Gong farmer
Encyclopedia
Gong farmer was a term that entered use in Tudor England to describe someone who dug out and removed human excrement
from privies
and cesspit
s; the word "gong" was used for both a privy and its contents. Gong farmers were only allowed to work at night, hence they were sometimes known as nightmen. The waste they collected, known as night soil
, had to be taken outside the city or town boundary or to official dumps for disposal, from where it might be taken to be spread as fertiliser on fields or market gardens.
As more modern sewage disposal systems such as pail closet
s and water closets became increasingly widespread in 19th-century England, fewer and fewer cesspits needed to be dug out. The job of emptying cesspits today is usually carried out mechanically using suction, by specialised tankers
.
gang, which means "to go", and since the 11th century has been used to refer to a privy
or its contents. Towns usually provided public latrines, known as houses of easement, but in London towards the end of the 14th century, for instance, there were only 16 for a population of 30,000. Local regulations were introduced to control the placement of private latrines, and how they should be constructed. Cesspits were often placed under cellar floors, or in the yard of a house, some of which had wooden chutes to carry the excrement from the upper floors into the cesspit, sometimes flushed by rainwater. Cesspits were not watertight, allowing the liquid waste to drain away and leaving only the solids to be collected.
The foul odour from cesspits was a continual problem, and the accumulation of solid waste meant that they had to be cleaned out every two years or so. It was the job of the gong farmers to dig them out and remove the excrement, for which in the late 15th century they charged two shillings per ton of waste removed.
television series to be one of the worst of the Tudor period. Those employed at Hampton Court during the time of Queen Elizabeth I
, for instance, were paid sixpence a day, a good living for the period, but the working life of a gong farmer was "spent up to his knees, waist, even neck in human ordure". They were only allowed to work between 9 pm and 5 am, were permitted to live only in certain areas, and because of the noxious fumes produced by human excrement were sometimes overcome by asphyxiation. Gong farmers usually employed a couple of young boys to lift the full buckets of ordure out of the pit and to work in confined spaces.
After being dug out the solid waste was removed in large barrels or pipes, which were loaded onto a horse-drawn cart. As privies spread to the residences of ordinary citizens they were often built in backyards with rear access or alleyways, to avoid the need to carry barrels of waste through the house to the street. Much of what is known about London's privies during the 17 and 18th centuries comes from witness statements describing what had been discovered amongst the human excrement, such as the corpses of unwanted infants.
All of the effluent had to be removed from the town or city where it was collected, either by spreading it on common land or by transporting it to laystall
s, which were usually on the edges of town. In the case of London much of it was taken to dumps on the banks of the River Thames
such as the appropriately named Dung Wharf, later the site of the Mermaid Theatre
, from where it was transported by barge to be used as fertiliser on fields or market gardens. Some of the dumps became quite massive; the ironically named Mount Pleasant in present-day Clerkenwell
, London, occupied an area of 7.5 acres (3 ha) by 1780.
The penalties for not disposing of waste in the approved manner could be harsh. One London gong farmer who poured effluent down a drain was put in one of his own pipes, which was filled up to his neck with filth before being publicly displayed in Golden Lane with a sign detailing his crime.
s thrown into the streets from upstairs windows. By 1615 the town of Manchester was employing nineteen under-scavengers or rakers, managed by two scavengers.
Raconteur and demolition expert Blaster Bates
included a humorous account of using explosives to clear out a cesspit on a Cheshire
farm on his 1967 recording Laughter With a Bang, entitled "The Shower of Shit Over Cheshire". More usually though the job is now carried out mechanically using suction, by specialised tankers
.
Human feces
Human feces , also known as a stool, is the waste product of the human digestive system including bacteria. It varies significantly in appearance, according to the state of the digestive system, diet and general health....
from privies
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
and cesspit
Cesspit
A cesspit, or cesspool is a pit, conservancy tank, or covered cistern, which can be used to dispose of urine and feces, and more generally of all sewage and refuse. It is a more antiquated solution than a sewer system. Traditionally, it was a deep cylindrical chamber dug into the earth, having...
s; the word "gong" was used for both a privy and its contents. Gong farmers were only allowed to work at night, hence they were sometimes known as nightmen. The waste they collected, known as night soil
Night soil
Night soil is a euphemism for human excrement collected at night from cesspools, privies, etc. and sometimes used as a fertilizer. Night soil is produced as a result of a waste management system in areas without community infrastructure such as a sewage treatment facility, or individual septic...
, had to be taken outside the city or town boundary or to official dumps for disposal, from where it might be taken to be spread as fertiliser on fields or market gardens.
