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British Chimney Sweeps: Five Centuries of Chimney Sweeping
Our picture of a chimney sweep is often Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins . This meticulously researched examination shows a different side to this hazardous trade. The art and science of chimney sweeping are examined in detail for the first time in this lively and fascinating book. From the development of chimneys in the twelfth century, replacing the open cooking fire in a smoke-filled room with a plain hole in the roof, to the patenting of mechanical devices in the late nineteenth century that came to the rescue of many a poor climbing boy, all is revealed. The personalities who dominated the profession, which surprisingly included several women sweeps, are portrayed, along with many illustrations of the tools of the trade. Sweeping techniques, the impact of social reform and the place of the sweep in literature are explored in this absorbing work. With 75 black-and-white illustrations.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
260 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 19, 2021
In addition to being a very well researched history of chimney sweeping in Britain over five centuries, this admirable work is also a valuable record of many aspects of English social history. While the job of sweeping chimneys has been vital to the comfort and safety of the population, its practitioners have enjoyed little respect or appreciation.
Belinda Cullingford records the irritation of a lady when told that she could not have her chimney swept because the boy sweeps were at school. She responded: 'A chimney sweep indeed, wanting education! What next?'
The lives of chimney sweeps make fascinating reading and I guarantee you will find a lot you didn’t know about sweeps in Benita’s book.
Chimney sweeping methods from the 12th century to the 19th are examined, including such primitive methods as putting large birds down the flue or using a bundle of rushes on a pole.
When coal replaced wood, charcoal and peat as a more efficient domestic fuel, the deposits of soot it created saw the demand for chimney sweeping rapidly escalate. Also, in George III’s reign social conditions improved, people lived longer and the population doubled. More and more houses were built, creating more and more chimneys
Towards the end of the 16th century justices had been given the power to apprentice the children of the poor. Small undernourished children were identified as being perfect for climbing narrow flues. And so began a substantial and ongoing demand for ‘climbing boys’, some of whom were in fact ‘climbing girls’, usually the daughters of master sweeps.
Two little girls were employed in sweeping the chimneys of Windsor Castle and
In Lancashire, a young girl aged six years frequently climbed a seven inch square flue. As Benita says ‘young children climbed our tortuous flues for more than 200 years. There is no denying their courage and skill.’
It is unbelievable that children were sent up chimneys on fire and the book does not hold back on the terrible deaths and injuries suffered by children in the nightmare trade. Some died as a result of getting stuck in a flue and suffocating.
If the chimney was particularly narrow, the boy or girl would be told to ‘buff it’, that is to do it naked. A particularly interesting section of the book deals with the health hazards of chimney sweeping - from which we make the surprising discovery that, contrary to popular belief, Chimney Sweeps Cancer afflicted adult sweeps, not climbing boys. It was caused by skin irritation as a result of sifting soot, which entailed working in a semi-bent position. It was a laborious task which could only be done by an adult.
The tireless efforts of great reformers like Jonas Hanway and Lord Shaftesbury – who worked for years to put an end to the child slaves in chimneys - are well documented. Slaves they were, because although called ‘Apprentices’ they received no wages.
The SSNCB –‘ Society for Superseding the Necessity for Climbing Boys’ was founded in 1803, but it was not until 1875 that Shaftesbury finally got his bill through parliament that stopped the climbing boys climbing any more.
There is a chapter on the development of chimney sweeping machines which ended the suffering of the climbing boys, and some vivid portraits of the Master Sweeps lifestyle. It includes biographies of some of the more colourful characters and also chimney sweeping families.
Many of the Master Sweeps were women, who took over a business when their husbands died. Their cruelty to apprentices became well known. The infamous Mrs Bridger, one of the worst, enjoyed sipping gin while she stripped and beat a naked apprentice with a stick. Ann Wilson forced her nine year old apprentice, John Anderson, to climb a hot flue, and the heat was so intense that he fainted and died.
Quite often, these unfortunate children had been sold to the chimney sweeps by impoverished parents. The chapter on chimney climbing mentions that nurses used the threat of chimney sweeping to discipline disobedient children, using foolish and frightening language such as ‘ if you are not good I shall give you to the sweep and you will have to climb up the chimney.’
Interestingly, when he was older, one of their charges apparently asked a climbing boy if he had disobeyed his nurse very often in order to be condemned to sweep chimneys. The ‘black urchin’gazed at him, uncomprehending , then with a cheerful grin replied that ‘on the whole he rather enjoyed climbing chimneys.’ More amazing stuff I for one didn’t know about sweeps!
‘British Chimney Sweeps’ is a mine of information, and it includes details of why sweeps have always been believed to be lucky, hence their attendance at weddings. There is also a lengthy section on the strong presence of sweeps in literature.
