Resurrectionist

In the 18th and 19th centuries, surgeons were almost akin to celebrities. Not only was it mandated that all murderers had to be publicly dissected, but the field of anatomy was rapidly expanding due to all the new knowledge being gained. The only problem was, the need for bodies massively outstripped the number of murderers available, leading to the rise of the bodysnatchers. These grim figures would roam the streets removing corpses as they died, and ferrying them off for use in medical procedures and research.

Funeral clown

Upon hearing the phrase “funeral clown”, you’d be forgiven for assuming the role included gently cheering up mourners after a difficult burial. The reality is way more creepy and occult though, as these clowns were tasked with dressing as the deceased person and wearing a mask of their face, before dancing around the coffin acting like them. This practice was supposed to confuse and placate the spirits of the dead while bringing some levity and joy to the living, and funeral clowns were often very highly paid and regarded.

Herring girl

Despite the historical notion that women were unfit for hard labour, plenty of difficult professions across time have been exclusively the purview of female people. One of the most famous is that of the herring girls, who were tasked with following the migration of the fish along the British coast, then boning, gutting and salting the immense catch before the fish had time to spoil. The job had numerous downsides, from constant cuts that would get infected to being rejected from boarding houses due to the stubborn fish smell.

The groom of the stool

Credit: Wynnter via Getty Images

Not every high-status job is glamorous, and not every truly revolting job comes with societal disdain. Up until 1901, one of the most coveted jobs was also one of the grossest, and involved getting intimately familiar with the monarch’s bathroom habits. The groom of the stool was tasked with controlling the ruler’s diet and witnessing their bowel movements to ensure their health, and the job was considered highly prized as it allowed for private conversations with the king or queen. In 1901 however, King Edward VII brought the practice to an end.

Knocker-upper

If you constantly find yourself unable to get up in the morning, you might need to travel back in time to find a knocker-upper. Prolific in factory towns in the north of England in 1800s, these men would roam the streets with long sticks with which to tap on the windows of workers roughly half an hour before their shifts were set to begin. Some knocker-uppers had alternative strategies for waking their charges though, and would use pea shooters or rattles to get their attention.

Orgy planner

Being an orgy planner in ancient Rome might sound extremely debauched, and it definitely included responsibilities related to the lascivious side of things. However, it also involved completing more logistical tasks, organising everything from the venue to the wine to the guest list, right down to the candles and music playing. Unfortunately, orgy planners were notoriously unpopular in Roman society, as they would catch the ire of anyone they decided not to invite.

Petardier

The idea of explosive handlers feels incredibly modern, but they’ve actually been around since late Medieval and early Renaissance times. The earliest experts were known as petardiers, and were tasked with dropping rudimentary bombs against tunnel entrances and fortress walls during sieges. This was an incredibly dangerous job as these explosives were liable to go off without warning at any moment, meaning that the profession also had a very high turnover rate.

Lime burner

Lime mortar has been an essential building material for centuries, but it isn’t the easiest to make. Centuries back, the process involved shovelling limestone into a kiln heated to 800°C in order to separate the carbon monoxide. Not only did these lime burners have to suffer immense heat and the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, but the final product was also prone to exploding without warning, which added an extra level of risk.

Leech catcher

Back in the horrifyingly unregulated days of early medicine, leeches were used for almost everything. These bloodsucking creatures were considered capable of ridding the body of infection, purifying the blood, and even drawing out fevers. Given their status as a so-called cure-all they were obviously in demand, which necessitated leech catchers: women who would wade into lakes and rivers to tempt the creatures into buckets. These women were so efficient that leeches were almost extinct in England, Ireland and Wales by the end of the 18th century!

Gymnasiarch

The funniest thing about history is that what society considers to be a high-value job changes all the time. In ancient Greece, one of the most admirable professions you could have was that of a gymnasiarch, so much so that the job was unpaid and could only be given to already wealthy men between 30 and 60. A gymnasiarch’s responsibilities included oiling up and scraping down the athletes, and beating the lazy ones with a large birch stick. Yikes.