What Did Castle Dwellers Put in Moats in the Middle Ages?

Almost every castle in the Middle Ages had a moat that was used for protection. Many people have researched about what life was like in castles, and the surrounding areas, but few look into what it was that would lie in the moat that surrounded these castles.

It is obvious that the first thing that was usually in a moat was water. This water would be a defense against rampaging hordes that would try to attack the castle on horseback. These moats would be deep enough to make sure that the horses would not be able to pass.

The question would then be raised about people swimming across these moats. What is ti that would prevent this from happening? What is it that would be in a moat that could make it so that someone would not want to cross it?

There has been a myth for centuries that many moats were filled with dangerous animals such as sharks and alligators. This is not true. People would sometimes see people trying to swim across a moat, and then be sucked under the water. Spattering of blood, and maybe some clothing would be the only thing that was left of the person.

In actuality, moats were commonly filled with spikes. Many of these spikes would have small hooks on the end to hook onto someone's clothing if they tried to swim across.

If someone got hooked, a natural reaction would be to fight. This would tire the person, and from land, it may appear like the swimmer was trying to struggle with something under the water.

The person would then go under the water to try to figure out what was hooking their clothing. The spikes under the water would then finish off the job that was started by the hooks.

Most castles became full of sewage after a certain amount of time. Many castle owners realized that they had to figure out what to do with the excess sewage. Many of these owners decided to drain the sewage into the moat as a deterrent from people coming anywhere near it. This was very effective.

If someone wanted to try to cross a moat, he or she would have to struggle to not be sickened by the smell of rotting sewage. Then, there would be the good chance that a hook or spike would kill the person as passing was attempted. If the person did make it across, there would be a good change that he or she would die from an infection that would be caused by the rotting sewage. Or they would be captured since all of the guards would be able to smell the person form a long distance.

The next time that you see a picture of a moat, think about what might have been in there. Decide for yourself if it would have been worth trying to cross. Decide if it would have even been worth living there with all of the smells that would come from the moat.