Talk:Gong farmer

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Image[edit]

We might want a more professional looking image for this article, or none at all. FusionKnight 17:50, 10 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Hate to admit it, but I'm mildly tempted to reinstate that image, is it really that bad? Duke of Whitstable 19:59, 8 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I was thinking same as above but man! that illustration is just *too* good for me to tamper with! Kejo13 12:19, 16 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It's clearly the best picture on Wikipedia, and should be nominated for a 'featured picture'. Theoban 17:55, 10 March 2008 (CET)

It's official. FusionKnight needs to grow a sense of humour.

Well, someone agreed with him. The image is entirely gone now. Presumably some variant of this? —

Llywelyn II

05:58, 26 April 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Why "gong"?[edit]

Anybody? --AW (talk) 17:49, 9 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Old English name for the cesspit they were emptying. The East Asian instrument got its name much later. —

Llywelyn II

05:51, 26 April 2016 (UTC)[reply]

What's the difference between a gong farmer and a night soil man?[edit]

"As more modern sewage disposal systems such as pail closets became more widely used, the profession of gong farmer disappeared." The pails still had to be emptied by a night soil man, which is basically the same job, so how did the profession "die out"? Richerman (talk) 02:31, 1 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I think a night soil collector was a much cleaner and sanitary method of waste collection, whereas a gong farmer would be basically waist deep in shit and piss, lumping it out with hand tools. Have a read of pail closet Parrot of Doom 09:24, 1 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Yep, I thought of that last night after I wrote this but I think it's more of a development of the role than it dying out altogether. How about something like "the profession of gong farmer was replaced by that of the night soil man"? Richerman (talk) 17:49, 1 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think that's entirely correct. Night soil men were essentially employed to undertake an entirely new job. Unless of course, the men who emptied midden closets were also called gong farmers. Parrot of Doom 20:04, 1 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I don't really see the connection either. Gong farmers were employed to dig out and clear cess pits. I very much doubt that there's anyone today, or since the days of the gong farmers, who gets into a cesspit with a shovel and starts digging. Malleus Fatuorum 20:14, 1 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I'm still waiting for the punchline... – B.hotep •talk• 22:14, 1 August 2010 (UTC) [reply]

Well OK, the original job did die out, but I would expect that, as the method changed, the same people would have become night soil men. After all the easier half of the job - the disposal of the waste - was still the same and I don't expect the gong farmers all gave up and a new breed of night soil men came in. If you have expertise and connections in a trade you put them to good use. However, I don't suppose there will be any record of that so it's a moot point really. Now, it's true no-one gets in a cesspit with a shovel anymore but Blaster Bates (remember him?) did blow up a septic tank with dynamite. The story was called "A shower of shit over Cheshire" and involved an unfortunate Italian in clogs - but that's another story - well actually you can hear it here... Richerman (talk) 23:51, 1 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I remember Blaster Bates very well. So far as the gong farmers are concerned, what appears to have happened is that they were gradually employed by the growing towns and cities of 17th-century England as "scavengers" or "under-scavengers", to clear the streets generally instead of just shovelling shit. And believe it or not local tradesmen set up in competition to take away the shit from privies ... much still to add to this article. Malleus Fatuorum 21:33, 14 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

There's an article on the Beeb website today, "10 worst Tudor jobs" or something. It mentions one poor chap who, while engaged in the act of nicturation, apparently fell into a cess pit and drowned. What a way to go. Parrot of Doom 21:41, 14 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Link[edit]

Please add a link on the page for the TV series.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Man_(TV_series)

Kenixkil (talk) 08:53, 15 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]