'Mudlark' (Worst Jobs in Victorian England)

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Victorian mudlarking was no fun - it was a filthy, wretched life - searching dirty stinking shores of London’s River Thames for coal, rags, bones, rope and nails - even plundering coal or iron from vessels they could reach to supplement their meagre living. To be a Mudlark in Victorian England was a question of survival and only the very poorest living at the margins of society found themselves trapped in this ‘job’ - perhaps one of the worst in Victorian era England. We take a journey back in time with the journalist Henry Mayhew as he tells his account of the life and struggles of these extreme scavengers.
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Credits:
Narration by markmanningmedia.com
Water Pipes Video footage by Videvo, Muddy River by Videezy, Mudlarking by Pomysłowy Max, Thames Discovery Programme, delthebike RU-vid commons
CC BY - A complete copper alloy nail dating probably to the Roman or Post-Medieval periods by Durham County Council; Group of Plaistow children, 1904 by Wellcome Collection; Ball splash in 1000fps by NatureClip
#Mudlark #Mudlarking #MudlarkingVictorian #VictorianLondon #VictorianDocumentary #VictorianLondonDocumentary #VictorianEraDocumentary #FactFeast #VictorianLife #Victorian #19thCentury

Опубликовано:

28 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 207

@FactFeast 3 года назад

✅ Please support the channel by sharing this video on social media 📲 It really helps the channel grow so we can bring you more content to watch 📺 Thank you 👍

@craigobrien31 2 года назад

Its crazy them days the kids will to live

@minacarroll8867 3 года назад

19th century London was a terrible place ,that's all that can be said. Thankyou for these videos.

@FactFeast 3 года назад

There were so many horrible ‘jobs’ that ‘worst’ is arguably a moot point when discussing what many had to do just to survive. Thanks for watching!

@smashingpumpkin1986 3 года назад

21st century London is a terrible place too

@basharalassad6854 3 года назад

21 century London isnt that much better

@richard-lm4zf 3 года назад

It ain’t much better now

@guerrillaradio1 3 года назад

At least it was English

@erin19030 2 года назад

When I was a kid in the Pennsylvania Coal field , I lived in a small mining village. Everyday I got up early to scower the culm banks for good chunks of coal that fell off the carts coming put of the mine on the night shift. My dad was a miner but we could not afford the price of coal, so we kids scavenged for it during our play time. Somedays were bountiful enough to have some coal to heat our pot bellied stove at home and had enough left over to buy fresh meat at the butcher shop. Eating meat once or twice a week was a treat.

@douglasjacobberger7663 3 года назад

The narration is wonderful. Thank you for the vivid reality people lived in at that time.

@FactFeast 3 года назад

You’re welcome and thank you! I’m glad it set the right tone for such a hard life.

@alanhillier1033 3 года назад

Here in Portsmouth there’s a “mudlarker” statue erected right next to HMS Warrior,worth a “google”

@FactFeast 3 года назад

It’s an interesting story. Thank you!

@Chrisamos412 3 года назад

That is so pitiful, when little children suffer such pains and sorrows such as this, it breaks your heart.

@MithrilMagic 3 года назад

I really don’t understand how people survived. Life was so hard! Honestly! How did they endure?! It must have been a living hell!

@FactFeast 3 года назад

A wretched life indeed - suffered by children as well as the elderly.

@ANWRocketMan 3 года назад

The unfortunate thing is, in many parts in the world, the life of the poor isn't much different. I was lucky enough to be born middle class in South Africa, the poor here live very much like the poor then in Victorian era London. People come around on garbage days to rummage through trash for food or valuables (bottles etc that can be resold). The garbage dump in my town is massive and home to a population of around 100 people who dig around in the landfill, again for valuables. Crime is rampant in the poor areas and extremely dangerous. Our government recently placed the poverty line for food (the most basic requirement) at US$45 a month with MEDIAN income at US$250 a month, and we're doing better than most of our surrounding countries.

