Occupations that no longer exist.

[Eyresandgraces]

I was changing the bed and remembered that in the 1970’s, so not that long ago, dh’s aunt was a tick turner for Fogarty’s.
She spent her whole working day turning pillowcases the correct way round and pointing the corners with her thumbs.
i can’t imagine such a monotonous job.

I found a list of old occupations but Tick turner is not listed.

A Tosher made a living by scavenging the Victorian sewers. Grim.

Please feel free to add any you can think of.

https://rmhh.co.uk/occup/a.html

Crossing-sweeper. You paid them sixpence or whatever and they swept the road of horse manure/ sewage/ whatever, so you could cross it without getting your nice clothes dirty. That’s if you were rich enough. Dickens mentions them.

Never heard of that one. It figures though.
Dicken’s novels are as much historical records as novels.

Crossing sweeper reminds me of a book we had years ago called Froggie's Little Brother. It was a really depressing tale of two poverty-stricken little brothers. I don't know what happened to it, but it costs pounds to buy now.

Knocker upper. When people didn't have their own alarm clocks a knocker upper would tap on their window at the appointed time to get them up for work.

I wonder whether the occupation Groom of the Royal Stool still exists? Does the King have one or does he have to wipe his own bum?

@CaptainMyCaptain i wonder if a person got up at the same time as his ndn would he be a cf and rely on ndn knocker upper to wake him and save money.

Much more recent. The good old nit nurse.

I loved having my hair examined by the nit nurse.

type setter - all the newspapers used to be set by hand
switch board operator

Wet nurse. Link-boy (carried a torch to light the way for pedestrians before streetlights). Sedan-chair carriers. Whipping boy (boy educated alongside a prince, who was flogged instead of him when he misbehaved).

Typist.
Shorthand note taker

My mum trained at secretarial college in the 1960s and was a typist and had shorthand.

Not many offices still have tea ladies
The only people who still have admin assistants are medics, ime

Me too! I used to pretend to my mum my head itched to get her to look. So relaxing.

Knocker upper. A man with a stick who banged on your bedroom window to wake you up in time to get t'mill.

Once at t'mill you could be doing a huge variety of jobs like these:

https://www.weasteheritagetrail.co.uk/Resources/some-old-job-titles-from-the-textile-industries/index.htm

Including Scribbler, Heck Maker, Woolen Billy Piecer...

Minding the Mule, or the Spinning Jenny or overseeing the Flying Shuttle.

Terrible jobs in some ways but evocatively titled. Before anybody gets mardy I'm from Lancashire and my grandma worked in a cotton mill. I think she did carding?

Gas lamp lighter
Telegram boy
Kitchen maid

Fireman (i.e. for a steam locomotive).

Knife sharpener. I had my knives sharpened by a man who came door to door in the late 80s.

In the late 90’s I had to take blood of an elderly man.
When he pulled his sleeve up his arm was a twisted mess.
I asked what had happened and his reply was
I did it in t mill.
Presumably caught in a machine.

My uncle was a TV repairman his whole life then when wide screen TVs became cheaper to buy new than hire him it felt like his career was finished overnight

Do court typists still exist or is it all recorded?

I think they still exist.

The guy who would empty coin energy meters and coin operated televisions.

Not an actual occupation... but my Dad recieved a bonus on his pay as he could use a computer. And because it was in his contract, he got it until he retired... in 2010. His whole office was fully computerised in the 90s.

Yes, they do.

Lamp lighter