Not everyone in your family tree will have been a farmer, a miner, or a factory worker. Digging into the past can uncover ancestors who earned their living in the most unusual and sometimes downright dangerous professions. From collecting leeches to cleaning chimneys, the British working classes often turned their hands to whatever paid the bills. Could your great-great-grandad have been knee-deep in soot, or your great-great-granny a seller of “penny dreadfuls” on the streets of Victorian London?
Let’s explore some of the most surprising jobs your ancestors may have had.
1. Leech Collector
Popular during: 18th–19th centuries
Doctors once believed leeches could cure all manner of ailments. Collectors (often poor women and children) waded barefoot into ponds and streams, letting leeches attach to their skin before prising them off and selling them to apothecaries.
2. Chimney Sweep
Popular during: 17th–19th centuries
One of the most infamous jobs of the Industrial Revolution, many sweeps were small boys forced to climb up chimneys and brush away soot. It was dirty, dangerous work, and chimney sweeps even had their own patron saint, St. Florian, for protection.
Clue in your tree: Census entries describing children as “apprentices” or “sweeps” often in urban areas like London, Manchester, or Birmingham.
3. Knocker-Up
Popular during: 19th–early 20th centuries
Before alarm clocks were common, “knocker-ups” made their living waking workers for their shifts. Armed with a long stick or peashooter, they tapped on bedroom windows until their clients stirred.
Clue in your tree: Lancashire or Yorkshire ancestors living in mill towns, sometimes listed simply as “watchmen” or “knocker-up” in trade directories.
4. Rat Catcher
Popular during: 18th–19th centuries
Cities swarmed with vermin, and rat catchers were hired to rid homes, factories, and docks of pests. Some became minor celebrities, showing off their catches in public or keeping terriers to demonstrate their skills.
Clue in your tree: Look for ancestors in port cities like Liverpool or London. Sometimes listed as “exterminator,” “rat catcher,” or simply “labourer.”
5. Resurrectionist (Body Snatcher)
Popular during: late 18th–early 19th centuries
Medical schools desperately needed cadavers to teach anatomy, but the legal supply was limited. Enter the resurrectionists, who dug up fresh graves and sold bodies to surgeons. While illegal, it was surprisingly common until the Anatomy Act of 1832 made it unnecessary.
Clue in your tree: Rarely recorded directly, but hints may appear in criminal registers or newspaper reports if an ancestor was caught.
6. Mudlark
Popular during: 18th–19th centuries
Mudlarks (often children) scavenged along the Thames at low tide, collecting coal, rope, bones, or scraps of metal to sell. Though dangerous and unsanitary, it offered a meagre income for London’s poorest.
Clue in your tree: Ancestors living near the Thames in London were often described as “scavenger” or “labourer” in records.
7. Pure Finder
Popular during: 18th–19th centuries
One of the least glamorous jobs in history: pure finders collected dog faeces (“pure”) to sell to tanneries, where it was used in leather-making. This grim but necessary trade kept many families afloat.
Clue in your tree: Tanneries were common in towns like Bermondsey (London), Leeds, and Northampton. Look for ancestors listed as “labourer” or “collector.”
8. Match Girl
Popular during: 19th century
Young girls worked in match factories, dipping sticks into white phosphorus. The work was poorly paid and hazardous, exposure to the chemicals caused “phossy jaw,” a disfiguring condition. The famous 1888 Matchgirls’ Strike brought some improvements.
Clue in your tree: East End ancestors, particularly in London’s Bow district, may have been involved. Census entries might simply say “match worker.”
9. Crossing Sweeper
Popular during: 18th–19th centuries
Before paved roads, streets were filthy with mud and horse manure. Crossing sweepers cleared a path across for a small tip. It was one of the lowest rungs of urban employment, but it allowed independence compared to the workhouse.
Clue in your tree: Look in census returns for city-dwelling ancestors with vague occupations like “sweeper.”
10. Gong Farmer
Popular during: Tudor–Victorian times
Perhaps the worst of all jobs: gong farmers cleaned out cesspits and privies, often at night. Paid reasonably well for the era, they worked in secrecy, as the stench made them social outcasts.
Clue in your tree: Parish records sometimes euphemistically record them as “night soil men” or “labourers.”
Why These Jobs Matter for Genealogy
Uncovering unusual occupations adds colour and context to your family tree. It helps you imagine the daily lives of your ancestors, far beyond names and dates. Occupations often reveal:
- Class and status: Were they eking out survival or skilled tradesmen?
- Location: Certain jobs were tied to specific places (e.g., mudlarks to London).
- Health risks: Dangerous trades could explain early deaths or illnesses.
- Family traditions: Occupations often passed down through generations.
Next time you spot an ancestor listed as a “labourer” in the census, consider looking deeper. They may have been trudging through mud, scraping chimneys, or even tapping on windows to wake the neighbours.
Final Thought | Unusual Ancestors in Your Tree
Not every ancestor was a knight or a noble. Many of ours worked the toughest, strangest jobs imaginable just to put bread on the table. And while their occupations may seem shocking today, they were vital parts of Britain’s social fabric.
Want to know if your family tree hides a mudlark, rat catcher, or even a body snatcher? Get in touch with Family Wise Limited today for a free, no-obligation quote, and let us uncover the surprising lives behind your ancestors.
