![]() Though, by law, they were to be constructed a certain distance from the property of others, they could still muck everything up. Thus: “These cesspits, even though built for the convenience of all the tenants within a tenement, must have been seen as rather ostentatious utilities.” Still, cesspits were just another temporary solution to everybody’s endless digestive drain. This was at least twice the yearly wages of an unskilled laborer. Sabine believes that after digging up the dirt, taking away the earth, finding the lime, sand and other materials, the total cost for constructing the cesspit would have amounted to about four pounds,” wrote Taylor. See the vicious, smelly cycle? Another option for dumping waste was cesspits. Again an attempt was made to prevent people from dumping any kind of waste into the Thames as the King noted that the channel of the river had been narrowed so much that it caused a great hindrance to shipping. Citizens were then forbidden to dump their wastes there, which caused a renewed dumping into the Thames. ![]() One such place was Tower Hill, which in 1371-72 was so tainted that those living nearby were disgusted by the odor of the dung and other filth. However, the result was that many dumped their waste elsewhere in the city. This was intended to force London citizens to put their waste into the carts and dung-boats meant to carry it outside the city. In 1357 a proclamation was issued forbidding anyone to throw any sort of waste into the Thames or any other waterway under the penalty of imprisonment and severe punishment at the discretion of the mayor and aldermen. Medieval London’s approach, on the other hand, brings to mind one of those cartoon fiascos where someone keeps trying to plug a hole in a leaky boat only to have several more water spurts pop up in its place. “Instead of having passageways, which were underneath the pavement and flowed into the rivers, sewers became open and public facilities were connected directly to the streams and rivers, making a long system of tunnels and pipes unnecessary.” The Roman model, while still not an A+ in sanitation, would have done a better job of sparing the senses because it more efficiently moved water in and out of the city. “Without anyone to flush the old tunnels and keep them clean, old London disregarded and soon forgot about its precious subterranean Roman legacy,” wrote cultural historian Craig Taylor in a comparison of waste management (PDF) in ancient Rome and medieval London. Though Roman London did have a sewer system that emptied into the River Thames and its connected streams, it fell into disuse by the medieval period. It’s a common misconception that people of the Middle Ages were relieving themselves all over the place, but the reality is that they simply didn’t have the same quality of facilities available to them to get rid of their stuff. Multiply that by the number of days in a year and you can see why medieval folks were quickly up to their knees. Medieval London’s population of approximately 100,000 people produced about 5,000 kilograms (or 11,000 pounds) of human waste every day-approximately the weight of an adult Asian elephant (first link opens a PDF). Though a disorienting succession of food and foul odors would no doubt take your attention while walking the streets of any bustling metropolis today, things were a bit funkier back in the Middle Ages. If you were to time travel back to a major medieval city, perhaps the first thing you’d notice would be the stench. Sometimes their ideas worked out well for them, and sometimes they really did not. Medieval people, given the circumstances, were doing the best they could. ![]() Sure, the Middle Ages was full of gross stuff, but so is New York City. But schadenfreude isn’t particularly informative, and if you’re at all interested in historical accuracy, you should try reading something besides that “Medieval People Were Nasty As Hell” clickbait. We wouldn’t try to take that away from you. (Obviously, the toxin part wasn’t well-known at the time.) Looking at the hygiene and grooming practices of people living over half a millennium ago is a perfect distraction from your own miserable failures and existential quandaries, and everyone you’re making fun of is too far gone to care or defend themselves, so really, it’s a perfect setup. It’s a bit like watching a reality television show so far removed from your reality ( Jersey Shore Family Vacation, anyone?) that you can’t help but feel better about your own life because, damn, look at these poor fools still gyming, tanning, and laundering ! Or, in the case of medieval people, slathering a well-known toxin all over their faces in the name of beauty.
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