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Here’s what posh Irish toilets looked like 700 years ago

These were the state-of-the-art toilets of the 1300s, although privacy, disposal and the danger of being caught by the wind were still a danger…

THE MEDIEVAL TOILET was an experience many today would struggle with.

The most common medieval privy was the cesspit; just a hole in  the ground which was sometimes lined with stone or wooden staves. In castles, things weren’t much better. While the powerful and wealthy could afford a somewhat more sophisticated toilet – the garderobe – this was still a far cry from the most basic modern toilet. The garderobe was a small chamber with a platform over a hole in the floor.

This is what remains of the garderobe at Ballyloughan castle in Co Carlow:

The garderobe would not have been this grim five hundred years ago. There was almost certainly a platform above the hole and the walls would most likely have been white-washed.

This restored garderobe at Barryscourt Castle, Co Cork, was designed to facilitate two people at the same time, privacy was clearly not a concern:

Below the platform, the hole lead to a chute which dumped waste outside the castle walls.

This is the view looking up a garderobe chute at Ballymoon Castle, Co Carlow:

There are two gardrobe chutes at the base of the tower in the centre of this picture taken at Ballymoon castle. With defence being the primary concern, the garderobe chutes were often covered right down to ground level with access barred by a metal grid. This was designed to stop an attacker climbing up the garderobe chute. However some simply dumped their contents high on the castle wall.

This was the system employed at Liscarroll Castle, Co Cork. The platform to sit on was supported by a stone frame, the remains of which can be seen on the right of the picture below.

There was no chute – instead the waste was dumped directly onto the castle wall through the slit in the bottom right. Aside from displaying faeces right beside the entrance to the castle, this toilet must have been freezing in winter. Situated at least 10 metres above ground level, wind still gusts through the slit:

The garderobe slit  is the horizontal window-like opening on the right of the gatehouse, below the two arrow loops.

The wall below must have been covered with decaying faeces while the aroma in summer can only have been awful.

All images from historian and archaologist Fin Dwyer.

Read more from Fin at IrishHistoryPodcast.ie, on Twitter at @irishhistory, or on Facebook.

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44 Comments
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    Mute Revolting Peasant
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    Mar 18th 2013, 9:18 AM

    We had similar facilities in Kells C.B.S. in the 80′s

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    Mute Patitas
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    Mar 18th 2013, 9:22 AM

    At least they didn’t have a rim, the source of so many modern disputes….

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    Mute everlast mccarthy
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    Mar 18th 2013, 9:38 AM

    Compared to some of the pubs I’ve been in, they look like an upgrade!

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    Mute Ray Prior
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    Mar 18th 2013, 10:21 AM

    Just wait until you see the ones in quinns in drumcondra on a match day. Them castles look like luxury compared to it.

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    Mute Graham Finlay
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    Mar 18th 2013, 9:34 AM

    I wouldn’t park there if I were you!

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    Mute Dave Sherman
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    Mar 18th 2013, 9:46 AM

    Ross Castle in Killarney is a great example of this, all the rotting excrement would give off a serious dose of ammonia and that would rise back up the Shute, they would hand clothes there and the ammonia would kill any bugs living in their clothes.
    Nice.

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    Mute Dexter Gordon
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    Mar 18th 2013, 9:41 AM

    Why has a photo of a Hiaice van been included here. I’m intrigued ..

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    Mute Vincent F
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    Mar 18th 2013, 9:45 AM

    It’s not as if there is any copper pipes laying about as those castles never had plumbing just open chutes!

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    Mute Alan Murphy
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    Mar 18th 2013, 5:17 PM

    That hiace must have been covered in sh1t

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    Mute GraftonStPhonebox
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    Mar 18th 2013, 10:45 AM

    The walls were whitewashed? And pebble dashed too prolly

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    Mute Martin Spillane
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    Mar 18th 2013, 10:36 AM

    Faeces displayed on castle walls demonstrated the quality of the diet within the castle, was told at Trim castle tour that stewards of visiting dignitaries would ‘inspect’ the cesspit or walls of a garderobe chute to assess the quality of the food!

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    Mute JOSE
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    Mar 18th 2013, 11:24 AM

    700 years ago? They were what we had at national school up till the 70s, and there was always a fresh supply of docken leaves instead of toilet paper. Green arses we all had.

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    Mute Ann Mullen
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    Mar 18th 2013, 11:03 PM

    we had the same in the 70′s at Knockatallon NS………and some poor bast… actually fell through the hole…….

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    Mute Brendan McCaffrey
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    Mar 18th 2013, 11:02 AM

    Absolutely luv these articles. Keep them coming !

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    Mute Edmond Hickey
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    Mar 18th 2013, 9:36 AM

    No need for a newspaper in one of those especially n Winter.

