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Common Jobs in a Medieval City

medievalists.net

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Re: Common Jobs in a Medieval City

#101

Post by hef19898 »

bluGill wrote: post #54
StupidOne wrote: post #39

I'm surprised blacksmiths didn't cut to the top 10. Almost everyone would need some kind of metal tool(s) to do their job in medieval time.

Blacksmith wasn't a major job until the 1800s when industrial revolution made the job possible. In the 1800s a blacksmith should made nothing: everything was made in a factory and the blacksmith just did the final fitting or repair work. Sure they could and did do some custom decorative stuff, but only the rich could afford that. Before then a city might have a couple in employee of the noble to make armor or swords,…

Farming tools? Wood working rools? Tools for builders? All made a blacksmith of sorts. Those making arms and armor where a highly specialized bunch.

That being said, arms manufacturing was a very well developed industry during tue middle ages. Including general contractors, cuttlers, in case of weapons that coordinated the work of the people making the blades, the handles, the scarbords and dis the heat treatment.

If anything, the classic blacksmith went into decline during yhe industrial revolution. With tools, weapons and everyday stuff being mass produced in a factory somewhere.

Re: Common Jobs in a Medieval City

#103

Post by gota »

StupidOne wrote: post #39

I'm surprised blacksmiths didn't cut to the top 10. Almost everyone would need some kind of metal tool(s) to do their job in medieval time.

On topic - I suggest the following blog post series:

https://acoup.blog/2020/09/18/collections-iron-how-did-they-...

I learned a lot about the production and manufacturing of metal (iron) items. If I recall correctly, for iron production, a lot of people are involved in obtaining the fuel (wood, ash, charcoal) and not so many blacksmiths are necessary

Re: Common Jobs in a Medieval City

#104

Post by hef19898 »

Aerroon wrote: post #96
errcorrectcode wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Barber-surgeons.

For those who don't know: barbers were also surgeons and dentists until around the middle of the 18th century. Not only did they cut your hair they also pulled out your teeth and performed surgery on you.

And where generally closer to our modern day MDs then real mediaval MDs. As those where theologists coming from christian universities where they received basically zero true medical training.

Re: Common Jobs in a Medieval City

#105

Post by handrous »

JackFr wrote: post #78
brianwawok wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn't that raise prices, to use a nurse as a reception? In the US it would be something like: Receptionist: 30k / year Nurse: 80k / year. So you have: Doctor's office 1: 3x Nurse, 240k per year in salary Doctor's office 2: 2x Nurse, 1x Receptionist, 190k pear year. That 50k in extra cost has to come from somewhere. Lower paid doctors, higher costs, ???

I don't know how things have changed over the past 25 years, but I used to work as a defense contractor and would frequently have to visit the Navy Annex in Virginia which was also HQ US Marine Corps. It always struck me as weird that the guardhouse gate to enter was manned by a $12 hour off-brand security guard. I mentioned it to someone at one point, and I was told "Do you know how much it costs to train a Marine?…

A relative who put in over 20 years in the army told me that a lot of their post gate guards were contractors these days. Considering that when he told me this it was the height of the occupation of Iraq ('05, maybe?), and that lots of the soldiers on these posts would soon be guarding gates and checkpoints in Iraq, it struck me as super fucking weird that they didn't use that as a training opportunity to get them experience doing that stateside—very different, sure, but any experience beats none, surely, and training's a ton of what they do when not deployed anyway, so seems like a win-win, but I guess either that's not true or whoever landed those contracts had some really good lobbyists.

Re: Common Jobs in a Medieval City

#106

Post by gumby »

irrational wrote: post #97
gumby wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Milkmen, elevator operator, and switchboard operator were extremely common occupations in their heydays, all of which overlapped with my childhood. I only stopped milkman service here in Palo Alto a couple of years ago (though the dairy downtown shut down maybe 30 years ago). It turned out to be a direct milkman->teenager pipeline which was better than walking to the grocery store twice a day.

Why are you going twice a day? We drink 3 gallons of milk a week, but only go once a week.

I didn’t really go twice a day, what I meant was that a teenager can drink a gallon of milk, eat five square meals, every day and still be thin as a rail.

Given all the other food being bought we didn’t really have to have milk delivered, but milk the doorstep seemed to result in less junk food consumption.

As an empty nester I drink less than half a gallon a week.

Re: Common Jobs in a Medieval City

#107

Post by tomjen3 »

stevenjgarner wrote: post #55

It surprises me that all 10 jobs still exist, while there are several more recent occupations that no longer exist (albeit they were not that common): Milkmen, Elevator operator, Switchboard Operator, Ice Cutter, Bowling Pin Setter, Film projectionist, Lamplighter, Leech collector, Alchemist, Bematist, Redsmith, Daguerreotypist, Town crier

Alchemist became Chemist. Dageuerreotypist became photographer, which has only recently gone away.

Town crier is now the guy flipping a sign for the new burger joint.

Re: Common Jobs in a Medieval City

#108

Post by automatic6131 »

c54 wrote: post #94
JackFr wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They must have been quite prolific then. There's a reason Smith is the most common surname in the English speaking world.

Ive heard the possibly apocryphal reason for this is that invading armies would kill or appropriate workers in other professions but keep around the trained blacksmiths working the forge and producing weapons and tools for war. Smiths survived the waves of conquerors.

Wouldn't be true for England which has gone the last millenia (almost) without invasion.

Re: Common Jobs in a Medieval City

#110

Post by claudiulodro »

A fun one that I'm personally familiar with is the Upholder, predecessor to the modern Upholsterer. Back in medieval times, the upholder was a combination furniture and textile producer as well as interior designer and the person who did the banners in castles, bedsheets, etc. Basically anything involving textiles. Over time, padded furniture became the main focus of the trade, leading to what we think of as upholsterers.[1]

[1] https://spruceaustin.com/uncategorized/history-of-the-uphold...

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