@MithrilMagic 3 года назад

@@ANWRocketMan I was in India a few years ago for work (I’m a social worker) and I saw some truly horrific things that will stay with me until the day I die. I live in the US but I live in an area that has been ravaged by mining companies. The area I cover for social work is some of the poorest in the country. We have some extremely poverty stricken families. People want to act as if this doesn’t exist in society today but unfortunately it does. Here it’s generational poverty. A long line of individuals who have been completely neglected. I love social work but it is a hard job.

@nd6286 3 года назад

@@ANWRocketMan if you're a woman and dirt poor you could try and break the cycle and not have kids. However, poor women never exercise that power they have. In fact they usually have a brood of 3-7 offspring. What a broken species we are.

@unionjack84 3 года назад

I cannot believe how hard life was for the poor back then. It makes me cry

@HungryGoat96 3 года назад

Unfortunately the suffering of the poor can be as bad as it was back then even today. Despair and hardship have always been our companions.

@kenny6920 3 года назад

Come to Skid Row Los Angeles

@francinel8154 2 года назад

@@kenny6920 It's warm there dough and they can afford drugs.

@robinyoung6533 3 года назад

I absolutely love your channel. I’m fascinated by this era, in and around this area and the lives of the people who lived through it all. It’s hard to imagine this being possible in a period not really even that long ago. Keep up the great content in the great way you do with the amazing stories from the actual mouths of the people themselves.

@FactFeast 3 года назад

I believe hearing about the past from those who lived it first-hand brings a deeper understanding of how difficult everyday life was. I will be doing more. Thank you for your support!

@spudmcdougal369 3 года назад

There was a movie made in 1950 called the mudlark. It was about a kid who was a mudlark who snapped Queen Victoria out of her mourning.

@cherylT321 Год назад

Wish she’d woken up enough to actually help her people!

@Mudhooks 3 года назад

Interesting that copper nails which are found in abundance on the foreshore, so much so that they are generally left there by the modern mudlarks, were such a prize in those days. The poor little mites barefoot and barely clothed out in the mud.

@FactFeast 3 года назад

The value of a commodity for which they scavenged is now of less worth than the everyday objects they may have carried with them and are sought on the shores today.

@Kennephone Год назад

I didn't know mudlarks are still a thing. It's beyond horrible that society still lets some people down that much.

@whispermcgaughy7251 3 года назад

This nearly brought me to tears😔 I grew up poor and had times of homelessness,but it's no comparison to what these poor kids had to endure..I just can't understand how the royal family could live so lavishly, without even a care for those suffering so greatly..No child should go to bed hungry or have to walk the streets in rags..These stories help me to appreciate what I have and not take for granted that I can at any time be right back on the streets and not knowing where my next meal will come from..

@douggieharrison6913 3 года назад

Just because your life isn't as hard as these children doesn't mean you should be living in fear of losing your home. I'm happy you appreciate what ypu have but no person should have to go through that. I'm really sorry to hear and hope you find peace of mind soon.

@Rob_Walker. 3 года назад

God bless you I had the same happened to me my mother gave me up to my grandparents whom was broke and died when I was 16 making me homeless at the time.

@whispermcgaughy7251 3 года назад

@@douggieharrison6913 Thank you 😊 I appreciate your kind words..

@whispermcgaughy7251 3 года назад

@@Rob_Walker. We both lived to tell our tales, that's definitely something to be thankful for..

@GrantTarredus 3 года назад

@@Rob_Walker. I can’t start to imagine going through that, and while I don’t know you I do know that we are brothers. And as one of your brothers I’m pained by what you’ve shared, and I hope with everything in me that only good comes your way from now on.

@leebritnell2405 3 года назад

I had an ancestor who was a 'scavenger '-sounds like he did a similar thing but was employed by the council.

@rustynail8925 3 года назад

I watched a program once called 24hours in the past , presented by Ruth Goodman . The first of 4 episodes shows in particular the collection of horse muck and dog muck off the streets, back then they prized finding dog muck because they used it in the prosses of tanning leather !

