Nobody likes their job. But it could be worse! Imagine having to wipe the king’s royal bum or eat someone’s sins after they dye. Join us as we take a look at the absolute worst jobs in history.
Worst jobs ever no.6 – Dog Whipper
Between the 16th and 19th centuries a dog whipper was employed by the churches to remove misbehaving dogs from the church grounds during services. The dog whipper was armed with a very long whip and a huge pair of dog tongs, designed to remove the pesky pooches before they could ruin the sermon.
Worst jobs ever no.5 – Resurrectionist
In the early 1800’s medical schools throughout Europe were in increased demand for corpses. To meet this new demand, people known at Resurrectionists would steal newly laid corpses from their burial plots. Because body snatching only carried a small fine at the time, there was little risk. Realising that they were paid more for fresh corpses, two Resurrectionists, Burke and Hare took to murder as a way of paying their bills. This eventually led to the passage of the Anatomy Act 1832. This strict new act tightened the rules by which copses could actually be used for medical purposes and effectively ended the short lived career of the Resurrectionist.
Worst jobs ever no.4 – Groom of the stool
During the time of King Henry VIII’s reign, the Groom of the stool was considered a rather privileged position. In charge of royal finances and even setting the national fiscal policy, the Groom of the stool seemingly had it made. That is with one minor exception. The job detail also included wiping the King’s royal ass!
Worst jobs ever no.3 – Knocker up
Before alarm clocks were affordable a Knocker up was employed to wake up the town’s residents in time for work. They would mostly use a long bamboo rod to tap at the windows of people sleeping in the upper levels. Sometimes a peashooter was used to wake those who were still asleep.
Worst jobs ever no.2 – Sin Eater
It was the responsibility of the sin eater to eat the sins of the recently departed. Food passed over the body would supposedly absorb the sins of the deceased and be passed on to the eater. This job was only performed by the very poorest of society who in exchange for a meal and a small amount of money would consent their soul to eternal damnation.
Worst jobs ever no.1 – Whipping Boy
During the English monarchies of the 15th and 16th centuries a young boy was chosen to take the place of the prince when he needed to be punished. The boy would take a beating if the prince played up or fell behind in his school work. The idea was that the prince would become so emotionally attached to the boy as they spent a great deal of time together, he would not like to see someone else punished for his behavior. However this wouldn’t work if the prince was a little turd.
