Before alarm clocks became a household staple, and long before smartphones could rouse us from slumber with a jarring beep, a fascinating profession known as the "knocker-upper" played a crucial role in ensuring people woke up on time. This peculiar job flourished in the Netherlands, Britain, Ireland, and other countries during the Industrial Revolution and continued into the 20th century.
With alarm clocks of the era being neither cheap nor reliable, the knocker-upper was essential for those who couldn’t afford to miss a shift. Their task was straightforward yet distinctive: using a baton, a short stick, or even a long bamboo pole, they would tap on clients' doors or windows to rouse them from sleep.
Among the most memorable knocker-uppers was Mary Smith from London’s East End. Instead of a traditional stick, Mary used a pea shooter. Equipped with dried peas and a pocket watch, she roamed the streets before dawn, plinking peas at her clients' bedroom windows for a mere sixpence a week.
Mary Smith’s inventive approach was a solution to a common problem: traditional knocking often inadvertently woke up the neighbors as well. Her pea-shooting method proved both effective and discreet, making sure the tap of a pea on a window was loud enough to wake her clients but not so intrusive as to bother others.
Mary Smith’s inventive approach even inspired a children’s book by Andrea U'Ren, celebrating her unique contribution to this bygone trade. Her story provides a delightful look into an era when waking someone up required both creativity and reliability.
The knocker-upper's role highlights an intriguing blend of human ingenuity and the pursuit of punctuality. As alarm clocks became more affordable and reliable, the profession gradually faded, and by the 1940s and 1950s, it had mostly disappeared, lingering in some pockets of industrial England until the early 1970s.
So, the next time your alarm clock jolts you awake, take a moment to appreciate the knocker-uppers who once turned rising early into an innovative art form.
