31 Jul Victorian Chimney Sweeps: A Brief History
The chimney sweeping industry has come a long way since its infancy. Today chimney sweeping is a very safe procedure that uses complex tools to effectively clean chimneys without putting the cleaners at any sort of health risks. However, the profession has not always been this way. Popularly, the term “chimney sweep” recalls thoughts of the Industrial Revolution and young British boys in soot-covered clothing. Indeed, conditions for 19th century chimney sweeps was incredibly poor — but an interesting bit of history. Read on to learn more about Victorian era chimney sweeps:
Victorian Chimney Sweeps
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Child Labor — When one thinks of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain, one often imagines poor orphan boys working in factories. Though it may seem dramatic, reality wasn’t always far from this fact. At ages sometimes as young as six, boys’ families signed contracts of indenture to master sweeps. The boys would work as apprentice sweeps — which often meant they would do the majority of the work. The master sweeps could not fit into the chimneys, so it fell upon young boys to climb and clean the chimneys. These young boys would commonly apprentice under the master sweeps until they reached adulthood, in which they would likely become master sweeps themselves.
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Poor Compensation — Strictly speaking, those who did the brunt of the work were most often children. However, children received no monetary compensation for their jobs as chimney sweeps. Any work performed and payment for the work went to the master sweep. This was the norm, and simply part of the apprentice’s “training.” As a minor bonus, apprentices did get to live with their master and were fed and watched over by him.
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Health Risks — As any medical expert can tell you, sending a young boy into a chimney filled with soot, dirt and other potential harms doesn’t do any favors to their health. In some occasions boys would become trapped in chimneys and would either suffocate or burn to death. In other cases, the soot which could cause cancer for the children at a young age. And of course, this is all compounded by the fact that most apprentice chimney sweeps cleaned four to five chimneys a day.
Though the conditions for Victorian chimney sweep were incredibly poor, the conditions today have greatly improved. Steamer’s Carpet Care prides itself on the safety and efficiency of its chimney cleaning services. If you’re in need of your regular chimney cleaning and don’t want to opt for the poor conditions of a Victorian chimney sweep (just kidding!), contact Steamer’s Carpet Care today to schedule your cleaning!