Current Date: 08 Aug, 2025
{{entry.title}}

Knockers-up: waking up the Industrial Britain's Workers in 1900-1941

Before alarm clocks were invented, there was a profession called a knocker-up, which involved going from client to client and tapping on their windows (or banging on their doors) with long sticks until they were awake. It lasted into the 1920s.

At a time when alarm clocks were neither affordable nor dependable, the knocker-upper profession emerged and continued well into the Industrial Revolution. It was knocker-responsibility up’s to awaken sleepers so they could arrive at work on time.

They would be paid a few pence per week to go around and wake up workers by rapping on upper windows with a long pole or banging on their doors with a short stick. The knocker-up remained constant until he was certain that his sleepy client was standing and moving.

There were many people working on the project, particularly in bigger industrial cities like Manchester. The task was typically carried out by elderly men and women, but occasionally police constables supplemented their pay by doing it while on early-morning patrols.

In order for the colliery-employed knocker-up to wake the miners at the appropriate time, miner homes in Ferryhill, County Durham, had slate boards set into their exterior walls. The miners would write their shift details on these slate boards in chalk. These slates were referred to as “wake-up slates” or “knocky-up slates.”

Mrs. Molly Moore, a knocker-up herself and the main character of Andrea U’Ren’s children’s picture book Mary Smith, asserts that she was the final knocker-up to work in that ability. Both Mary Smith and Molly Moore employed a peashooter, a long rubber tube, to hurl dried peas at the windows of their customers.

knocker up weekly recess 1
The “knocker upper” was a common sight in Britain, particularly in the northern mill towns, where people worked shifts, or in London where dockers kept unusual hours, ruled as they were by the inconstant tides. Photo Credit: rarehistoricalphotos.com
knocker up weekly recess 2
While the standard implement was a long fishing rod-like stick, other methods were employed, such as soft hammers, rattles and even pea shooters. c. 1915. Photo Credit: rarehistoricalphotos.com
knocker up weekly recess 3
Charles Nelson of East London worked as a knocker-up for 25 years. He woke up early morning workers such as doctors, market traders and drivers. 1929. Photo Credit: rarehistoricalphotos.com
knocker up weekly recess 4
Doris Weigand, Britain’s first railway knocker-up, makes a call. She is employed to inform workers when they are needed for a shift on short notice. 1941. Photo Credit: rarehistoricalphotos.com
knocker up weekly recess 5
Mary Smith earned sixpence a week shooting dried peas at sleeping workers’ windows in East London in the 1930s. (Photo credit: John Topham / TopFoto).
Similar Stories
Will & William Wests: The puzzling situation of two inmates who are identical but not related

Will & William Wests: The puzzling situation of two inmates who are identical but not related

These are the mugshots of Will West and William West, and they are not related. They were both sent to Leavenworth Prison at the same time, in 1903, and after some confusion, the staff understood they had two different prisoners with the nearly same name, who looked exactly alike. They are part of the reason fingerprints are now used as identification.

The Mysterious Story of Gil Pérez, the Man Who Allegedly Teleported From Manila to Mexico

The Mysterious Story of Gil Pérez, the Man Who Allegedly Teleported From Manila to Mexico

On October 24, 1593, while performing his guard duties at Manila's Governor's Palace in the Philippines, Gil Perez stopped to lean against a wall and sleep for a while. He opened his eyes to find himself in an unusual environment. Gil was in the Plaza Mayor in Mexico City. They imprisoned Perez, but the authorities in Mexico City decided to release him and return him home.

What Was the Beast of Gévaudan?

What Was the Beast of Gévaudan?

Between 1764 and 1767, a mysterious animal called the Beast of Gévaudan terrorized the French village called Gévaudan. It attacked and killed about 100 adults and children. While most believe it was a wolf, some say it may have been a wolf-dog hybrid, hyena or even a lion, but without any genetic evidence, the beast will remain a mystery forever.

A Brief History of the PlayStation Gaming Console

A Brief History of the PlayStation Gaming Console

Sony's PlayStation was never meant to be an actual product. Instead, it was intended to be a CD-ROM console that would support Nintendo games. However, when Nintendo backed out of the deal at the last minute, Sony went ahead and launched what soon became one of the most successful gaming consoles of all time.

Poto And Cabengo: The Secret Language Of Twins

Poto And Cabengo: The Secret Language Of Twins

Poto and Cabengo, as the two girls called each other, communicated in their own language. The twins were ignored by their parents and secluded from the outside world because their father felt they were developmentally retarded, and their unique language evolved as a result of that neglect.