As more modern sewage disposal systems such as pail closet
Pail closet
A pail closet was a room used for the disposal of human excreta, under the pail system of waste removal. The closet was a small outdoor privy which contained a seat, underneath which a portable receptacle was placed. This pail, into which the user would defecate, was removed and emptied by the...
s and water closets became increasingly widespread in 19th-century England, fewer and fewer cesspits needed to be dug out. The job of emptying cesspits today is usually carried out mechanically using suction, by specialised tankers
Cesspool emptier
A cesspool emptier is a type of specialized tank truck which can suck contaminated water out of hollows such as cesspools and sewage tanks and carry it to a disposal point....
.
Early sewage arrangements
"Gong" is derived from the Old EnglishAnglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
gang, which means "to go", and since the 11th century has been used to refer to a privy
Privy
Privy may refer to:* Privy council* Privy purse* A garderobe* An outhouse, a small structure for defecation and urination* Privity...
or its contents. Towns usually provided public latrines, known as houses of easement, but in London towards the end of the 14th century, for instance, there were only 16 for a population of 30,000. Local regulations were introduced to control the placement of private latrines, and how they should be constructed. Cesspits were often placed under cellar floors, or in the yard of a house, some of which had wooden chutes to carry the excrement from the upper floors into the cesspit, sometimes flushed by rainwater. Cesspits were not watertight, allowing the liquid waste to drain away and leaving only the solids to be collected.
The foul odour from cesspits was a continual problem, and the accumulation of solid waste meant that they had to be cleaned out every two years or so. It was the job of the gong farmers to dig them out and remove the excrement, for which in the late 15th century they charged two shillings per ton of waste removed.
Working conditions
Despite being well-rewarded, the gong farmer's job was considered by historians on The Worst Jobs in HistoryThe Worst Jobs in History
The Worst Jobs in History is a television series hosted by Tony Robinson on Channel 4. The second series was shown in March 2006 on History Television in Canada, then in April 2006 on Channel 4 in the UK. The first season is also shown with some regularity on History International...
television series to be one of the worst of the Tudor period. Those employed at Hampton Court during the time of Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, for instance, were paid sixpence a day, a good living for the period, but the working life of a gong farmer was "spent up to his knees, waist, even neck in human ordure". They were only allowed to work between 9 pm and 5 am, were permitted to live only in certain areas, and because of the noxious fumes produced by human excrement were sometimes overcome by asphyxiation. Gong farmers usually employed a couple of young boys to lift the full buckets of ordure out of the pit and to work in confined spaces.
After being dug out the solid waste was removed in large barrels or pipes, which were loaded onto a horse-drawn cart. As privies spread to the residences of ordinary citizens they were often built in backyards with rear access or alleyways, to avoid the need to carry barrels of waste through the house to the street. Much of what is known about London's privies during the 17 and 18th centuries comes from witness statements describing what had been discovered amongst the human excrement, such as the corpses of unwanted infants.
All of the effluent had to be removed from the town or city where it was collected, either by spreading it on common land or by transporting it to laystall
Laystall
A laystall was a place where cattle going to market could be held, and by extension became a term for a place where detritus was accumulated awaiting its removal....
s, which were usually on the edges of town. In the case of London much of it was taken to dumps on the banks of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
such as the appropriately named Dung Wharf, later the site of the Mermaid Theatre
Mermaid Theatre
The Mermaid Theatre was a theatre at Puddle Dock, in Blackfriars, in the City of London and the first built there since the time of Shakespeare...
, from where it was transported by barge to be used as fertiliser on fields or market gardens. Some of the dumps became quite massive; the ironically named Mount Pleasant in present-day Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
, London, occupied an area of 7.5 acres (3 ha) by 1780.
The penalties for not disposing of waste in the approved manner could be harsh. One London gong farmer who poured effluent down a drain was put in one of his own pipes, which was filled up to his neck with filth before being publicly displayed in Golden Lane with a sign detailing his crime.
Later developments
From the early 17th century onwards the larger towns and cities began to employ scavengers as they became known, to remove waste and ordure from the streets, much of which came from over-full privies and dunghills, or the contents of chamber potChamber pot
A chamber pot is a bowl-shaped container with a handle, and often a lid, kept in the bedroom under a bed or in the cabinet of a nightstand and...
s thrown into the streets from upstairs windows. By 1615 the town of Manchester was employing nineteen under-scavengers or rakers, managed by two scavengers.
Raconteur and demolition expert Blaster Bates
Blaster Bates
Blaster Bates was the name used by Derek Macintosh Bates , an English explosives and demolition expert and raconteur, who was born in Crewe. He made a series of sound recordings from the 1960s to 1980s, recounting bizarre and funny experiences from his long career, and tales of his hobbies of...
included a humorous account of using explosives to clear out a cesspit on a Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
farm on his 1967 recording Laughter With a Bang, entitled "The Shower of Shit Over Cheshire". More usually though the job is now carried out mechanically using suction, by specialised tankers
Cesspool emptier
A cesspool emptier is a type of specialized tank truck which can suck contaminated water out of hollows such as cesspools and sewage tanks and carry it to a disposal point....
.