Did you know . . .?

05.09.12

We can't resist sharing the little nuggets of information and wisdom hiding in our authors' books - and there are quite a few! This month, our eyes have been drawn to Bernard Knight's new historical mystery, CROWNER'S CRUSADE. Not only is it the thrilling prequel to the perennially popular Crowner John medieval mystery series, but we also came across this little gem we thought we'd share. Why do we call toilet seats 'loo seats'?

Their own sanitary arrangements were little better - a bucket was the usual receptacle, as only the nonchalant crew dared use the ring-shaped wooden seat that was clamped to the bulwarks, hanging over the waves below. For obvious reasons, it was always fixed downwind on the 'looward' side, from which it got its nick-name, 'the loo seat'.

CROWNER'S CRUSADE by Bernard Knight is published by Severn House on 27 September 2012 in the UK, and 1 January 2013 in the US.