Who has the worst occupation?

[J.J.]

Bless the Vicar for his foresight...What a wonderful fellow to be so thoughtful....

My neighbours went to have their wee newborn baptised 50 years ago...born out of wedlock...the priest told them he wouldn't christen "the little Bastard"...ah, what???
Now there's a modern approach!

He was a bit different that vicar.  At the start of his entries he wrote a long spiel about how he had wrangled to get control of the register from the Parish Clerk and ended it with the phrase 'So let the recording for posterity begin'

It's as if he knew that many years later we'd be poring over his words.

Ian

[krissy]

hi nina,
sorry i missed your reply, but yes that helps a bit , i just had visions of my grt grandfather rumaging thro bins etc, pushing an old pram  your explanation tho sad for children puts in a better light!
krissy

[krissy]

oops silly me 
i forgot to thankyou too fred, shame i missed that programme
thanks for the msg tho
krissy

[MrsLizzy]

It's not in my family history, but I was watching that film Brassed Off, about the miners and the colliery band, fighting to keep their pit open.  I couldn't help feeling that although I really felt for them, going down the pit would quite possibly be the last job in the world I'd want for anyone dear to me.  I tried to imagine if I'd married into a mining family and how stuck up they'd all have thought me for trying to get my man to retrain and do something different, and having flaming rows with my husband for refusing point blank to let my little lad go down t'pit!

[Rosedale]

Well. I've a whole family of ag & gen labourers, general servants, "Paving Labourer" and Market Workers (That's about as good as it gets).  When I went further back things got better- even had a few servants ourselves. How times change!

[jillruss]

I wonder if anyone has ever found an occupation entry on a census return for a young boy - 'goes up chimneys'?!

After all, if you believe Charles Kingsley, Charles Dickens etc, (and I've no reason to disbelieve them) it was supposedly rife in the 19th century.

Just curious!!

Jill

[TheFoxCovert]

It's alarming some of the mistakes census enumerators make. I once found a 15 year old girl apparently working as a gas fitter, in 1851! I expect the gas fitter was probably an elder brother and the clerk entered the occupation in the wrong box.

The worst name probably has to go to the Crapper family from Dungworth. I didn't record what they did for their living!

[drodgers34]

Joseph Cartwright - age 9 in 1851 census - Coal miner - no mistake.
Address Dick Edge, hepworth, West Yorkshire.

He can't have been impressed - made a career change to labourer in Ironworks before 1961 Census.

I should add this was fairly unusual and there are many 'scholars' listed in the area older than that. I think the area was quite well off for schools from quite an early stage

[dennford]

I was watching that film Brassed Off, about the miners and the colliery band, fighting to keep their pit open.  I couldn't help feeling that although I really felt for them, going down the pit would quite possibly be the last job in the world I'd want for anyone dear to me.  I tried to imagine if I'd married into a mining family and how stuck up they'd all have thought me for trying to get my man to retrain and do something different, and having flaming rows with my husband for refusing point blank to let my little lad go down t'pit!

I did come from a mining background and while everyone in the industry was proud to to be working in the coal mines (and I still think it a privilege to have worked there - even though it was many years ago)many of the men and all the women wanted better for their offspring even though for many there was little choice. However even in the 50s-60s there were a few who held the opinion that if it's good enough for me then it's good enough for my lads. And yes these blokes did have flaming rows with the wives over that - so you are no different