The Foreword to this book describes it as ‘filling a gap in British social history, as it is the first to chronicle the history of chimney sweeps. It’s an absorbing and illuminating read.
Belinda Cullingford records the irritation of a lady when told that she could not have her chimney swept because the boy sweeps were at school. She responded: 'A chimney sweep indeed, wanting education! What next?'
The lives of chimney sweeps make fascinating reading and I guarantee you will find a lot you didn’t know about sweeps in Benita’s book.
Chimney sweeping methods from the 12th century to the 19th are examined, including such primitive methods as putting large birds down the flue or using a bundle of rushes on a pole.
When coal replaced wood, charcoal and peat as a more efficient domestic fuel, the deposits of soot it created saw the demand for chimney sweeping rapidly escalate. Also, in George III’s reign social conditions improved, people lived longer and the population doubled. More and more houses were built, creating more and more chimneys
Towards the end of the 16th century justices had been given the power to apprentice the children of the poor. Small undernourished children were identified as being perfect for climbing narrow flues. And so began a substantial and ongoing demand for ‘climbing boys’, some of whom were in fact ‘climbing girls’, usually the daughters of master sweeps.
Two little girls were employed in sweeping the chimneys of Windsor Castle and
In Lancashire, a young girl aged six years frequently climbed a seven inch square flue. As Benita says ‘young children climbed our tortuous flues for more than 200 years. There is no denying their courage and skill.’
It is unbelievable that children were sent up chimneys on fire and the book does not hold back on the terrible deaths and injuries suffered by children in the nightmare trade. Some died as a result of getting stuck in a flue and suffocating.
If the chimney was particularly narrow, the boy or girl would be told to ‘buff it’, that is to do it naked. A particularly interesting section of the book deals with the health hazards of chimney sweeping - from which we make the surprising discovery that, contrary to popular belief, Chimney Sweeps Cancer afflicted adult sweeps, not climbing boys. It was caused by skin irritation as a result of sifting soot, which entailed working in a semi-bent position. It was a laborious task which could only be done by an adult.
The tireless efforts of great reformers like Jonas Hanway and Lord Shaftesbury – who worked for years to put an end to the child slaves in chimneys - are well documented. Slaves they were, because although called ‘Apprentices’ they received no wages.
The SSNCB –‘ Society for Superseding the Necessity for Climbing Boys’ was founded in 1803, but it was not until 1875 that Shaftesbury finally got his bill through parliament that stopped the climbing boys climbing any more.
There is a chapter on the development of chimney sweeping machines which ended the suffering of the climbing boys, and some vivid portraits of the Master Sweeps lifestyle. It includes biographies of some of the more colourful characters and also chimney sweeping families.
Many of the Master Sweeps were women, who took over a business when their husbands died. Their cruelty to apprentices became well known. The infamous Mrs Bridger, one of the worst, enjoyed sipping gin while she stripped and beat a naked apprentice with a stick. Ann Wilson forced her nine year old apprentice, John Anderson, to climb a hot flue, and the heat was so intense that he fainted and died.
Quite often, these unfortunate children had been sold to the chimney sweeps by impoverished parents. The chapter on chimney climbing mentions that nurses used the threat of chimney sweeping to discipline disobedient children, using foolish and frightening language such as ‘ if you are not good I shall give you to the sweep and you will have to climb up the chimney.’
Interestingly, when he was older, one of their charges apparently asked a climbing boy if he had disobeyed his nurse very often in order to be condemned to sweep chimneys. The ‘black urchin’gazed at him, uncomprehending , then with a cheerful grin replied that ‘on the whole he rather enjoyed climbing chimneys.’ More amazing stuff I for one didn’t know about sweeps!
‘British Chimney Sweeps’ is a mine of information, and it includes details of why sweeps have always been believed to be lucky, hence their attendance at weddings. There is also a lengthy section on the strong presence of sweeps in literature.
The Foreword to this book describes it as ‘filling a gap in British social history, as it is the first to chronicle the history of chimney sweeps. It’s an absorbing and illuminating read.
June 2, 2023
Excellent research on a topic that is rarely discussed. Capitalism at its grittiest. Many children lost their lives crawling through chimney flues. A variety of cancers, lung diseases and beer for breakfast...
October 30, 2021
In addition to being a very well researched history of chimney sweeping in Britain over five centuries, this admirable work is also a valuable record of many aspects of English social history. While the job of sweeping chimneys has been vital to the comfort and safety of the population, its practitioners have enjoyed little respect or appreciation.
The lives of chimney sweeps make fascinating reading and I guarantee you will find a lot you didn’t know about sweeps in Benita’s book.
Chimney sweeping methods from the 12th century to the 19th are examined, including such primitive methods as putting large birds down the flue or using a bundle of rushes on a pole.