@FactFeast 3 года назад

They were called ‘Pure Finders’ and there is a video about them on my channel.

@rustynail8925 3 года назад

Hi Fact feast , just watched the video you mentioned 'pure finders'really good vidio , there's one thing I've remembered though what i heard on 24 hours in the past and that is the majority of horse muck and other offel they collected in wooden barrels ended up in the West indies , used as fertiliser on banana plantations , apparently they couldn't get enough of the stuff ! Your stories get a big thumbs up from me , I'll be watching , many thanks, Rusty .

@Maxibo234 3 года назад

To think we had the cheek to call others barbarian!

@justincarroll1836 3 года назад

The worst part is that they're mostly children because the odds of surviving 10+ years in that "profession" are slim. Edit: of course there's a chance to get out and gain a job day laboring too but I don't doubt that the harshness of poverty and conditions limited their lifespans

@aryanofpersia 3 года назад

Another video my friend!!! Keep them coming! My wife and I are hooked!

@FactFeast 3 года назад

I’m glad you both found this one engaging! Next Sunday’s video is connected to mudlarks, but I’ll let it be a surprise…

@icequeen917 3 года назад

I'd be curious to know how many of those "non speaking" children were actually either "failure to thrive" children or mentally handicapped or both!

@silvia.4442 3 года назад

I watched in another video that some people would throw things of value in order to watch the mudlarks wrestle it out. However, this increased their chances of getting infected by their injuries. 😕

@curtiskretzer8898 3 года назад

🇺🇲sailor told me they did something similar in South Korea where there was a bridge over sewage polluted water. 1 of the best things that ever happened to me was being expurgated from the service & continuing association w/squids & grunts.

@douggieharrison6913 3 года назад

Subbed. I've subbed to many great history channels on RU-vid in their earliest days and watched them grow. I see the same for this channel. I truly think soon it will 100k followers if it keeps this level of quality up

@FactFeast 3 года назад

That’s very kind of you to say, thank you! Your support is appreciated. Lots more content planned for the future.

@moondancer9066 3 года назад

What a hard life 😥

@adamosak6864 3 года назад

Seems to me that the child who didn't know God from religion was closer to God than most religious people will ever be.

@keepitsimple4629 3 года назад

Adam Osak, I thought the same thing!

@allisonsoutherland5463 3 года назад

Fantastic video!!!

@FactFeast 3 года назад

Thank you! It’s great that you enjoyed watching.

@Lady_Chalk 3 года назад

I’ll just stick to beach combing…

@FactFeast 3 года назад

A much safer activity!

@curtisbolen2076 2 года назад

Absolutely appalling how those people had to try to get just enough for a little food

@smaakjeks 2 года назад

What strikes me is how this isn't even that long ago...

@katiemarie82 3 года назад

Got to catch up I've missed a few videos 📹 🙋‍♀️

@FactFeast 3 года назад

I hope you enjoy!

@katiemarie82 3 года назад

Always do thank you✍

@treasurehuntingscotlandmud9340 Год назад

Enjoyed the vidwo

@FactFeast Год назад

That's great! Thanks for the visit.

@Strawhalo 3 года назад

Wow the history of Europe

@sheldonmcgowan5943 2 года назад

Thanks

@FactFeast 2 года назад

A pleasure! Glad you enjoyed the mudlarks.

@meemurthelemur4811 3 года назад

I've never been this early! 🤗😍

@j.b.4340 Год назад

@24:26 that hurts.

@chrisrebar2381 2 года назад

Interesting pronunciation of the word “iron”

@pha-qall6435 3 года назад

I forgot what exactly did they do with all the bonez they collect i have mixed thoughts

@cuttaugood 3 года назад

Soup probably

@rabbitskinner 3 года назад

They sold them to glue manufacturers

@rabbitskinner 3 года назад

Or they were ground to make fertiliser

@rustynail8925 2 года назад

@@rabbitskinner They also used bone once ground to a dust to make fine bone china , its what makes pottery have a pure white appearance !

