Gong Farmer
Forget “sanitation workers”—in Tudor England, they had “gong farmers.” These unfortunate souls were paid to remove human waste from cesspits, sometimes several feet deep. Armed with shovels and sheer willpower, they worked by night, dragging buckets of filth through narrow, dimly lit streets.
The smell was unbearable, the danger high (pits occasionally collapsed), and the pay… barely worth it. Gong farmers were shunned socially despite their critical role. When indoor plumbing became common, these workers were relieved—literally and figuratively—of their nightmarish duties.
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