‘Groom of the Stool’

This isn’t so much a bad hygiene practice, as it is just an incredibly weird part of ancient hygiene. Most often, monarchs had a servant that was responsible for wiping their backside. The position was officially known as “Groom of the Stool,” though would sometimes be called “Groom of the King’s Close Stool.” While it might seem this to be the lowliest job in the kingdom, due to the intimacy of the act, the groom would actually be privy to an incredible amount of information and much confidence would be placed in them. With access to all these secrets, the groom was usually someone well respected and even feared within the royal court.