Gong Farmer
Empty the town's cesspits by night, as the law requires. One of the best-paid trades in medieval England, for reasons that become clear on your first shift.
c. 1300 – 1700About the role
Medieval towns had privies, privies had pits, and someone had to empty them. Gong farmers did it at night, by law, and carried the waste out beyond the town walls. The pay was very good. The company was mostly each other.
In the Old Town Replica, you'll work in a team of three with a ladder, buckets and a cart. You'll empty two pits a night and be outside the walls before dawn. The contents are, mercifully, a replica too. You'll still want to wash.
What you'll do
- Work as holeman, rakerman or tubman, rotating each night.
- Empty two privy pits a night with your team.
- Haul the barrels outside the walls before sunrise.
- Work only between 21:00 and 05:00, as the ordinance requires.
- Keep a respectful distance from residents, at their request.
What we're looking for
- A strong stomach and a weak sense of smell.
- Comfort on ladders and in confined spaces.
- A natural night owl.
- No need for small talk. Nobody will stop for it.
Perks
- Top pay in the tradesHistorically. Here, it's the lowest fee on the board.
- A lanternShuttered, for the darker corners.
- Your days offEvery day, technically. You'll sleep through most of them.
