Sanitation

throughout
Britain
BY: JANA.M, JANA.A, KENZY, FARIDA, REMAS
Iron Age (700BC – AD43)
 The Iron Age lasted from around 700BC until
the Roman conquest of Britain in AD43
 Sanitation was at its poorest that age.
 They used to carry buckets of unfiltered water
from the river, wells or streams to drink and
for their personal uses.
 A hole in their gardens, called a cesspit, was
where they did their business. If full, they’d
bury it and dig a new one.
Roman Age (AD43 – AD410)

 The Romans knew that clean water was

important for their health.
 Many of their forts, towns and villas had
wells. However, the Romans built stone
channels, called conduits, to carry water over
long distances.
 Public latrines were used instead of cesspits.
 Public baths used the most water. People went
there to meet friends, to exercise and to get
clean.
Medieval Age (AD400– AD1450)

 Once the Romans left, things started to

change… but only in some places…
 Many of their forts, towns and villas were
abandoned. The water systems, baths and
latrines slowly fell into disrepair.
 A privy is a toilet that looks like a shed outside
people’s houses or in their gardens.
 Monasteries are where Christian monks and
nuns dedicated their lives to God. Many of them
built conduits to collect water from nearby
streams.
Early modern Age (AD1450-AD1750)

 In the early modern period, Britain’s

population increased and more people moved
from rural areas to the towns. The towns were
under pressure.
 Flushing toilets were finally added, but the
bad news is that they ended up in cesspools
that would overflow. When it was full, the
landlord would pay someone to empty it out.
 Nearly everyone still continued to use privies
as people did in the Middle ages.
Industrial Britain (AD1750 – AD1850)

 In the period between 1750 and 1850, big changes

happened.
 Obtaining water was often difficult. Water
companies supplies water through water pipes. If
the landlord didn’t pay enough money, water might
be available for only 2 – 3 hours a day.
 In 1831, a terrifying disease struck Britain.
Cholera. Within hours of catching the disease,
people started to vomit and have diarrhea. Its first
epidemic killed 31,000 people. Doctors thought it
was caused by breathing bad air, but it was caused
because of sewage leaking in the water supply.
Sanitation Sorted (AD1850-AD1900)

 Something remarkable happened in Britain. The

problems of sewage disposal and water supply was
solved.
 A London doctor called John Snow noticed that more
people were dying of cholera in the area around Broad
Street. He discovered that all the people who had died
had drunk water from the same pump. When Snow
removed the handle from the pump to stop people
using it, people in the area stopped dying of cholera.
John Snow had shown that cholera was spread by
water, not air.
 Louis Pasteur proved that cholera and other diseases
were germs.
Thank You