Genealogy Chat

I've seen it all now! I have just seen a fathers occupation on a marriage certificate as Scavenger! So what does your father do? Oh he's a Scavenger!! LOL. Regards Margaret

1 of my rellies is also a scavenger i assumed it meant rag and bone man it sounds better. LOL

Just as a matter of interest a rag and bone man was a Caffeler or Caffler - that sounds even more interesting don't you think?

Thank you ladies... Janet - I think your explanation makes sense as we used to call road sweepers (Scotland)what I thought was Scaffies but maybe it was Scavvies! Regards Margaret

Margaret In my book a Scavenger is a Rubbish Collector/night soil man. The first is self explanatory the second one is, well... hold your noses...a man who empties the potties/gazunders/outside loos etc. Ah well - someone had to do it. Hope they were paid well. Vera, manchester

Thanks Vera - I think I will stick with the first one thank you very much!!! Regards Margaret

Hi Margaret Thought you might! Sounds much better. Vera

Back in the 1960's and early 70's I worked for a small local authority with its own labour force. We had carpenters, plumbers, painters, bricklayers - the usual tradesmen - and then we had the 'labourers', who would do all sorts of different jobs, where required. They would labour for the bricklayers, the plumbers, dig holes in roads, help on the refuse collection vehicles, and 'scavenging', which involved, as has already been said, road sweeping and litter picking. I know this because each different job these 'labourers' undertook had a different hourly rate, and each Thursday, I would take their time-sheets from them and work out their wages according to the jobs they had been doing that week. Unfortunately for them, 'scavenging' was the lowest paid, so they weren't too keen to be assigned to that job. Incidentally, at that time, our 'scavengers' would go out armed with a wheelbarrow, brush and shovel - and a brilliant job they used to do too. But then, that was during the days of the Urban District and Rural District Councils, when small communities had complete control over their destiny, and quality of service was paramount! Just thought you might be interested .... Janet Northamptonshire

Thanks Janet - it was very interesting. Regards Margaret