@markpickett4403 3 года назад

At least they had a chance to choose the labor.slaves didn't have a choice.So slavery is the hardest job to have.

@sweetiesquad4lyfe582 3 года назад

Slaves did not, typically, starve to death after working a full day.

@Automedon2 2 года назад

I wonder if Nicola has seen this

@kaidorade1317 3 года назад

Mudlark sounds like a cousin of the mudcrab from Skyrim!

@Eli-ts3ph Год назад

I hope the man collecting the children's stories gave them a hot meal and decent clothes and shoes.

@roro1980 3 года назад

Poor little children

@rainyfeathers9148 3 года назад

Children are the realist ones.

@mrsamuraiist 3 года назад

I've seen people acting like this in india

@mundylunes7755 11 месяцев назад

People live like this today

@Bishka100 3 года назад

Given the likely-hood of stepping on something sharp and getting an infection, hunger, cold, and wading in such unsanitary water, I would be surprised if half the dead bodies found in the Thames were not those of mudlarks. This must be one of your most horrid episodes yet!

@moondancer9066 3 года назад

Probably bigger criminals doing that.

@giovannicervantes2053 3 года назад

Just remember there were also toshers they made plenty of cash but by going into the sewers themselves

@mijiyoon5575 3 года назад

Some poignant art work in this vid ... TY *Fact Feast* for teaching us how easy we have it now days ... horrific life then

@FactFeast 3 года назад

It really was a desperate existence being constantly wet, cold, dirty, hungry and relying on chance that the tide will bring enough to buy some food that day.

@whitetroutchannel 2 года назад

im from northern ireland, its so interesting to hear about how the potatoe blight effected people in england too, inaccurate historical reporting has let to tales like these being buried so well done sir in reminding us of the harsh lessons of history, amazing channel 👍👍👍

@saku577 3 года назад

Absolutely horrid to think what these peoples' live must have been like. Thanks for making the video, I love how you make content about what most peoples' lives were like during the Victorian era, not just the fancy rich people.

@FactFeast 3 года назад

You’re welcome. It’s nice to know you found this engaging to watch. Thank you!

@crystallong9625 3 года назад

How extremely sad!! God bless those little ones of the past for enduring such adversity. It’s a terrible shame that they had to live in that manner.

@carolesmith4864 3 года назад

The poorest person in the West today is better off than these poor people of Victorian England.

@patricialong5767 3 года назад

Incredible hardships! Makes one very happy to have been born in this era, aye??

@MsZoedog66 3 года назад

Your stories are always interesting and frequently entertaining, though tragic. Thanks for such great content!

@FactFeast 3 года назад

It’s great you find the content so interesting. Thanks for your support!

@ryan.1990 3 года назад

We really have it incomparably easy ❤️

@Dingomush 2 года назад

This was so sad. Such a great story to preserve. Just thinking about the few people who did climb their way up out of the slums of London, their hardship and determination for a better life anywhere except where they were. It’s heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. The whole family is caught in this mess, but the boy is determined to take care of his mom and sisters at the cost of his own life………..😢

@tinyGrim1 3 года назад

Yay ! Thank you ! Have been binge watching your videos over and over. Your voice is perfect 👍☮️💫

@FactFeast 3 года назад

It’s great to know you like them so much. It means a lot! Thank you.

@TheTonialadd 3 года назад

We truly must thank our ancestors for their efforts merely to stay alive. For otherwise we wouldn’t be here to appreciate their hard work. You have the best channel. ❤️

@FactFeast 3 года назад

Thank you so much for your support!

@popeyethepirate5473 3 года назад

"God is God." Probably the best answer honestly...

@agingerbeard 3 года назад

Fantastic read! This channel is like a looking glass thru time, thanks for sharing this video!

