stonebreakers

Stonebreakers were individuals, often women and children, employed in the laborious task of breaking large stones into smaller, more manageable pieces. This was a common form of manual labor in the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly in rural areas and during periods of infrastructure development. The stones were typically broken to be used as road aggregate, ballast for railways, or for construction purposes.

The work was physically demanding and carried out using heavy hammers, often referred to as "stonehammers" or "mallets." The stonebreakers would be provided with a pile of stones and would work for long hours, usually for meager wages. The environment was often harsh, with exposure to the elements and the risk of injury from flying stone fragments or the tools themselves.

The practice of stonebreaking is largely obsolete in developed countries due to the advent of mechanical crushing equipment. However, it persisted in some regions well into the 20th century, and similar forms of manual labor can still be found in less industrialized areas. The image of the stonebreaker has become a symbol of arduous, low-paid work and has been depicted in art and literature to represent the struggles of the working class.