It was a very unhealthy and dangerous practice that subjected many children to deplorable working and living conditions. The horrors of the chimney sweep practiceįor over 200 years, the use of children as chimney sweeps continued. Sometimes, these children even slept on a blanket filled with soot because it provided warmth for them. The soot was then delivered to the master or emptied on his courtyard and sold to other farmers as dust fertilizers. After reaching the top of the chimney, he would slide back down and gather the soot pile.
When this happened, many children were forced to move away from the fire and deeper into the chimney.Įach apprentice had a blanket to put in the soot after cleaning the chimney. This was where the expression “light a fire under him" originated from. As a form of punishment, the master sweep would light straw beneath the child or send someone to poke the child’s feet with a pin. The chimney sweeping routine was extremely uncomfortable and while at it, the apprentices were usually given small brushes and metal scrapers for removing the hard tar deposits.Īny child who showed reluctance to work was beaten. Such wound could be left untreated before the next chimney appointment. When a child would initially start climbing the chimney, his knees and elbows would be scraped amidst bleeding. In many cases, the apprentices were at the mercy of their masters and subjected to their good graces. They were mostly chosen as apprentices for this sort of work.Ī standard apprenticeship for chimney sweeping was meant to last for 7 years, but many master sweeps would make the children work for several more years. The usual targets were small, underfed children of helpless or absent parents. These children who were usually between ages 4–10 were used like servants, subjected to harsh working conditions and made to work for unreasonably long hours.Ī master chimney sweep and his apprentice in Italy during the 19th century Photo source: wikipedia Sadly, the master sweeps who were meant to take care of the chimneys would get many homeless children or children from the orphanage and use them as chimney sweep apprentices. This was how the use of chimney sweep apprentices began.
#THE CHIMNEY SWEEP FREE#
While cleaning the chimney, the Master sweeps gradually developed the practice of sending small boys up to check if the chimney was free from harmful creosote deposits. There was an expert the master sweep, who was required for this. The use of chimney sweep apprenticesĪ chimney sweep was usually employed to clear ash and soot from the chimneys. If a chimney wasn’t clean, it often led to a blockage of air and exposed people living within to toxic fumes. As taller buildings were built, the need arose for more chimney professionals to frequently clean the sticky deposits emanating from the used coals. With the rapid increase in urbanization and industrialization, there was a significant increase in homes with chimneys.
The use of chimney was initially common amongst the ruling class, but after some time, the working class began to build more chimneys and fireplaces in their homes too. During that time, many people constructed their homes with fireplaces in almost every room. The earliest use of chimneys can be traced to the 13th century in Italy, although it became more popular in the 16th century.
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