FENLAND JOBS

Puddlers

Like most employed in waterway maintenance, Puddlers had a hard job,   to make drainage channels, canals or raised river banks waterproof by puddling the clay lining which was either dredged from the bottom of rivers or dug from nearby pits.

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Slubbers

Drainage channels in the Fens needed to be kept clear and it was in the 19th century a painfully laborious job for Slubbers.  The word slub is an alternative for mud or ooze.  

In the late 19th century digging drainage ditches was still a very labour-intensive job. These men are posing on a drain which they have made, showing both the number of people involved and the sheer size of the ditches and banks which had to be built

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OTHER UNUSUAL JOBS

What is a Saggarmaker's Bottom Knocker?

This may not be a job linked to the Waddelows but Saggarmaker's Bottom Knocker is a facinating job title thats bound to baffle anyone who has not heard of it before and is fun to say.

Saggers are fire clay boxes used to protect the china objects from damage in the kiln.

Saggars are used to hold and protect pottery during kiln-firing, and by placing various substances in a saggar it is possible to produce dramatic visual effects on the finished pottery. 

Producing saggars to the correct specifications required was a skilled job and needs a craftsman - the saggar maker. 

Bottom Knockers

A frame-filler and a bottom-knocker work side by side, early 1900's

However, making the bases of the saggars is a less skilled job which can be left to a lesser craftsman, namely the saggar maker's bottom knocker, who makes the bottom of the saggar by placing clay in a metal hoop and literally knocking it into shape.

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