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| | | From: PAIN (Original Message) | Sent: 12/8/2003 3:22 AM |
Today's useless fact - What toilets were used in medieval Europe?
An early Middle Ages anecdote notes that etiquette suggested a
nobleman go "an arrow's flight" distance into the gardens before
relieving himself. Unfortunately, records indicate that not all
royalty felt the need to abide by such social rules. One shocked
English nobleman's story tells of a visiting king who appallingly
defecated wherever he wished throughout the castle. This same
noble recounts a chat with a young noblewoman who was visiting
his home. He was surprised to hear in midconversation a tinkling
noise and then see an ever-growing puddle form beneath her dress.
But still, there were facilities of sorts, and the specifics of
these were different, depending on where and when one lived in
medieval Europe. For instance, castle homes were fortunate enough
to have large concrete blocks tucked away in special and private
locations. These blocks had a hole and chute called garde robes
that led to the mote below. Peasants had to use either a bowl
inside, which would then be emptied, or go directly outside to
empty their bowels into a community cesspit, or hole. In the
larger cities in the late Middle Ages, it became common to simply
toss your excrement out the window into the street with a call
of "Garde L'eau!" or "Gardy Loo!" as a warning to passersby
below. During times of greater civic organization, city cleanup
crews collected this waste, along with food waste, from the
streets and sold it to farmers as fertilizer. However, the
practice of tossing waste out on the streets was finally outlawed
in 1372, when most realized it wasn't just an annoyance to be on
a walk and suddenly be splattered with urine and excrement. It
was a health hazard as well. Between the people and the horses,
the smell of the larger European cities like London was
unimaginable.
Related links: <NOBR>hygene</NOBR> �?air filters �?immune system~source used: "Just Curious About History, Jeeves"
by Erin Barrett & Jack Mingo
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