In the medieval period luxury castles were built with indoor toilets known as 'garderobes', and the waste dropped into a pit below. It was the job of the 'Gongfarmer' to remove it – one of the smelliest jobs in history?

Yes, medieval castles had bathrooms, although they were quite primitive by modern standards and were typically called garderobes or "privies." These were small, stone-walled chambers built into the exterior of the castle walls, featuring a wooden or stone bench with a hole. Waste would drop directly through a vertical shaft into the castle moat, a cesspit, or simply down the side of a cliff. Interestingly, the name "garderobe" (which means wardrobe in French) comes from the practice of hanging expensive clothes near the latrine, as the pungent ammonia fumes from the waste were thought to kill moths and mites. In larger castles, the Lord and Lady would have private garderobes adjacent to their sleeping quarters, while common soldiers used shared facilities near the Great Hall. While they lacked running water, some castles utilized rainwater from gutters to "flush" the shafts periodically. By the 19th century, many "revival" castles were retrofitted with modern plumbing, but the original medieval designs were focused on simple gravity and the convenience of the castle moat.