When we picture the Middle Ages, we tend to think of knights in shining armor, grand banquets by candlelight, and towering stone fortresses. But behind the romance and legend lies a more down-to-earth question: how did people actually go to the bathroom? It turns out medieval engineers had surprisingly clever—and sometimes rather bold—answers to this very human need.
The challenge of hygiene inside castle walls
Life in a castle was far from glamorous. Keeping things clean was a constant struggle, especially during sieges when hundreds of people were stuck inside for weeks or even months. According to historians at the British Museum, sanitation was critical to prevent the spread of disease, and medieval builders took that problem seriously.
Their solution? The garderobe—a toilet built right into the castle wall, often projecting out over the moat or courtyard below. From the outside, it might have looked like a tiny balcony or defensive structure, but it served a far less noble purpose.
How these suspended toilets worked
The design was basic yet effective. Waste simply fell through a vertical chute or hole, landing in a pit or the moat beneath. Gravity did all the work—no plumbing, no water, no flushing. Some castles even used running streams below their walls to help wash the waste away naturally.
Inside, garderobes were narrow, enclosed spaces made of stone or wood, with a bench seat and a small opening. Ventilation shafts helped reduce the odor, though by modern standards, the smell probably left something to be desired. Still, for the time, it was a smart bit of medieval engineering.
Who got to use them
Toilet privileges in castles were all about status. Lords and ladies enjoyed private garderobes attached to their chambers—sometimes even with wooden lids for modesty and comfort. Servants, soldiers, and workers, on the other hand, often shared communal facilities or made do with whatever space they could find.
There are even tales from castle sieges where desperate attackers tried to sneak inside through the latrine shafts—a dangerous and incredibly unpleasant tactic that didn’t always end well.
The people who cleaned them
As you might guess, the waste didn’t just disappear. The pits beneath garderobes had to be cleaned out regularly, usually once or twice a year. This filthy job belonged to a group of workers known in England as “gong farmers.” They worked mostly at night, digging out and hauling away waste to dump far from the castle grounds.
In France, a similar job existed under the unfortunate name “maîtres Fifi,” which carried the same unflattering connotation. Though essential, the profession gradually faded away as plumbing systems and improved sanitation appeared in later centuries.
Medieval ingenuity, minus the glamour
Today, when we wander through the ruins of old castles, we admire their towers, courtyards, and battlements—but rarely think about their bathrooms. Yet those little stone chambers hanging off the walls were vital to daily life.
These suspended toilets were primitive, yes, but also practical and surprisingly efficient. They show that even in an era of swords and chivalry, people were already finding ways to manage waste safely and discreetly.
So next time you spot a small alcove jutting from a castle wall, remember—it probably wasn’t a lookout or window. It was the medieval equivalent of the restroom, proof that even knights and nobles couldn’t escape the call of nature.
