As said in our previous article about bathing not considered essential, because of the importance of water and the lack of it thereof, did you ever think how they would have answered nature’s call back then, especially when they had no plumbing, or no proper “toilets” installed at their homes or castles!
Well, it wasn’t like ancient India, where people went to farms or collected their feces into a “hole” drilled into ground, which was then used for composting(- in ancient India*** ). Because of no drainage, people went about their business in chamber pots, but it was not regularly cleaned, rather, excrement was collected for days together- until someone had guts to throw it out of the window- yes, right onto the street.
While in Tudor homes, they used a bowl attached with a slab of wood, set into a recess or cupboard-like area and was called a garderobe or privies. The castles had a slab of wood which covered a hole on the floor and took excrement straight into the moat. Well, that’s one of the reason why it was not used for fishing.
But, when it came to peasants, they relieved themselves where they could then bury the waste matter. However, one thing to be noted is that, washing hands after doing the business was not practiced by anyone- common people, royalty or even by peasants.
So, how did people wipe themselves after their business, especially when there was no toilet paper? Peasants used moss or leaves or old rags to wipe themselves and nobles and royalty used lambs wool or some soft cloth. But, if you are a king, then you need not wipe your own ass, there would be a royal wiper officially called ‘The Groom of the Stool’ and formally called, ‘Groom of the King’s Close Stool to King (name )’.
Think this is a disgusting job, fret not! It is one of the most coveted position and people used to get their hands dirty in trying to covet this position, as it eventually advanced to powerful roles, for instance, Private Secretary to the King and became his most trusted advisor and friend.
People were always prepared to hear the shouts of ‘garde loo’ especially in old Edinburgh, but if you are not then you would be doused in the “contents” of chamber pots that flew right from the windows onto the streets and if you are most unfortunate, then right onto you, containing excrement which are numerous days old.
Although, the chamber pots were of course used to collect urine overnight. Think there was cleaning of the streets in the morning? Well, yes, but , in theory; but this was seldom carried out effectively. The streets were covered in faeces, urine, food, corpses of animals and whatnot! It was only in the end of the 18thcentury that effective street cleaning regime came into force.
By: Archa Dave