@FactFeast 3 года назад

You’re very welcome! I’m glad you enjoy the presentation. Thank you.

@leerequiem 3 года назад

The worst thing about people in this Era who lived on the fringes of society was that poor people's lives had no dignity and their existence was so utterly miserable 😢

@FactFeast 3 года назад

It really was a dystopia for many and quite unimaginable for us today were it not for the honest reporting of a handful of journalists and social commentators.

@heidihochrein7912 Год назад

This is yet happening in Thailand, Sri Lanka, or anywhere where refuse is heaped.

@chchedda Год назад

Least it's warm there

@scottthompson3493 Год назад

And Africa for the makings for electric cars.

@jamesv7566 Год назад

It's a great treasure that Mr. Mayhew was able to document these experiences w/ every day people so we can see how far we have come......

@FactFeast Год назад

We are lucky he wrote in so much detail about so many people 🙂

@maxineblick2002 3 года назад

Tough life back then. Lucky to be born today.

@xavier84623 3 года назад

He tried to make that kid seem unintelligent, but he made him actually sound really based lol

@hobocyclist 3 года назад

been down in the mud beside the thames.. it's full of rubbish needles broken glass and it stinks

@gcarraig 3 года назад

Fantastic series. Essential to understand the historical details of common people and their lot in life-especially now, considering the rise of “popular” anti-government and anti-regulatory impulses in the UK & US.

@lydieluck7753 2 года назад

The thing that is the most sad is the complete ignorance displayed by the child interviewed. He doesn’t know anything, even about his own city and country and where he was born! The whole situation is just horrible. I don’t mean to trivialize the physical aspect of being a child mudlark in anyway though.

@FactFeast 2 года назад

I imagine that for many poor and working class people in London the countryside was very much ‘abroad.’ In the sense they’d never been and only knew what they had been told.

@BaskiHighT 2 года назад

Plenty of kids like that today.. Funny how were all shocked and in awe about history but look away when it's present.

@Derrako 3 года назад

Grim. Must have been awful, but the well off lived in such elegance.

@scottthompson3493 Год назад

Our poorest in the West live in luxury compared to this.

@issuma8223 3 года назад

MUDLARKS anagrams to DARK SLUM

@FactFeast 3 года назад

So it is! I’m sure many mudkarks lived in slums too.

@Automedon2 2 года назад

And there are still children in Asia and South America who mudlark in the sewers and rubbish dumps.

@sylwia7060 3 года назад

Another great upload 👌, thank you for the work you put in and the great narrator 👍. Watching from Norway

@FactFeast 3 года назад

Thank you for your support! It’s great that you enjoyed watching.

@IMjustAGirlInTheWorld1983 Год назад

The last 10 minutes the little boy whoms mother lost everything 5 years after his fsther died due to the potato blight broke my heart. He took care of his mother the best her cpupd and himself while she was sick. Regardless of how little he was. He was more of a man back then as a wee child. Than any man I've ever known these days. God bless him hope he was able to get a better life. For him and his momma. If not. God bless their souls.

@carolehayden8566 3 года назад

Just found you Excellent! Subscribed! 🏆

@FactFeast 3 года назад

Welcome to the channel! Hope you enjoy the content.

@81618j 3 года назад

These videos are a kind of solace after a hard day's work. Thanks!!!

@FactFeast 3 года назад

If the videos provide some peace in watching then I’m glad. Thank you!

@yarrowwitch 3 года назад

This is the world the Tories seem to be trying to re-create.😪

@vikiviki921 Год назад

Must have language option ....

@petercleary1000 2 года назад

So much for the British empire 🙄

@slytub 3 года назад

The thumbnail looks like Billy Butcherson the zombie in the film Hocus Pocus

@ih8018 3 года назад

Fantastic video what a hard life they had thanks again 👍☺️😌😌

@FactFeast 3 года назад

You’re very welcome. Glad you enjoyed watching!

@donnagravely4147 Год назад

Someone explain why bones? What were they doing with them?

