Re: BECKFOOT unmentionables


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Posted by Ed Kiser on April 05, 2003 at 19:54:10 from 152.163.188.167 user Kisered.

In Reply to: Re: BECKFOOT layout - dash it posted by Adam Quinan on April 05, 2003 at 16:12:17:

As for the unmentionable facilities, that is very likely located in the "house behind the house", separate and distanced from the house proper. As observed elsewhere, the bathroom was for taking a bath.

The word "commode" comes from the Latin, COMMODUS, meaning "suitable or convenient". One tries to be accomodating. The commode, according to my great grandparents (at least, in this country, the USA) was a stand in the bedroom, with a marble top, a large basin with widely flared edges, and sitting in that basin is a rather lovely curved pitcher with handle and long pouring lip containing water, so when needed, the water could be poured into the basin, and there used to perform the cleaning function with soap and sponge which, along with some towels and washclothes, were stored in the stand itself which had two doors opening in the front. That this was right there in the bedroom which made access to such "suitable and convenient" and thus became known as the commode. Amazing how such an item has endured a semantic shift through the following several generations, but is still assiciated with the concept of a bathroom. (In the USA today , "commode" is referring to that which elsewhere is referred to as the "WC".)

In case you are wondering, no, my great grandparents are not with me physically at this time, but I do remember, many years ago, when as a child I visited their home, I saw the described piece of furniture there in their bedroom. I thought it was funny when they told me that was the commode.

For sanitation reasons, the "house behind the house" was to be some distance away from the pump that provided the drinking water to the house, as recycling is not the objective here. Usually it was located at a location that was thought to be down hill from the pump, although when dealing with the flow of ground water, which is not exactly all that visible, the concept of "downhill" is not necessarily all that obvious.

This brings up another concept that is never mentioned, or at least, I don't remember it being mentioned, and that is, the PUMP. Very likely, it was located in the kitchen. The water table level at Beckfoot was probably not very far down, with the presence of the river and lake being so nearby. Surely they did not do as was done on Wild Cat, and that was to dip the kettle into the lake. I envision it as being a type of pitcher pump, with a handle that you worked up and down, with the water flowing out of a spout, or perhaps, an enclosed pipe turned down at the very end, with a little knob on top so you could hang a bucket on it with the knob keeping the handle from sliding off as you filled the bucket.

-----------change of topic---------

Speaking of "SERVANTS", there is one mention of one other, a maid, who DANCED FOR JOY when the GA finally left (see end of Swallowdale), a dance that later, in PM, was attributed to have been done by Cook.

I cannot find any mention of "servants' quarters" but I feel sure (don't know it for a fact) that Cook was there all the time, so she must have slept somewhere.

As for the "attic", I did a search through all five of the lake stories and there is NO mention of that word, which of course, does not mean that it did not exist - it just was not mentioned, just as the "house behind the house" and the PUMP were not mentioned either. It could have been a beastly hot place in the warmer weather, up next to the roof like that.

Ed Kiser, South Florida


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