The History of Some Toilets
When we study history we are usually looking at the much bigger picture — wars, how borders were shaped and that sort of thing. At least, this was my experience in my many years as a student. But I always wondered about the weirder stuff…actually, stuff that isn’t really weird at all, but no one seems to talk about!
I was always curious about how people lived, and not just royalty or famous people, but the average everyday person. What did they eat? How did they cook? Which leads to…how did they go to the bathroom?
On a recent trip to Kyiv, I discovered the pretty amazing Museum of Toilet History. We were offered a guided tour, but being the nerdy historian I am, I opted to be the guide for my fiance and I. Needless to say, he was surprised about how much I knew…about toilets.
The photos included in this article are the main highlights from the Museum of Toilet History. I also highly recommend a visit if you ever get the chance. Weird museums are sort of my thing.
Maybe sharing isn’t always caring
If you’ve read my article Fun Facts about Romans…For Real, you might already know that toilet paper was not a thing during the time of the Roman Empire.
Things were quite different back then. For most of us, the toilet is a pretty private place, with a door or some kind of separation from others. You might be surprised to find that historically, this wasn’t the case. Of course, in wealthier people’s homes, they would have had private places on their properties to do your…business. But for the average, normal, everyday Joe (or Josivius if he was Roman?), toilets were public, with multiple “holes” side by side in public spaces.
Romans would use hay or other somewhat porous material at the end of a stick instead of toilet paper. These would be dunked in water for comfort, but I suppose it was also for cleanliness? I haven’t found any information that explains whether or not these porous materials or sticks were replaced after each use, and based on historical hygiene standards, I’d assume they weren’t. Gross.
The magic of moats
Imagine a castle, with its intimidating stone walls towering over everything else in the immediate area. Now picture the draw bridge, slowly being lowered, the main entrance and exit to the castle. Chances are while you were imagining this castle and drawbridge, you also imagined a moat — the body of water that often surrounded castles and was used as an additional security measure from attackers.
When we watch movies or TV series, we’re given this idea that these moats are filled with water. We are given this image of a beautiful and epic view…but no one is talking about how bad it probably smelled. Why would it have smelled so bad you might ask?
Well, many moats were actually filled with water…and sewage! It wasn’t just about having a large, wide ditch filled with water that provides the security. The additional deterrent for attackers was the poopy-water that filled the moat.
Some castles were fitted with indoor toilets…fancy, right?! These were called “long-drop” toilets and you can probably figure out why. The toilet, or hole, led to a long drop that fed into the moat of the castle.
Street action. Probably not what you’re imagining
Among the many surprises, you may find in this article, is the fact that ideas of hygiene have changed over time. So have the links between poor hygiene and illness.
In the high-middle ages or mid-1300s, much of Europe and Asia were devastated by the Black Plague. This was a time when incredibly large numbers of people were falling ill and dying from this sickness. The medical knowledge of the time was based primarily on religion and some other ideas we might now consider to be, well, crazy. It was believed that this disease was caused by sin, and could be spread through bad smells.
So what does this have to do with toilets? Well, in England, some buildings had shared toilets attached, like the one in the image. It looks a bit like a balcony, but what we don’t see is that the seat inside would have had a hole in the bottom, and the waste would literally just fall onto the street. Either that or there would have been a chamberpot underneath the seat. For those who did not have bathrooms like these, just the chamberpots were used. These chamber pots, full of waste, were emptied…as you might have guessed…onto the streets.
There were drainage systems on the streets in many places, in the form of open gutters, but this would require rain to wash the waste away. Even if it did rain, where was this waste being washed? Chances are it was headed towards the Thames eventually, which was the main water source for the city.
We can now picture why the plague probably spread like rapid-fire in cities like London, England.
Just bury it
Don’t despair for England’s streets just yet. Things have obviously changed over time and we can thank some very creative people for these improvements. One of these notable inventors is Henry Moule, a priest in the Church of England throughout the 1800s.
The summer of 1858, also known as the “Great Stink”, was what prompted Moule to turn his attention to sanitary science. England in the mid-1800s saw a cholera epidemic he was shocked at the contamination of average households.
The toilet he invented would basically bury the waste in dirt or sand, which could then be removed from the household in a more sanitary manner. You can see for the image that the toilet has a basin in the back where the dirt would go, and a tap that could be turned to let out some of the dirt to cover what waste was in the basin or bucket below. This not only improved sanitary conditions, but it also helped with the horrible smells. Moule’s Dry Toilet was adopted in military bases, and in private homes.
Oh crap!
Ever heard of a toilet, less eloquently referred to as “the crapper”? Well, that’s because of Thomas Crapper. (Yes, he was a real man!) As a businessman and a plumber, he was an advocate for improving sanitary conditions and improving sanitaryware.
He was well known for improving plumbing systems, such as creating the S-curve plumbing over the traditional U-curve as it was less likely to get blocked up. He also popularized the idea of people having toilets and other sanitaryware installed in their homes. (At this time, it was still more common for the average person to use shared toilets outside of the home.)
He was also the inventor of the manhole cover, which allowed cities to easily maintain their sewage systems, and easily access them as well! His company’s’ name is on manhole covers in Westminster Abbey. If you’re ever there take a look!
So why toilets?
I believe we take technological advancements for granted, and I don’t just mean the latest iPhone or high-speed internet. I’m talking about the things we never really think about because they have become so much a part of our normal existence. It’s only when we spend time in “less developed” countries or areas, or look back into history that we realize how far we’ve come.
Also, sometimes the most interesting things come from the most common daily activities. Again, these are things that were aren’t actively thinking about because they have become so normalized.
The history of toilets might seem like an odd thing to write about, or even to visit a whole museum for, but learning about how these very normal and natural tasks were carried out by people throughout history gives us insights into the way they lived, their belief systems and even hygiene practices.
This blog is written out of the l❤️ve of History and sharing knowledge!
Sona Kerim is a Copywriter and Educator who has degrees in History, Philosophy and Education.