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    Mute Kitty Prendergast
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    Mar 18th 2013, 10:11 AM

    Absolutely! I’d say you’d be in danger of losing one or both of the lads to frostbite if you dallied too long!

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    Mute Prince Hector
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    Mar 18th 2013, 11:02 AM

    There is no need to flush now after a No. 2.
    The reason being, that FG will steal the sh*t from under your as*e.

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    Mute Vladimir Vasyectomy
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    Mar 19th 2013, 1:35 AM

    Do you mean FG would steal the shit from under your arse…??

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    Mute Ben Gunn
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    Mar 18th 2013, 9:38 AM

    If you think privacy in the can is important steer clear of the gents at Croke Park, Lansdowne Road, etc etc at half time.

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    Mute Philip Farrelly
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    Mar 18th 2013, 10:25 AM

    They must have learnt the hard way. I d say many a poop chute was invaded, before they put metal on them.

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    Mute Sinabhfuil
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    Mar 18th 2013, 9:19 AM

    What about Dublin Castle where Art O’Neill & Red Hugh O’Donnell escaped?
    What about Blarney Castle and the dreadful secret of the Blarney Stone?

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    Mute Vincent F
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    Mar 18th 2013, 9:37 AM

    Was just thinking that re Blarney Stone, yuk, the stone location looks like one of those chutes. Gift of the Gab me arse.

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    Mute comsybai
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    Mar 18th 2013, 9:42 AM

    What about them

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    Mute john stone
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    Mar 18th 2013, 1:18 PM

    What about andy dufrane who crawled through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side?

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    Mute Ann Farrelly Kirrane
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    Apr 13th 2013, 12:04 PM

    ……and that’s why we’re all talking shite since!!

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    Mute Oliver Walker
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    Mar 18th 2013, 4:11 PM

    Amazing how much the Hiace van has been preserved since so long ago…it almost looks like new

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    Mute Joe Kinnane
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    Mar 18th 2013, 11:08 AM

    I hope they are paying the septic tank charge on them

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    Mute Robert Coonan
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    Mar 18th 2013, 10:35 AM

    Looks like a dump.

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    Mute Sinead Fox
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    Mar 18th 2013, 12:48 PM

    Dug up one at the side of our house last year, deep hole with granite stones lined the whole way down, met a man that grew up here and found out it was the old toilet haha, may dig it back up, they haven’t started taxing them yet!!

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    Mute richardmccarthy
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    Mar 18th 2013, 9:55 AM

    In the unlikely event that toilet rolls or the Skibbereen Eagle wernt provided

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    Mute Margaret Martin
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    Mar 18th 2013, 12:46 PM

    Yes this is what we had in national school.no toilet paper.but the teacher brought her own private private toilet roll.we weren’t as flush.an itinerant came occasionally and cleaned them out.

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    Mute mister
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    Mar 18th 2013, 10:01 AM

    And not a vending machine in sight…

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    Mute Paul Connolly
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    Mar 18th 2013, 3:47 PM

    Hosanna in a Hiace….

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    Mute James
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    Mar 18th 2013, 2:50 PM

    No splash back I bet genius

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    Mute Harry Price
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    Mar 18th 2013, 10:20 AM

    journal..is this to replace the page cops corner that has disappeared.looks like it was crap

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    Mute ADEBAYO FLYNN
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    Mar 18th 2013, 10:49 AM

    That makes perfect sense.

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    Mute Stewie Griffin
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    Mar 18th 2013, 2:44 PM

    ADEBAYO were you expecting much more from him in fairness??

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    Mute Harry Price
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    Mar 18th 2013, 4:30 PM

    stewie griffin …..you dont know a lot about “fairness” only insults and anger as can be seen herein for weeks past. You started it with the other cops herein and im not afraid of the intimidation for i have clean hands and the citizens see bullies for what they are

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    Mute Stewie Griffin
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    Mar 19th 2013, 1:15 AM

    right harry you are a bit nuts. Tell me harry as your soooooo righteous any criminal convictions???? Has to be as everything in your life is just about police and the hard on they give you

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    Mute Harry Price
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    Mar 19th 2013, 9:38 AM

    stewie griffin.. its people like you that has ireland like it is You are not.doing you job only after the easy touch and using the maxim im a guard above that of justice, And further i have a good name , Cop on

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    Mute youdontknowme
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    Mar 19th 2013, 1:16 PM

    No you don’t you naughty naughty boy ;)

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    Mute Siobhan Kirby
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    Mar 18th 2013, 3:12 PM

    More than my eyes needed to see. Have a new appreciation for the toilet roll though.

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    Mute Seamus Foskin
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    Apr 6th 2013, 12:50 PM

    i dont see whats so bad about it. go to a lot of houses on the continent and they have squat toilets. they are suppose to be better for your colan and bowels then sitting toilets

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