Animalscaretips
- How did chimney sweeping start?
- What laws were there during the Victorian times about chimney sweeps?
- Why were chimney sweeps so important?
- How do I train to be a chimney sweep?
- How much did a child chimney sweep get paid?
- Why did chimney sweeps wear top hats?
- How were chimney sweepers treated?
- What is chimney sweep called?
- What did Victorian chimney sweeps do?
- Why did children typically become chimney sweeps?
- What did child chimney sweeps do?
- How do chimney sweeps work?
- What does it mean to feel like a chimney sweep?
- What happened to sweeps who grew too large?
How did chimney sweeping start?
The professional of chimney sweeping got its start in the 16th century in England. Originally, only the ruling class in England had chimneys, and chimney sweeps had the filthy job of keeping them clean.
What laws were there during the Victorian times about chimney sweeps?
The Chimney Sweeps Act 1834 was enacted in an attempt to protect the children employed by the 'sweeping' masters from cruel exploitation. The act forbade the apprenticing of any boy under the age of 10 years and the employment of children under 14 in chimney sweeping unless they were apprenticed or on trial.
Why were chimney sweeps so important?
The job of a chimney sweep was essential to avoid fires erupting in the home. When the interior of a chimney became choked or partially blocked with a build-up of soot, chimney fires could occur. Coal creates a sticky soot which often does not come loose easily, and chimney edges need scraping where soot builds up.
How do I train to be a chimney sweep?
The training is held at a hired venues (several locations), and comprises of 4 days course followed by 4 day mentoring by two different professional sweeps. Once you have completed the course you become a member of GOMCS. As with any trade association there will be rules and regulations.
How much did a child chimney sweep get paid?
From 1773, master chimney sweeps regularly kept anywhere from 2 to 20 children, depending on how many they could use for their business. For each child, the master sweep was paid 3-4 pounds by the government when the apprenticeship agreement was signed.
Why did chimney sweeps wear top hats?
This story says that beginning in the 17th century, funeral directors would take pity on these poor children being forced to crawl up chimneys. To help raise both their status and their morale, they gave them the extra top hats that would have otherwise been disposed of.
How were chimney sweepers treated?
An apprentice would do four or five chimneys a day. When they first started they scraped their knees and elbows, so the master would harden up their skin by standing them close to a hot fire and rubbing in strong brine using a brush. This was done each evening until the skin hardened.
What is chimney sweep called?
: a person whose occupation is cleaning soot from chimney flues. — called also chimney sweeper.
What did Victorian chimney sweeps do?
A chimney sweep uses brushes and sticks to dislodge and sweep away the soot from the walls of the chimney, and collects the soot in bags for disposal. In the Victorian era the number of houses with chimneys grew apace and so chimney sweeps became more important than ever.
Why did children typically become chimney sweeps?
This practice of sending small boys up and down chimneys in order to ensure that they were free of harmful creosote deposits was the norm in England for approximately 200 years. The use of child chimney sweeps became widespread after the Great Fire of London, which occurred in September of 1666.
What did child chimney sweeps do?
Children who worked as sweeps rarely lived past middle age. Child chimney sweeps were required to crawl through chimneys which were only about 18 inches wide. ... The child would shimmy up the flue using his back, elbows, and knees. He would use a brush overhead to knock soot loose; the soot would fall down over him.
How do chimney sweeps work?
Chimney sweeps use a heavy metal bristled brush to clean your chimney. These tools are long rods, with the bristles located at the very tip. ... The chimney sweeps will begin from the flue and work their way up, begin at the roof's chimney access and work their way down, or in some cases, do both.
What does it mean to feel like a chimney sweep?
In a literal context, a chimney sweep(er) is someone who cleans chimneys as a profession. This used to be a very important job in many parts of the world. ... In some cases, to call someone a chimney sweep implies racist sentiment.
What happened to sweeps who grew too large?
Children who worked as chimney sweeps generally ranged from as young as 4 to about 10 years old, when they grew too big to fit down the tiny chimneys anymore. The children were often times underfed by their bosses to keep them skinny enough to fit in the extremely narrow chimneys.
