The Worst Jobs in History
Tough Employment from Ancient Rome to Victorian England
Tony Robinson explores some dangerous occupations throughout British history, from Roman gold mining to a Victorian tannery.
Think your job is tough? If so, you've never read "The Worst Jobs in History" by author Tony Robinson. The British writer and television personality has put together a fascinating book that gives readers an idea of how difficult, hazardous and repulsive some jobs were over nearly two thousand years of British history. Covering the early Roman invasion and gradually moving forward through the Middle Ages, and then to the Tudor, Stuart, Georgian and Victorian eras, Robinson charged headfirst into some of the most backbreaking and dangerous occupations that men, women and children did throughout these periods.
The Miners
The Romans invaded Britain because they wanted to get precious metals like lead and silver. Gold was the most valuable of all, and it was the hardest and most dangerous to obtain. Anybody who was unlucky enough to be a slave might get stuck with this unenviable task. Going deep underground the miners had inadequate tools and light with which to extract the metal, and there was always the risk that the workers would be crushed by falling rocks. The gold was imbedded within quartz veins that ran in irregular patterns in the rock face, and all of this had to be removed by hand and carted out in baskets. The advanced mining equipment and safety standards that are present today simply didn't exist back then.
The Squires
The Middle Ages saw many battles between the English and foreign enemies. The knights who wore shining armour in combat had an unpaid assistant who would take care of the knight's needs and ensure his comfort. He was the arming squire. One of the responsibilities of the squire was to clean his master's armour, a filthy and arduous job since the knight would have been sweating profusely inside the suit and in the height of battle there were no restroom breaks either. On the outside the armour would have been stained with mud and the blood of the enemy. A squire had to be on call twenty four hours a day, and when knights went on a campaign they weren't known for travelling light. They expected the same food and bedding that they had at home. So the squire followed his master everywhere, setting up camp, cooking his meals (they had to be hearty since a lot of energy was required to fight the enemy). Prior to the battle of Agincourt arming squires travelled over 200 miles on foot in a little over two weeks, and at the same time protected the armour, weapons, and the knights themselves. And on top of all his regular duties, the young apprentice had to go with his lord to the battlefield, which meant serious injury or death.
The Powder Monkeys
The British Navy had plenty of job opportunities for strong young men, boys would sometimes work as "powder monkeys." Their job was to run a potentially lethal gauntlet between the deck of a ship and down into the magazine room (which was lined with copper to prevent any explosions) to fill the gunpowder cartridges. Since they were so flammable they weren't kept on the deck near the cannons. However, the risk of instant death was always there as they braved a hail of enemy fire with the gunpowder in their hands which could spark up at any time. If they survived, then the pride of being a member of the British Royal Navy was their greatest reward.
The Tanners
In Victorian England, tanners had the most difficult and revolting job of all and is discussed in the last chapter of Robinson's book. The hides of many animals were used including horses, oxen and sheep. First they had to be soaked in a lime solution, and then stripped of hair and fatty tissues which was physically exhausting, and the fat left an unpleasant odour on the hands. To keep the hides dry fires were kept burning and the mix of chemicals, the smoke and bacteria led to all kinds of health problems. But, it was a skilled trade and kept thousands of people working. The Colyton tannery in Devon is the only place in the U.K. where they use the same techniques as their Victorian predecessors.
