John Harington (writer)

Sir John Harington (also Harrington; * August 4, 1561 in Kelston, Somerset, England; † November 20, 1612 ) was an English poet. Some of his works he published under the pseudonym Misacmos.

Life

John Harington was known mainly by the invention of the water closet on behalf of Queen Elizabeth I in the year 1596th The first such toilet was in his property in Kelston, Somerset. Haringtons invention it has been received by his countrymen as a bad joke. In spite of a book with the exact instructions of his invention, almost no one was interested in it and they waned. Only in 1775 was the Scottish inventor Alexander Cumming the patent for the design of a water closet.

Others

Sir John Harington is an ancestor of Kit Harington, who portrays the character of Jon Snow in the series Game of Thrones.

Writings

• Misacmos (Sir John Harington ): A New Discourse of a Stale Subject, called the Metamorphosis of Ajax. printed by Richard Field, London 1596th