Tony Robinson has set out to investigate the underbelly of British history through 2,000 years of wretched employment—whether it's swilling out the crotch of a knight's soiled armor or collecting human waste to turn into gunpowder. Covering the Roman invasion to the reign of Queen Victoria, Robinson uncovers an unseen army undertaking arduous, hazardous, deeply unpleasant work. The very names "Toad Eater," "Vomit Collector," "Spit Boy," and "Seeker of the Dead" underline a fairly disgusting history. As he delves into the grime of how life was for the ordinary person, he brings "Gong Scourers" (Tudor cesspit cleaners), "Pure Collectors" (Victorian pooper-scoopers), and "Resurrection Men" (Georgian body snatchers) blinking into the limelight to provide a vivid alternative history of Britain.

The Worst Children's Jobs in History takes you back to the days when being a kid was no excuse for getting out of hard labor. This book tells the stories of all the children whose work fed the nation, kept trains running, and put clothes on everyone’s backs over the last few hundred years of Britain’s history. From a jigger-turner to a turnip-picker, from an orderly boy to a matchbox maker, this book will tell you things you probably didn’t want to know about the back-breaking realities of being a child in the past.