Prithee where is thy privy?

It must be one of those questions we've been asking of others for centuries and that each one of us must have had to ask at some point!

Being a high falutin kind of dame and a massive fan of social history it is the detail of everyday life that really reels me in.

Firstly a small ditty to amuse on this very subject:

An elderly monk from Teglease
Said 'Bury me where I do drop please'
As soon as he spoke
His privy seat broke:
He is interred in his chapel of ease.

This integral part of everyday life has been known by a plethora of terms through the ages. Lavatory itself is derived from the latin to wash. Others include the 17th century term House of Office used by Pepys, netty a Northern English term for an outside facility and the house where the Emperor goes on foot. There are many more......

As a child I remember the only thing that impressed me on a school trip to the Weald and Downland museum was the toilet in Bayleaf Farmhouse. Outdoor facilities at this time were commonly known as jakes.

This is another example from the museum often known as the boggy at the bottom.

And finally this shot recently taken on our visit to HMS Victory- nautical toilets at this time were often simply referred to as the head because of their positioning on the boat.

Should you ever need to use the facilities at my humble abode the answer is left at the top of the stairs and head for the door with the loo seat on it!

Hand painted charity shop treasure [although I am not confident that Mr GBT would concur] bought for a fiver a few years ago! Another perfectly normal moment in my gnat bottomed life!

Arilx