@FactFeast Год назад

Mudlarks or Bone Grubbers (I have a video about them too) would take bones to middle-men dealers - often called 'Marine Stores' - for money, and these dealers sold them on to factories for the production of soap and glue.

@tonyalmond458 3 года назад

If the conservatives had their way we would still living like this

@DennyPenn1981 3 года назад

Yes because Government Gibs and Wealth Inequality like what Democrats push is the best way to create a thriving society

@casinoroyle5254 2 года назад

Tony Almond, They have got their way, and the poor of our country are slipping into the pit

@ThreeBeingOne 3 года назад

History repeats itself. To what extent is up to us.

@harrybond1485 Год назад

The disdain for the poor continues to this day.Yet it is often on their backs, that the world has been built, and fortunes have been made.

@manueloliveira9768 Год назад

The best victorians channel. OLIVEIRA, PORTUGAL

@gabrielsurman9809 Год назад

Isn’t it bewildering? Look around you now, making a sweeping generalisations here Ik, but you are relatively comfortable, internet, food, heating, electricity and a home, only about 150 years later than this hell we hear about now. An entire century, generations toiled and suffered in the factories that in one way or another contributed to what we have today… their collective labour echoes today, we just seldom care to listen.

@Rebelartist83 Год назад

This is so sad and not much different than how I grew up but we didn't do mudlarking but definitely a lot of metal scrapping and pawning crap just to eat..and lots of govt cheese and food stamps that looked like monopoly money and just glad to have a home

@ThreeBeingOne 3 года назад

Making a music video on this. It's too interesting not to. Thanks man.

@24934637 Год назад

Mudlarking seems to be quite an interesting leisure activity nowadays for people with an interest in history, but certainly NOT to do it as a job! I could see it getting boring very fast! I'm quite tempted to have a go at it on my local river (The Mersey, Eastern end), seeing as I won't have much luck with gold panning LOL.

@FactFeast Год назад

It was a dangerous activity in the past without protective equipment - nails, glass etc. Thank you for your comment.

@scottwelsh6847 3 года назад

Excellent work!!subscribing now..

@FactFeast 3 года назад

Thank you. Welcome to the channel!

@tastyj111 3 года назад

These videos do an outstanding job on putting today's struggles in perspective. There are many in this world who are still doing it tough, but it does seem like we've come a heck of a long way in terms of living standards.

@joeswampdawghenry Год назад

I'll drink to that!

@Badgerlust 6 месяцев назад

This would be a good game idea

@frontier_conflict 3 года назад

Seriously amazing work as always !!! 👌

@FactFeast 3 года назад

Thanks for your support! It’s appreciated.

@deanjulian6189 2 года назад

the real fallout mudlark

@giacomo8875 2 года назад

This channel is a gem I have a question: what did they use the bone for?

@FactFeast 2 года назад

Bones would be sold for glue and fertilizer production. I’m glad you like the channel!

@antonvrb1510 2 года назад

I was also curious about this. Thanks

@carolehayden8566 3 года назад

The artwork is exemplary!

@FactFeast 3 года назад

Glad you think so. Thanks very much!

@robertafierro5592 2 года назад

These stories just break my ❤. The worst part of it, is that these are VERY close to truth. Explain to your grandkids that these stories really happened! O exaggeration! I think its a good idea to supplement these quick videos for kids studying History. Tweenies. I guess you can tell I miss my grand daughter!

@garethwhaa7476 3 года назад

Think I’d rather be a bonegrubber 😏

@FactFeast 3 года назад

Hobson’s Choice!

@keepitsimple4629 3 года назад

It pisses me off no end to see how these poor souls lived out their whole lives in abject poverty. Mere children consigned to hunger and suffering, while their 'sovereigns' plundered and pillaged the world, subjugating nations and stealing their resources, with no care or compassion for their own subjects. I hope their sovereigns are consigned to hell for never lifting a finger to help, while enjoying untold wealth and prosperity.