In the 18th century, it became fashionable for some wealthy landowners to hire men to live as decorative hermits in their gardens. These weren't religious figures, but ornamental hermits, hired as a form of entertainment and as a status symbol to show off to guests during parties. They lived in specially built hermitages, which could be anything from a rustic hut or grotto to a faux ruin constructed on the estate. The job came with some very strange requirements. The hermit was often required to wear a druid-like robe and could not cut his hair, beard, or fingernails. Contracts could be incredibly strict, sometimes lasting for seven years. During this time, the hermit was forbidden from leaving the grounds, and in some cases, was not allowed to speak to anyone. While it sounds bizarre, the fad was part of a larger trend in landscape design that valued natural, picturesque scenery with elements of melancholy and solitude. Seeing a live hermit added to the dramatic effect. 🏡 One of the most famous examples was at Painshill Park, where owner Charles Hamilton built a hermitage for a man who reportedly lasted only three weeks on the job. 🤔 The trend eventually faded out by the early 19th century, but it remains one of the strangest job descriptions in history. Some historians even suggest the idea evolved into the modern garden gnome. Sources: The Hermit in the Garden, Georgian estate archives, Smithsonian Magazine