03/05/2026
Did Medieval People Stink? Part 2
In Part 1 we suggested that medieval people did not have to pong unless they chose to or were too poor to own more than a few linen shifts like the one shown on the replica medieval costume we have in the museum. What is true however is that if you lived in a medieval town or city, the streets would smell terrible mostly because of the lack of drainage or organised sanitation. Rubbish, manufacturing detritus, kitchen waste and human waste was chucked into the gutters that ran down the streets. ‘Gardez l’eau’ was the warning shouted before the contents of aa chamber pot were flung into the street. That would have made running errands riskier than popping to the Co-op! Households with outside space would have had a midden - a hole dug in the ground into which household waste was thrown. Archaeologists love middens! Shoes, broken pots and bones etc lie preserved just waiting to be dug up and exhibited in our exhibition ‘Unearthed: What Time Left Behind’. Come and take a look at things unearthed from middens all over Clare. We have a trail for children to discover things in the museum. Come and discover the rich history of Clare.
We are open weekends and Bank Holidays 12:00 to 16:00. Entry free.
