Toilet Humour

Whatever the status, wealth or privilege of an individual we all share a common denominator- that being we all have the same bodily functions.

I was thinking about this, as you do, when looking over an old City Map from the mid 19th Century. In an area now a large commercial district but at the time of survey on the edge of the main built up city the words "Muck Garth" stood out as being a bit unusual.

From further investigation of the archives this described an area of open ground.possibly a bit soggy and marshy which was used for the depositing of  human excrement which, in the era before proper sanitation, will have accumulated in chamber pots and other receptacles in readiness for collection by those employed in the rather unpleasant manual sewage and effluent industry.

A man with a cart will have been busy in the early hours of every morning doing his rounds and then, with a full load, making his way out to the dumping grounds.

This represented a major leap forward in public health as prior to this innovation the night soils of townsfolk and city dwellers will have simply been tipped out of the window onto the street or any unfortunate passers by.

This new role of "pooh" Operative will of course have been a chargeable service either at the point of collection or in the selling on of the waste to whosoever owned the land on which "Muck Garth" was located.

Prior to scientific advances in plant fertilisation and the availability of fertilisers this function was taken by human waste with all of its minerals, vitamins and nutrients in waste product form.

Incidentally, the functional Muck Garth would in the 20th Century be the site for a small housing estate including a cul de sac called Strawberry Fields alluding to the excellent growing conditions from rich and nutritious earth. This in my thinking supports the use of human fertiliser as a very natural way of recycling.

Going further back in history the place was very much more compact with none of the sprawl of residential suburbs or out of town amenities that have been a characteristic of our modern living environments although arguably not always for the best.

In fact, in far more uncertain times in history than the relatively civilised 1800's many of our towns and cities were within defensive walls or otherwise protected by natural features such as rivers and terrain from what must have felt like a constant threat or perception of peril amongst the population from invasion, civil strife, disease or just good old uncertainty about the future.

The nucleus of many of the older UK settlements will have been a Castle, Fortress or Citadel.

The populus who enjoyed the safety of such surroundings will have been reluctant or just scared to venture out beyond the imposing battlements and so specific arrangements will have been necessary for the performance of everyday toilet functions.

On many childhood visits to the great Castles and fortifications across the UK I was always fascinated by the mundane features of those grand structures. Yes, towers, ramparts, drawbridges, moats and torture cells were interesting enough, as were the legends and tales of heroic and sometimes cruel and inhumane exploits of the kings and nobles who resided there but what caught my attention were the passages and nooks that did not get a mention in the guide book for a particular place.

Exploring these areas was not always possible in the more intact visitor attractions as there were volunteer guides and roped off sections but in the roofless ruins this level of supervision was more relaxed even though, ironically, there was a higher risk of an accident befalling the curious.

Some of the tunnels and stairwells were quite claustrophobic even to children of my age but when you consider that the average height of a Saxon, Norman or Tudor was probably around five feet and a bit then they will have been perfectly adequate.

One such discovery, off the main tourist route in a large wreck of a Castle was a dead end, a raised step and within it a large square hole. The aperture had a metal grate across it as it was very deep and with a noticeable updraught of cold air. I dropped a penny down it to try to gauge the gloom but apart from a pleasing ricochet of sound off the stonework on the way down there was no satisfying plop or splash to follow. The recess was unlit and I thought that even the sole illumination from a candle as the only available source would be snuffed out by the windy conditions. I was thrilled to have found a castle latrine.


Here is a cross section of a typical arrangement.

For all of the coldness , dark and dank atmosphere I could imagine that it could be quite cosy in there although not really conducive to the casual reading of a manuscript.

At a time of attack on the castle or during a protracted siege this would be quite a nice place of refuge.

As a forerunner of the domestic lavatory it was pretty crude but the basics were all there.

We are quite smug in our modern lifestyles in not having to get too involved with the bodily function process beyond flushing everything down the pan and out of sight.