Did medieval castles have toilets?
Did medieval castles have toilets? In the medieval period luxury castles were built with indoor toilets known as 'garderobes', and the waste dropped into a pit below. It was the job of the 'Gongfarmer' to remove it – one of the smelliest jobs in history?
What did the Vikings use instead of toilet paper?
The Vikings used wool. The Colonial Americans used the core center cobs from shelled ears of corn. The Mayans used corn cobs. The French invented the first bidet (of course without of modern plumbing).
What was the hygiene in medieval castles?
The bathing itself consisted of washing the body with sweet smelling oils, or if they could afford it, tallow soap. If they had lots of money, or say, were a Lord or Lady in a castle, they'd 'top and tail' at least twice a day.
How did castles get rid of waste?
Castle toilets, also known as garderobes or latrines, would have a plank of wood with a hole held on stone supports through which waste could be deposited.
Were moats filled with sewage?
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.