Debunking the Thomas Crapper Flush Toilet Myth: A History of the Real Inventors
The notion that Thomas Crapper was the inventor of the flush toilet and that his name inspired the term "crap" is a misconception. In fact, "crap" has origins that trace back to Middle English "crappe," predating Crapper's existence. The word was first associated with waste in 1846, a decade after Crapper was born. A Victorian plumber, Crapper operated Thomas Crapper & Company, where he installed toilets, including one at Sandringham House for Prince Albert Edward. Although a myth suggests that American soldiers popularized "crapper" during WWI, there is no evidence to support this. The flush toilet's precursor, the "Ajax," was created by Sir John Harington in the late 16th century, while Alexander Cumming patented a flush toilet in 1775. Crapper later enhanced the S-trap and advanced modern plumbing.
Key facts
- The word "crap" existed in medieval times, likely from Middle English "crappe" (chaff or grain husks) or Middle Dutch "krappen" (to pluck off).
- The first recorded use of "crap" for bodily waste is 1846, ten years after Thomas Crapper's birth.
- Thomas Crapper was a Victorian plumber whose company, Thomas Crapper & Company, installed lavatories and supplied Sandringham House for Prince Albert Edward (later King Edward VII).
- The surname "Crapper" is a variant of "Cropper," meaning a crop harvester, unrelated to toilets.
- Sir John Harington invented the "Ajax," a forerunner of the flush toilet, and was briefly barred from Elizabeth I's court for his ribald poetry.
- Elizabeth I reportedly tried Harington's Ajax at his house and ordered one for her palace around the end of the 16th century.
- Alexander Cumming patented a flush toilet with an S-trap in 1775, the first such patent, which kept water in the pipe to block odors and linked the water inlet valve to the flush mechanism.
- Thomas Crapper improved the S-trap into a U-trap and patented an improvement to the floating ballcock, and he advocated for domestic toilets and held several royal warrants.
Entities
Artists
- Thomas Crapper
- Sir John Harington
- Alexander Cumming
- Prince Albert Edward
- King Edward VII
- Elizabeth I
Institutions
- Thomas Crapper & Company
- Oxford English Dictionary
- Sandringham House
- National Portrait Gallery
- Wikimedia Commons
- MJC Plumbing
- Pexels
Locations
- England
- United Kingdom