In Victorian London, what was a tosher’s job?
In Victorian London the combination of low wages, appalling housing, a fast-growing population, and miserable health care resulted in the sharp division of the city into two classes. Aristocrats and professionals lived comfortably in the “better” parts of town, whereas the majority of the population struggled desperately to exist in the slums, and constantly searched for alternative ways to make a living.
One of the more dangerous professions was that of the tosher. These men would break into London's sprawling sewer system at low tide and wander, sometimes great distances, through the mire searching for valuables. Toshers collected any scraps they could sell, from fragments of rope and bits of bone, to silver cutlery and misplaced coins. Necessary tools of the trade were a lantern, a sieve (to sift with) and a hoe. The hoe served double duty, being useful not only for digging into the accumulated muck in search of buried scraps that could be cleaned and sold, but also for extricating themselves should they get mired.
In 1840 it became illegal to enter the sewers, nevertheless many toshers continued to sneak in at night and work. The job was hazardous; tides could rise or brickwork could collapse, trapping the unwary. Pockets of suffocating and/or explosive gases were common, and no tosher could avoid frequent contact with all manner of human waste. Even so, for many it was still worth it, as a good tosher could make around six shillings (0.41 USD) a day.
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