The History of the Chamberpot Trivia Quiz

Answer: Portable vessel intended for use as a toilet

Before the days of indoor plumbing (and indeed central heating), anyone needing to make a call of nature in the middle of the night would much prefer reaching under the bed for their chamberpot than wandering around outside in the cold and the dark. I dare say it would be possible to use a chamber pot for any one of the other suggestions, but only after giving it a jolly good clean first.

Answer: All of these

I particularly like "Gazunder", so called because it "goes under" the bed. "Po" has its origin in the French "pot de chambre". Jerry is short for "Jeroboam", and is also the origin of the nickname "Jerry" for members of the German infantry in WWII, whose helmets were said by Allied forces to be shaped like a chamberpot.

Answer: Lasagne

Although the answer may be obvious, the route by which the name became attached to the food is less so. The Greek word eventually became the Latin "lasanum", or cooking pot. It then in turn became the name of the dish in which lasagne (or lasagna to Americans) is made, and finally the food itself.

Answer: Bourdaloue

The story goes that the bourdaloue was named after the famous French priest Louis Bourdaloue, whose sermons were as popular as they were long. The numerous people who attended his sermons were said to need to resort to chamberpots to relieve themselves during these excessively lengthy homilies. True or not, the bourdaloues themselves were an essential item for ladies taking long journeys by coach.

Answer: Gardy-loo!

The word is believed to originate from the French "Garde de l'eau", meaning "Beware of the water".

Answer: The Emperor's Chambermaids

This incident took place during the Peninsular War, following the Battle of Vittoria, and the chamberpot is still part of the official regimental silver, although the regiment itself is now part of the King's Royal Hussars. Even now, on special occasions in the officers' mess, it is filled with champagne and used as a drinking vessel.

Answer: Commode

Such devices have existed since at least the sixteenth century, when they were known as "close stools". In Victorian times, "commode" was also used to describe a bedside cabinet with doors, in which a chamberpot could be hidden politely away. Commode chairs continue to be manufactured today, mainly for the use of those of limited mobility.

Answer: The manufacturer used laurel leaves in the design

The manufacturer, George Bullock of Liverpool, used laurel leaves (regarded since antiquity as a symbol of victory) as a decorative feature on the chamberpot and other pieces, which included a washbasin and soap dish. But the British Government decided that these implied that Napoleon had been victorious, so the set was never given to him.

It did however survive, and is now on display in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

Answer: Georges Feydeau

"On Purge Bebe" was filmed by Jean Renoir in 1931, his first sound picture. An English translation by Peter Barnes, entitled "The Purging", was performed in London in 1976/77, starring Leonard Rossiter. The play deals with the attempts of the inventor, Follovoine, to sell his invention to the French army.

Answer: Newby Hall

Originally built in the 1690s, Newby Hall has some fine Robert Adam interiors and attractive gardens. However, many visitors remember it best for its collection of chamberpots, collected during the nineteenth century by the house's owner, Robert de Grey Vyner.