Tosher
Encyclopedia
A tosher is someone who scavenges
in the sewers, especially in London
during the Victorian era
. The word tosher was also used to describe the thieves who stripped valuable copper from the hulls of ships moored along the Thames. The former activity began around the time of the construction of the London sewerage system
, designed by Joseph Bazalgette
.
The toshers decided to cut out the middle man and it was a common sight in 19th-century Wapping
for whole families to lift a manhole cover and go down into the sewers.
As most toshers would reek of the sewers
, they were not popular with the neighbours. One unexpected side effect of the sewer work was that toshers - or, at least, those toshers who survived - built up a strong tolerance to typhus
and the other diseases that swept the ghettos.
."
A similar sounding term from the same period, "tosheroon" has been applied to a tosher in error, but denotes a piece of pre-decimal British currency: the crown.
Waste picker
A waste picker, recycler, rag picker, salvager, binner, informal resource recoverer, poacher, or a scavenger, is a person who salvages recyclable elements from mixed waste...
in the sewers, especially in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. The word tosher was also used to describe the thieves who stripped valuable copper from the hulls of ships moored along the Thames. The former activity began around the time of the construction of the London sewerage system
London sewerage system
The London sewerage system is part of the water infrastructure serving London. The modern system was developed during the late 19th century, and as London has grown the system has been expanded.-History:...
, designed by Joseph Bazalgette
Joseph Bazalgette
Sir Joseph William Bazalgette, CB was an English civil engineer of the 19th century. As chief engineer of London's Metropolitan Board of Works his major achievement was the creation of a sewer network for central London which was instrumental in relieving the city from cholera epidemics, while...
.
The toshers decided to cut out the middle man and it was a common sight in 19th-century Wapping
Wapping
Wapping is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets which forms part of the Docklands to the east of the City of London. It is situated between the north bank of the River Thames and the ancient thoroughfare simply called The Highway...
for whole families to lift a manhole cover and go down into the sewers.
As most toshers would reek of the sewers
Sanitary sewer
A sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...
, they were not popular with the neighbours. One unexpected side effect of the sewer work was that toshers - or, at least, those toshers who survived - built up a strong tolerance to typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
and the other diseases that swept the ghettos.
Other meanings
"Tosher" was also recorded from a slightly earlier period as undergraduates' slang for "an unattached or non-collegiate student at a university having residential collegesCollegiate university
A collegiate university is a university in which governing authority and functions are divided between a central administration and a number of constituent colleges...
."
A similar sounding term from the same period, "tosheroon" has been applied to a tosher in error, but denotes a piece of pre-decimal British currency: the crown.