Towards the end of the 16th century justices had been given the power to apprentice the children of the poor. Small undernourished children were identified as being perfect for climbing narrow flues. And so began a substantial and ongoing demand for ‘climbing boys’, some of whom were in fact ‘climbing girls’, usually the daughters of master sweeps.
If the chimney was particularly narrow, the boy or girl would be told to ‘buff it’, that is to do it naked. A particularly interesting section of the book deals with the health hazards of chimney sweeping - from which we make the surprising discovery that, contrary to popular belief, Chimney Sweeps Cancer afflicted adult sweeps, not climbing boys. It was caused by skin irritation as a result of sifting soot, which entailed working in a semi-bent position. It was a laborious task which could only be done by an adult.
There is a chapter on the development of chimney sweeping machines which ended the suffering of the climbing boys, and some vivid portraits of the Master Sweeps lifestyle.
Many of the Master Sweeps were women, who took over a business when their husbands died. Their cruelty to apprentices became well known. The infamous Mrs Bridger, one of the worst, enjoyed sipping gin while she stripped and beat a naked apprentice with a stick.
Quite often, these unfortunate children had been sold to the chimney sweeps by impoverished parents. The chapter on chimney climbing mentions that nurses used the threat of chimney sweeping to discipline disobedient children, using foolish and frightening language such as ‘ if you are not good I shall give you to the sweep and you will have to climb up the chimney.’
Interestingly, when he was older, one of their charges apparently asked a climbing boy if he had disobeyed his nurse very often in order to be condemned to sweep chimneys. The ‘black urchin’gazed at him, uncomprehending , then with a cheerful grin replied that ‘on the whole he rather enjoyed climbing chimneys.’ More amazing stuff I for one didn’t know about sweeps!
‘British Chimney Sweeps’ is a mine of information, and it includes details of why sweeps have always been believed to be lucky, hence their attendance at weddings. There is also a lengthy section on the strong presence of sweeps in literature.
The Foreword to this book describes it as ‘filling a gap in British social history, as it is the first to chronicle the history of chimney sweeps. It’s an absorbing and illuminating read.
The lives of chimney sweeps make fascinating reading and I guarantee you will find a lot you didn’t know about sweeps in Benita’s book.
Chimney sweeping methods from the 12th century to the 19th are examined, including such primitive methods as putting large birds down the flue or using a bundle of rushes on a pole.
Towards the end of the 16th century justices had been given the power to apprentice the children of the poor. Small undernourished children were identified as being perfect for climbing narrow flues. And so began a substantial and ongoing demand for ‘climbing boys’, some of whom were in fact ‘climbing girls’, usually the daughters of master sweeps.
If the chimney was particularly narrow, the boy or girl would be told to ‘buff it’, that is to do it naked. A particularly interesting section of the book deals with the health hazards of chimney sweeping - from which we make the surprising discovery that, contrary to popular belief, Chimney Sweeps Cancer afflicted adult sweeps, not climbing boys. It was caused by skin irritation as a result of sifting soot, which entailed working in a semi-bent position. It was a laborious task which could only be done by an adult.
There is a chapter on the development of chimney sweeping machines which ended the suffering of the climbing boys, and some vivid portraits of the Master Sweeps lifestyle.
Many of the Master Sweeps were women, who took over a business when their husbands died. Their cruelty to apprentices became well known. The infamous Mrs Bridger, one of the worst, enjoyed sipping gin while she stripped and beat a naked apprentice with a stick.
Quite often, these unfortunate children had been sold to the chimney sweeps by impoverished parents. The chapter on chimney climbing mentions that nurses used the threat of chimney sweeping to discipline disobedient children, using foolish and frightening language such as ‘ if you are not good I shall give you to the sweep and you will have to climb up the chimney.’
Interestingly, when he was older, one of their charges apparently asked a climbing boy if he had disobeyed his nurse very often in order to be condemned to sweep chimneys. The ‘black urchin’gazed at him, uncomprehending , then with a cheerful grin replied that ‘on the whole he rather enjoyed climbing chimneys.’ More amazing stuff I for one didn’t know about sweeps!
‘British Chimney Sweeps’ is a mine of information, and it includes details of why sweeps have always been believed to be lucky, hence their attendance at weddings. There is also a lengthy section on the strong presence of sweeps in literature.
The Foreword to this book describes it as ‘filling a gap in British social history, as it is the first to chronicle the history of chimney sweeps. It’s an absorbing and illuminating read.
May 19, 2012
This a spectacular book with tons of valid and intriguing information. Though, even for a historical book it is a very difficult read and it has tendencies to jump around a bit too much without any apparent cause or reason and repeats some information.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews