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Friday, April 18, 2014

Can you imagine these forgotten jobs?

A forgotten profession: In the days before alarm clocks were widely affordable, people like Mary Smith of Brenton Street were employed to rouse sleeping people in the early hours of the morning. They were commonly known as ‘knocker-ups’ or ‘knocker-uppers’. Mrs. Smith was paid sixpence a week to shoot dried peas at market workers’ windows in Limehouse Fields, London. Photograph from Philip Davies’ Lost London: 1870-1945.
A forgotten profession: In the days before alarm clocks were widely affordable, people like Mary Smith of Brenton Street were employed to rouse sleeping people in the early hours of the morning. They were commonly known as ‘knocker-ups’ or ‘knocker-uppers’. Mrs. Smith was paid sixpence a week to shoot dried peas at market workers’ windows in Limehouse Fields, London. Photograph from Philip Davies’ Lost London: 1870-1945.

Lamp lighter


 

6 comments:

Nancy said...

How interesting!

Wouldn't want to be on that ladder in a strong windstorm.

Bev said...

Soo Cool!!! You do forget about these jobs....

Lady Di Tn said...

Yep wouldn't want either of these jobs. Peace

Granny Annie said...

I don't think the sound of peas hitting my window would have awakened me. She would have had to come to my room and hit me with the pea shooter:)

Linda said...

Totally fascinating!!! I never even heard of this before!

Tracy Batchelder said...

I've never heard of waking people up with a pea shooter. Crazy!