The Worst Jobs In History

We all complain about the jobs we have, as the grass is always greener. No matter what you do day to day, unless you’re a lottery winner or one of those lucky souls who has managed to do what they love on a daily basis, then it’s pretty much a given that you’re going to feel hard done by at some point in your career. However, no matter how cold your office, how inconsiderate your workmates, or however much you hate getting up early in the mornings, there really are some jobs that are hands down way worse than what the rest of us do for a living. Check out the list below for what might be the very worst jobs in history.

The stool groom

Every bit as undesirable as it sounds, as this male employee was responsible for cleaning up the monarch after they had been to the toilet. Yes, that’s right, the stool groom (or ‘groom of the stool’) was the royal bum wiper. Surprisingly this position was often given to young men of high birth and whoever fulfilled this role had considerable social standing as they also had unusual personal access to the monarch.

A tosher

This might sound like an insult, but this was actually the name given to someone who scavenged the sewers for a living during Victorian times. If you thought your morning commute was bad then try dropping down through an open manhole cover into an overflowing sewer as an uninspiring way to start the day. Toshers could make a good living with what they found down in the sewers which made it worth their while, but of course, as a rule, they smelled pretty bad when they came home from work.

A whipping boy

This is the most infuriating job for anyone who hates feeling powerless. A whipping boy would be employed by the palace and would literally take whatever punishment was incurred by a lazy or badly behaved prince. The idea behind the whipping boy was that the prince would not want to see a friend (the two boys were usually raised together and became very close) punished for their own failures and so would avoid misbehaving. However, the job of a whipping boy would have been a harsh one where they were employed to take the blows for a cruel prince…

The leech collector

These guys had a fairly easy job but it was certainly not one for the faint hearted. Basically, the leech collector simply had to walk around in the waters of the UK – the Lake District and the Somerset Levels were popular hunting grounds – and wait for the leeches to attach themselves to their legs. Once the leech had filled itself with the leech collector’s blood it would drop off and could be collected and sold to the nearest quack. The obvious downside of this job is the amount of blood loss, as after the 20-minute blood sucking session of a single leech, the wound could bleed for up to 10 hours. Talk about dying for your art…

So, the next time you’re sitting bored at your desk surfing Facebook on your phone for the millionth time, or gazing out of the window and wishing you were out in the sunshine, think yourself lucky – you could have been down in the sewers, up to your knees in leeches or responsible for cleaning royal behinds.

About the Author:

John is a Guest Blogger for Gatwick Diamond Jobs and Careers.