13.Leech collector
Leeches these days are pretty much just used to bring a sense of panic in movies after the main character has waded through an unknown body of water, but they used to be commonly used in medicine as far back as Ancient Egypt.
They were used to suck blood from patients with ailments, with a particular craze from them in the 19th century. Leech collectors were often poor people and commonly women, and they had the less than desirable task of wading into ponds, bogs, and marshes to attract leeches to sell.
How did they do this? Well, they used bait in the form of old horses' legs, or more often than not, their own legs, since it was cheaper.
Now, here it gets even more gross, so maybe skip ahead if you have a sensitive stomach. Leech collectors had to let the leeches suck for 20 minutes or more, as it was easier to remove a leech full of blood. That wound would then bleed for a good few hours, so the collectors would use it to attract more leeches. People believed there was no such thing as too much blood-letting, so the collectors weren't concerned for their health, but of course, they did succumb to serious illnesses caught from the leeches and severe blood loss from a hard day of catching the little bloodsuckers to sell. (Source: Ripley's)
Believe it or not, leeches are actually still used in medicine today! (Source: National Geographic)
14.Powder monkeys
This job involved carrying gunpowder to the artillery pieces on ships. It was fulfilled by young boys as their speed and height meant they could get the materials quickly and go unseen by enemy shooters. It was a fairly dangerous job, as the gunpowder could ignite from a single spark and kill or maim the child carrying it.
Although it seems an undesirable job, it was one with perks, which for many, outweighed the risks — a ship's boy/powder monkey was often a poor boy, and was given a much richer and plentiful diet than he would have on the shore. (Source: Phillip K. Allan)
15.Whipping boy
16.Lungs
The job of "lungs" existed between the 14th and 16th centuries, and these people were employed to fan the fires in alchemist shops. As a result, the workers' lungs would become blackened, so the job was ended for obvious reasons. (Source: Good Housekeeping)
17.Herb strewer
Nowadays, we'd bung on a wax melt or a plug-in air freshener, but back in the 1600s, they didn't have that luxury.
As you'll know from reading about gong farmers further up, the sewage systems weren't as sophisticated as they are today either, so in a nutshell, cities used to absolutely stink.
Royals would employ herb strewers to throw fragrant herbs throughout royal lodgings and at the sites of public ceremonies, so that they would release their scents when crushed underfoot and mask the foul odors coming from the cesspits. (Source: Garden Trivia)
18.Crossing sweeper
Marvel / Via tenor.com
Back when the streets were covered in soot, the rich would employ crossing sweepers to clear a path in front of them so they could walk through without soot dirtying their clothes. (Geri Walton)
19.Vomit collectors
Back in Roman times, wealthy people boasted their position by eating to absolute excess, which gave rise to a unique profession — that of a vomit collector.
They had to hold receptacles for guests to puke into, clean floors, and crawl around the tables getting any splashes — often getting puked on in the process. Grim, right? (Grunge.com)
Vomit collectors do actually exist today, but for a more reasonable purpose — clearing up after guests at theme parks.
