From time to time you come across strange occupations on birth, marriage and death certificates. Although not one of my Musgrove's, I accidentally got a death certificate for this chap and was amazed to read his unusual occupation.
Why would the widow volunteer the fact her husband was a crook ? I searched the online newspapers to see if I could find what he had been convicted of but couldn't find him at all. I then wondered if perhaps he was never caught and this was a post death bed confession of some sort. "Ya, boo, sucks, you didn't catch me !"
It then occurred to me that some old occupations have died out, and perhaps a house breaker in 1915 meant something quite different to what it means today. I was rather disappointed to find that indeed it did !
It then occurred to me that some old occupations have died out, and perhaps a house breaker in 1915 meant something quite different to what it means today. I was rather disappointed to find that indeed it did !
The Wiki says a housebreaker was someone that specialised in the disposition of large, old residential buildings. From the late 19th century and peaking in the mid 20th, many large country houses, manors, stately homes and castles in the UK became impractical and too costly to maintain. Often they were sold to housebreakers who disposed of their contents and subsequently demolished. It says, that from 1969, the destruction of houses of architectural or historical significance was prohibited by law and the job of the housebreakers ended. An estimated 1,800 buildings were disposed of by housebreakers before this time.
Therefore, someone who was a house breaker wasn't necessarily a crook ....... which is a pity, because they tend to make the best stories !