Further to my recent post attempting to convince some of you that life in the Eighteenth Century was not so nice for most of our ancestors I bring you further proof of that in the shape of a list of interesting occupations from that time.
My favourites are these two. From the gentlemen’s list:
Patricoes (low or unprincipled priests who conducted marriages for the poor; these ceremonies often took place with the couple either side of a dead animal, to symbolise ’till death do us part’)
and from the ladies and childrens list:
Bawdy Baskets (thieves who also sell small goods and obscene books)
Thanks to old school-mate and collector of trivia Roddy Lumsden, whose blog I stole these examples from.
