Medieval towns were unhealthy places to live. However, it would be wrong to suggest that medieval town authorities did not care about public healthThe health of the population as a whole, and methods used to prevent disease and keep people healthy. There are many examples of town councils or guildAn association of craftsmen or merchants. trying to improve the environment, even before the Black Death hit.
Examples of towns attempting to improve public health
York
In 1301, Edward I ordered the authorities in York to bring in regulations to keep the city clean.
By 1500, York’s aldermenPeople who assisted mayors in running towns and cities. had banned people from dumping waste in the street and ordered businesses such as butchers, fishmongers and tannerA person who makes leather from animal hides. to move outside the city walls. This also happened in many other towns.
public latrinesPublic toilets, often built on bridges, so that the waste could be taken away by the river. were built over rivers to carry sewage away, and dunghills were moved to the outskirts of the town.
London
From 1293, rakerA person who was paid to pick up waste from the streets of medieval towns and dispose of it. were employed to clear rubbish off the streets. Other towns had followed this example by 1500.
From around 1300 onwards, the city introduced rules about where latrines were allowed to be built. This was because a latrine in Moorgate had leaked sewage to the surrounding area.
London introduced more measures after the arrival of the Black Death. For example, in 1385, a warden was employed to ensure the streets and banks of the Thames were free of filth.
In 1417, the city authorities closed the public baths during an outbreak of plague.
In 1488, the butchers’ guild built an underground passage to carry waste from the shambles - a place where animals were slaughtered - to the Thames.
Norwich
The town authorities tried to pressure people to keep the town free of filth and to prevent the spread of miasma.
Between 1287 and 1289, they publicly named and shamed 16 citizens for polluting water and dumping waste.
Winchester
In 1329, the town employed people to check the quality of all meat before it was sold.
Shrewsbury
In 1276, the authorities in Shrewsbury raised money from its richer inhabitants to pave the marketplace. This made it easier to keep it free of mud and animal waste.