Who Invented the Flush Toilet?

Many stories are told of the inventor and how the flush toilet came about, but you will be surprised to learn that many of those stories you have heard are false. The stories all fall under the heading of urban legends. An urban legend is defined as a story that is told to make someone believe something that is known to be false. An urban legend takes on a life of its own and is retold repeatedly, spreading to more and more people until everyone believes the false information.

As with most devices that make a significant impact on civilization, a single inventor and date of invention is not known, but instead the development of the technology involves a long history and many contributors.

The very first flush type toilet was found to exist around the 26th century BC. There is evidence that the flush toilet may have been used in Bahrain before the time of Christ. The Roman Empire made extensive use of flush toilets and even had the associated waste handling system that is required. Flush toilets have been found as far north as Hadrian’s Wall in Britain. The fall of the Roman Empire resulted in the loss of the flush toilet in the West.

It was not until 1596 that the flush toilet reemerged. Sir John Harrington installed the toilets in his house and as a gift for his godmother, Elizabeth I, at Richmond Palace. The Queen refused to use it because it was too loud. This was the first use of the flush toilet after its reemergence.

Sir John Harrington is often named as the inventor of the toilet. Over the next 400 years or so, the toilet had many improvements, including the most notable addition of the S, J, P or U joint that isolated the toilet from the waste line. The joint formed a seal by using trapped water to eliminate the backflow of sewer gas into the house.

The Thomas Crapper Urban Legend

As the story goes, Sir Thomas Crapper invented the flush toilet. His name and the fact that he was a plumber help make this story more believable and have contributed to its many retellings.

Sir Thomas Crapper lived in England from 1836 through 1910. He was the founder of the Thomas Crapper & Company. He is known for several improvements to the toilet and received a number of royal warrants for projects from Edward VII and George V. He did not however, invent the toilet, or water closet as it is known in England.

The improvements to the toilet that he is responsible for include the ballcock, water waste preventer and the siphonic flush toilet. His company handled waste management in England for most of its existence. Thomas billed himself as a waste engineer and manhole covers imprinted with his company’s name stamped on it still exist in Westminster Abbey. Thomas Crapper & Company was sold and resold a number of times before closing its doors only to be finally bought by a company that reopened the doors in Stratford-upon-Avon to make vintage WCs based on the designs of Thomas Crapper.  

Thomas Crapper was not even knighted, despite what many stories note.

Importance of Cleanliness

One of the major problems in many parts of the world is the availability of clean water. For areas that do have sources of clean water, special care must be taken to ensure that there is no contamination of the drinking water by the waste water coming from the disposal of sewage. Improper disposal of sewage has the potential of the drinking water and liquid portion of the sewage to mix. Disease is a very likely occurrence when contaminated drinking water is consumed.

Most rural communities are not equipped with water treatment facilities to ensure that the drinking water for the community is safe and clean. Unfortunately, this means the flush toilet may not help matters in these communities.