Help reading occupation please

[Joan of Archives]

George Cooper 1871 census, it seems to say C of E labourer, but I am sure I am wrong, lol!

RG10; Piece: 1550; Folio: 18; Page: 28; GSU roll: 829791.

Thanks !

[Just Gillian]

Could it be Coprolite Labourer?
Cambridgeshire, EnglandGenWeb Project - he Corprolite Industry

[Anne in Carlisle]

Yes I think it is. There's one on the next page too. Yeuk!

Anne

Although it doesn't say so in the article Gillian found this is what coprolite is Coprolites are the preserved faeces of animals and humans

[Joan of Archives]

Ooo thanks Gillian will take a look at that !

[Little Nell]

Yay, Arlesey is just up the road a bit from me, over the county border.

I think its likely to be coprolite labourer. There's another coprolite labourer on the next page from George,lodging with the Coopers so probably they worked at the same place.


The Old Occupations website Old Occupations - C2 says
"Coprolite is fossilised animal dung and was found in Cambridgeshire, between Soham and Royston, and mined out between 1850 and 1890. Ground down and treated with acid, it made an excellent fertiliser. "

Royston is actually in Herts and is just a few miles to the east of Arlesey - quite reasonable walking distance for a labourer in those days.
Coprolite is at least dried and fossilised poo, its not like dealing with raw sewage, which is much more yuk!

[Little Nell]

Joan

Another possibility of place of work is Shillington, Beds which is west and slightly east of Arlesey. This website: Template Timeline - Bedfordshire's Virtual Library
says that 1862 coprolites were found on Chibley Farm and that in 1864 Kelly's directory mentions the men employed in the extensive coprolite works. In 1876 1,4000 people were employed in ths industry.

Same website also has coprolite works in Potton, which is north and a little to the east of Arlesey.

So there are lots of possibilities for you!

[Little Nell]

Aha!

The Shillington site I quoted above says

"The coprolites were treated in huge tanks near The Musgrave Arms and were then sent to a mill at Royston for processing into agricultural fertiliser. The industry had died out by the 1890s with the import of cheap foreign phosphates for chemical manure. At height of the trade coprolites were worth about £3.00 a ton and the average yield was about 300 tons per acre. Wages were high and a good "fossil digger" could earn 40s a week."

[Little Nell]

or your man mightn't have travelled far at all:

"Coprolites. In the mid 1800's, another mineral was found in the Ivel valley and utilised by man. 'Coprolites' are phosphatic nodules, including fossilised dinosaur dung, which were discovered laid over the Gault clays in around the villages of Arlesey, Shefford, Stotfold and Potton. With a yield of 300 tons/ acre, the coprolites were dug out in trenches, washed, ground at a local mill and sold for £3/ton as a natural fertiliser, some going to the French vineyards."

(IVCP) Ivel Valley Histoyy

and a brief mention here: History

[Little Nell]

One more site and then I'll stop - a history of coprolites in Bedfordshire:

Bedfordshire (Page5.html in MW1)

which sheds this interesting social light on the job: "Local churches were renovated during this period, some with monies from having the glebe worked. Many local traders, bankers, brewers, shop retailers and other entrepreneurs catered for and profited from the improved spending power of the diggers.


There were numerous cases of accidents in the works, many fatal. There was tension between coprolite diggers and locals given their higher wages and shorter hours and attempts were made to deter the diggers' frequent use of the public houses and beerhouses that spread like wildfire in the coprolite villages."

[Breckland Jane]

This is very interesting. My husband's great great uncle was a coprolite boy on the 1861 census. He lived in Bucklesham, Suffolk and apparently there were several coprolite mines in that area and a factory near Ipswich. In fact, there is a Coprolite Street in Ipswich.

Jane

[Little Nell]

Only family historians could find poo interesting! Still, I've found out a bit about the industry now, which may come in handy if the conversation lags at a dinner party! Proof that where there's sh*t there's money, anyway!

[Breckland Jane]

Absolutely, Nell. LOL

Jane

[Joan of Archives]

One more site and then I'll stop - a history of coprolites in Bedfordshire:

Bedfordshire (Page5.html in MW1)

which sheds this interesting social light on the job: "Local churches were renovated during this period, some with monies from having the glebe worked. Many local traders, bankers, brewers, shop retailers and other entrepreneurs catered for and profited from the improved spending power of the diggers.


There were numerous cases of accidents in the works, many fatal. There was tension between coprolite diggers and locals given their higher wages and shorter hours and attempts were made to deter the diggers' frequent use of the public houses and beerhouses that spread like wildfire in the coprolite villages."

I love the name of the site you got this from Nell, lmho !!

Funnily enough, by 1881 Ann was a widow. Poor George didn't even get to reach his 36th birthday! Maybe he met with a horrible end!
I may have to get his death cert if I can work out which one he is
Needless to say this is OH's line, mine doesn't contain anything remotely as interesting as s**t shovellers, lmho !!

:D

[Little Nell]

Joan

Or he may have just died of a boring disease like TB! I expect the labouring was quite tough physical work.