Professional eaters have long been a thing, and it remains a valid if weird profession today. From people who spend their lives participating in hot dog eating contests, to Adam Richman from Man Vs Food, eating food can be a way to make a living. In the Georgian era these professional eaters were common as well, but instead of eating food, they specialised in guzzling something a bit more eclectic stones. Newspapers would advertise Stone Eaters who could eat up to 150 rocks and bear no ill effects. One of the most famous was Francis Battalia, who was said to eat half a peck of stones a day, which roughly translates as 8 pints worth of gravel. The validity of his stone eating was even put to the test, when he was accused of being an imposter, investigated, and cleared of all charges. Whether it was trickery or not, Battalia and other Stone Eaters would still attract crowds of thousands of people, who would marvel at their feats and try and work out how they were achieved.
