Sin-Eater: In medieval England, it was believed that the sins of the deceased could be passed on to those who attended their funeral. To prevent this from happening, a sin-eater would be hired to eat bread and drink ale over the body of the deceased, thus taking on their sins.
Body Snatcher: In the 19th
century, the demand for corpses for medical research and education led to the
rise of body snatchers. These individuals would exhume recently buried bodies and
sell them to medical schools for dissection.
Spit Boy: In medieval times, meat
was often roasted on a spit over an open flame. Spit boys were employed to turn
the spit continuously to ensure that the meat cooked evenly.
Resurrectionist: Similar to body
snatchers, resurrectionists were individuals who would steal corpses from
graveyards for medical research. However, they often went one step further and
even murdered people for the purpose of selling their bodies to medical
schools.
Powder Monkey: In the age of
sail, powder monkeys were young boys who were responsible for carrying
gunpowder from the ship's magazine to the cannons during battle. Despite their
dangerous job, many boys as young as 7 or 8 years old worked as powder monkeys
on naval vessels.
Knocker-up: In the 19th and early
20th centuries, many people didn't have alarm clocks, so they relied on a
"knocker-up" to wake them up in the morning. These workers would go
from house to house with a long stick, knocking on people's windows to wake them
up for work.
Gong Farmer: In medieval
England, there were no indoor plumbing systems, so people used chamber pots to
collect their waste. Gong farmers were responsible for collecting and disposing
of this waste, which they would then sell to farmers as fertilizer.
Gong Scourer: In addition to the
gong farmer who collected and sold human waste, there were also gong scourers
who were responsible for cleaning the sewers and drains in medieval towns and
cities.
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