Weird History 2: 18th and 19th Century Toilet Behaviour

Nowadays we go to “the rest room” (US vernacular) or to “the toilet” in the UK. Although some men use group urinals to pee, they use lockable and private toilet cubicles for anything more. Women use private toilet cubicles to pee and anything else. Though normally we use the same space to wash our hands (because we don’t like to spread germs) we would never consider doing anything that involved sitting on a toilet in a communal setting.

Oh how times have changed!

Victorian Toffs in the Rest Room or on the Toilet

Although Queen Victoria, other Royals and rich people may have had their own commodes – a seat which doubled as a toilet – these were not usually in special rooms and most likely caused problems when it came to privacy. The use of commodes would also have caused problems for the housemaid tasked with emptying the contents – as there were no flush toilets until the late Victorian era.

Every Other Victorian in the Rest Room or on the Toilet

But what of other people in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, how did they toilet? They used outdoor facilities or had a potty under the bed – all their lives – not just when they were young children. Of course, adults had much bigger potties than children (stands to reason as their bums are much bigger). A potty would have been a preferable alternative to the toilet used by several families in a back-to-back housing block. They didn’t have individual cubicles like we do today – one cubicle would have been for everyone and more than one person would use the toilet at a time! There are examples still in existence of two, three and four seater toilets. Remember, none of these would have had a flush. Also, toilet paper hadn’t been invented so guess what they used? (ANSWER: anything including newspaper if they were very lucky).

Conclusion

Say “err” and “yuk” a lot and have a laugh at the Victorians – but remember no other super-power since has ruled as much of the world as the Victorians and there’s still the Commonwealth. To finish this tale ask children if they are glad that they live today rather than Victorian times.

Further Activities:

Check out some more facts about Victorians online. Look at the size of their empire (known as the British Empire) and the size of the Commonwealth today. Google “Osborne House” and see where Queen Victoria liked to live.

Find an example of an 18^th or early 19^th century double, treble or quadruple toilet online. CLUE: google “Black Country Museum” and “Birmingham, back to back houses.