15th Century Poop Farmers
The job was disgusting as it was dangerous, so don’t read this while eating.
Before the advent of plumbing, sanitation management was a 100% manual job in 15th century England. And the men tasked with this disgusting and dangerous job were called gong farmers.
Gong comes from the old English word “gang,” which meant “to go.” Their task primarily involved scooping out feces from public and private toilets for transfer out of the town. Another name for these laborers was “night men,” given that most of their disposal was done at night. The late-night nature of their work was because transferring poop was better kept out of the sight (and smell) of others.
What did they do?
15th-century toilets were essentially deep dark cesspits made to contain human waste until it filled up. Once the pits were full, gong farmers came in to empty them up.
Gong farmers usually worked in teams of three or four. The “hole man” was tasked with descending into the pit and scooping out poop into the bucket. Afterward, the “rope man” would pull the pile out of the hole and load it into the cart. Finally, the “tub man” would take the collected poop from the carriage to the outside of town.
