Hi Lesley and All, This came in from my son-in-law - I must be saying something right to be sent this!! - On this day in 1801, Britain conducted its first modern census. In it, people were asked to specify their "rank, profession or occupation". Some of the more unusual professions listed in the responses (which are preserved by the London Genealogical Society) are - Emasculator Sampler of drugs Proprietor of midgets Knocker-up of work people * Examiner of underclothing Rust attendant at lavatory And David's favourite of all - Turnip Shepherd. That sounds like a nice, undemanding profession. * For an even more obscure piece of trivia, the knocker-up was a valuable profession during the industrial revolution. They were essentially a human alarm clock who, for a small weekly fee, would come around and knock on the windows of factory workers (using a long pole to reach upper floor windows) to wake them for their shift. The invention of a cheap, reliable alarm clock rendered the profession obsolete overnight. Liz