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The plumbing system of Medieval castles was designed so that waste products would flow straight into the moat that surrounded the castle. These “Garderobes” extended outside of the walls of the castle and had a opening at the bottom that would empty into the moat.
Did castles have bathrooms?
The toilets of a castle were usually built into the walls so that they projected out on corbels and any waste fell below and into the castle moat. The protruding shaft of masonry that made up the toilet was buttressed from below or might nestle in the junction between a tower and wall.
How did castles get water?
Moats filled with water were usually supplied by a nearby source of water, such as a spring, lake, or river. Dams could be built that would control the level of water in the moat. While some fancy moats may have had stone sides, most moats had simple banks of earth left over from when they were dug.
When did castles get running water?
In the early years (as early as 1290), running water was used to carry away wastes when it was available — at castles or at a few public latrines — but such instances were indeed in the minority.
Did castles have sewers?
It turns out that those fairy tales you read as a child all left out a very important truth: The moats that surrounded medieval castles weren’t just useful defenses against attack; they were also open sewers into which the castles’ primitive waste disposal systems flushed human excrement and other foul substances.
Where did they poop on old ships?
Design. In sailing ships, the toilet was placed in the bow somewhat above the water line with vents or slots cut near the floor level allowing normal wave action to wash out the facility. Only the captain had a private toilet near his quarters, at the stern of the ship in the quarter gallery.
Where did castles poop?
In a medieval castle, a garderobe was usually a simple hole discharging to the outside into a cesspit (akin to a pit latrine) or the moat (like a fish pond toilet), depending on the structure of the building.
Were there alligators in moats?
Castle moats were usually between 5 and 40 feet deep, and they were not always filled with water. In many stories, moats are filled with alligators or crocodiles. This is a myth. However, moats were sometimes filled with fish or eels for food.
Did they drink water in the Middle Ages?
One of the oddest myths about the Middle Ages is that people did not drink water. Many books and articles have repeated the notion that water was so polluted during this period that medieval men and women would only drink wine, ale or some other kind of beverage. Instead, they would speak of drinking ale or wine.
How did they build castles with moats?
The Normans built these castles by erecting a keep on a high mound of earth. A ditch then ran to the bottom of this hill-like structure. This eventually evolved into a proper moat which was essentially a long, wide and deep ditch running all around the periphery of castle walls.
Where was the chapel located in early castles?
Frequently, castle chapels were located near the gate or in the upper storey of the gate tower as, for example, at Wildenberg Castle in the Odenwald. This was in order to claim God’s protection over the most vulnerable point in the castle.
What did people do with their garbage and human waste during medieval times?
Waste was often emptied into a central drain, which ran down the middle of the street. Debris and waste were allowed to build up in the streets, rubbish was often dumped in backyards, whilst the cesspits that were dug near properties were usually lined with more general rubbish and soil.
Why did they drink so much wine in medieval times?
A popular theory claims that medieval Europeans didn’t have access to clean water. As a result, they were forced to drink wine and beer, since alcoholic beverages were safer than water. But most medieval ales were much weaker than today’s beers, and people often mixed wine with water to dilute its strength.
Do Moats stink?
Often the moat surrounding the castle was used as a sewer. Both the moat and the castle quickly became smelly and dirty. It’s said that the kings and queens of England never stayed longer than eight weeks in one of their castles because of the build-up of foul odors.
Were there sewers in the Middle Ages?
In the Middle Ages the sewer systems built by the Romans fell into disuse and waste was collected into cesspools that were periodically emptied by workers known as ‘rakers’ who would often sell it as fertilizer to farmers outside the city. The primitive sewers were carved in the ground alongside buildings.
What was life like in castles?
Many people would have lived and worked in the castle. They would cook and clean for the lord or king. There would also be a gardener, stable hands, a blacksmith, a baker and a treasurer who counted all the money. Life in a castle in medieval times was very dark and cold.
Why did they call it a poop deck?
We quote verbatim: “The name originates from the French word for stern, la poupe, from Latin puppis. Thus the poop deck is technically a stern deck, which in sailing ships was usually elevated as the roof of the stern or “after” cabin, also known as the “poop cabin”.
How did sailors wipe?
Sailors in the Age of Sail used tow-rags. After using the head, the sailor could then clean his backside with the wet rag then drop the rope back over the side. The rag would then be cleaned either by being literally towed by the ship under sail or to be washed by the action of wave and current if at anchor.
How did old sailors get water?
The earliest European sailors used barrels laced with alcohol to keep algae from growing. Whenever a ship reached land, replenishing its fresh water was usually the most important task. By the 1700s, inventors had created distillation plants that used a heat source to boil seawater.
Did they have toilets in 1920?
By that time, in many households, the toilet and bath were moving indoors. More homes were being built with bathrooms featuring flush toilets connected to indoor plumbing systems. In the 1920s, the tank type toilet was introduced, reducing a flush to five to seven gallons.
Did they have toilets in the 1800s?
It took a really long time to convince women to pee in public. Mostly because, before the mid-1800s, the only public toilets were called “the street” and they were used almost exclusively by men. When ladies did go out, they didn’t dawdle. Saloons usually had privies out back, but ladies weren’t allowed in saloons.
How did Vikings go to the bathroom?
Interesting enough, according to the BBC Primary History site, there were no bathrooms in the Viking home. Most people probably washed in a wooden bucket or the nearest stream. Instead of toilets, people used cesspits, which are holes dug outside for toilet waste.
