Sanitation

and so I to bed, and in the night was mightily troubled with a looseness and feeling for a chamber-pott, there was none, I having called the mayde up out of her bed, she had forgot I suppose to put one there; so I was forced in this strange house to rise and shit in the chimney twice; and so to bed and was very well again.

The Diary of Samuel Pepys Thursday 28 September 1665

In Marys charge ten high brass CandleSticks, Tenn brass hande CandleSticks, Twentie Chamber potts, five basons of pewter, three warmeing panns

Belton's 1688 inventory.

Distribution of chamber pots and close stools recorded in the inventories for the years listed.

Belton's bodily effluents were dealt with by a combination of chamber pots, close stools and privies. It seems that Mary was literally the chamber maid.

One can only rely on what the appraisers recorded, but if one of these utensils were to be used they were brought down from the garrets and then stored back up there. Close stools tended to share a room with the servants.

The figures include 3 1698 silver chamber pots stored with the plate.

A C17 round close stool from Chastleton House. One such is recorded in the Blue Bedroom.

Japanned cedar and oak, with mother of pearl close stool c. 1675 Ham House. With 35 japanned items at Belton in 1688 the appraisers might not have checked every chest for a pewter pot.

With