The history of the chimney sweep has a lot of black spots that we may sometimes overlook. So, those times that reek of romanticism may hide a lot about the facts of chimney sweeps industrial revolution phase. So, what really happened during the victorian era? Well, the industrial revolution brought a lot of positive things for sure. However, it also brought a lot of pain and suffering in addition.
During those times, people began to built chimneys in their old houses. In other words, it became a fashion of sort. With the rise of new chimneys, a new profession also took place. So, the master sweeper now hired young boys as apprentices and made them do the menial work. Those little kids had to clean the soot inside the chimneys. So, their lives weren’t that glorious under no means.
In this article, we will talk about the times of the industrial revolution and how the victorian era was a miserable period for the chimney sweep boys. So, if you want to know more about the chimney sweeps industrial revolution phase, then it’s time to go through the article.
The Chimney Sweep: A General Overview
So, we know that a chimney sweep generally clears residue and ash from the chimneys. During the operation of a regular chimney, due to some reason, creosote builds up inside it. This creosote, with time, can restrict the flow of the air. In fact, it can also lead to fire breakout inside the house. That’s why one must clean the chimneys every once in a while. The victorian era had chimneys that weren’t like the ones we see nowadays. Those chimneys had to be cleaned around four times a year.
In Great Britain, the master sweepers took young boys, preferably from orphanages and workhouses as their apprentices. They guided those young ’uns to climb up the chimneys. The same went true for Italy, Belgium, France, etc countries. On this note, it’s worth saying that that kind of occupation required skills. However, it also carried a lot of health risks.
The Miserable Condition Of The Chimney Sweepers
According to the agreements and law, children could learn a trade and the master tradesman got some free labor by that. Moreover, the history books suggest that the industrial revolution and the victorian era were some of the most intense and miserable periods for the chimney sweeps. The chimney sweeps industrial revolution phase wasn’t ideal at all.
A lot of families came to the cities in search of a job and to earn bread. However, this also increased poverty and a number of children looked for apprenticeships. Therefore, the master tradesmen could pick children and make them do their trade.
So, the master sweeper took or chose undersized and underfed children. They even preferred the children who had no parents. Moreover, the children were quite young as well. For example, the youngest apprentice was just three and a half years old. Normally, the kids ranged from five to six.
The master sweeper in Scotland and most parts of Europe trained the kids to use a gimmick. They used a lead ball and a brush attached to the rope for the sweeping work. In England and Ireland though, the child had to go up and down the chimneys to sweep it.
Why Did Master Sweeper Picked Young Ones?
There’s a reason why the master sweeper picked young children to become chimney sweepers. The chimney sweeps industrial revolution history says that the chimneys were a bit narrow-ish. So, that’s why the master sweeper chose little ones so that they could fit into those chimneys. However, as a result of that, they sometimes showed instances of stunted growth and physical deformities.
