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Infants of the Brush: A Chimney Sweep's Story

A.M. Watson (Goodreads Author)

4.33 · Rating details · 60 ratings · 22 reviews

Infants of the Brush is historical fiction based on Armory v. Delamirie, a 1700s court case before the King’s Bench against Paul de Lamerie, a silversmith. In the vein of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, Infants of the Brush is set in a time when London society ignored the ills of child labor. Unlike the gleeful chimney sweeps portrayed in Mary Poppins, climbing boys were fo ...more

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Kindle Edition, 294 pages

Published November 17th 2017 by Red Acre Press

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Jul 29, 2019 Beata rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The story of a group of underprivileged boys living in the 18th century London and exploited as chimney sweeps moved me deeply …
The novel portrays a group of boys - chimney sweeps - who, by poverty and misfortunes, become actually slaves to a heartless Master Armory for several years, until they grow up too big to get inside a chimney. The poverty is behind the forced separation from family, family that is often impossible to regain even if they manage to free themselves from Armory. Egon Whitc ...more

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Nov 20, 2018 Peter rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, favorites

Servitude
Infants of the Brush: A Chimney Sweep’s Story is a polished, skilfully written book, which is illuminating, riveting and profoundly heart-breaking. A.M. Watson recreates the atmospheric world of 1720s London in a similar style as Charles Dickens. The similarity is reinforced regarding children that eked out a living under harsh and brutal conditions, with nothing more than a bowl of gruel to fill empty stomachs, and a tyrant to answer to.

Egan Whitcombe is just a 6-year-old boy, who is Servitude
Infants of the Brush: A Chimney Sweep’s Story is a polished, skilfully written book, which is illuminating, riveting and profoundly heart-breaking. A.M. Watson recreates the atmospheric world of 1720s London in a similar style as Charles Dickens. The similarity is reinforced regarding children that eked out a living under harsh and brutal conditions, with nothing more than a bowl of gruel to fill empty stomachs, and a tyrant to answer to.

Egan Whitcombe is just a 6-year-old boy, who is sold by his Mother to the soulless Daniel Armory – Master Chimney Sweep, for 3 Crowns (15 Shillings). Egan is an asset to Armory because he is small and can climb into the narrower flues. Chimney Sweep Masters forced children to climb up flues by poking their legs with needles or lighting a fire underneath them. The idiom “light a fire under someone” has its origins in this unforgivable practice. The hidden dangers are shocking and each child navigates them through tenuously controlled fear.

Egan is taken under the mentorship of another boy, Pitt, only 13, but with such an amazing sense of maturity and awareness, that in itself reaffirms how short childhood was for these children. Pitt’s character is wonderfully drawn, as are all 8 boys, the group teeming with a range of personalities and traits that enables interesting and compelling dialogue and interactions. It was a pleasure to meet Pitt. You should meet him as well. His principles, emotional intelligence, craft and capacity to care, shines as an example for us all. The transformation of Egan from a totally bewildered tearful infant to a hard-working yet mindful boy is dramatically yet delicately achieved.

Each boy must bring in at least 2 shillings per day but they know if they can eventually gather 5 guineas, they can repay the debt to set themselves free. That means they need to tactically and carefully syphon off some money each day but still make their quota.

“I’ll give Master Armory a shilling and eight coppers as our earnings. I’ll keep the extra coins to make up earnings on a day when work is hard to come by. Eventually, I’ll have five guineas to pay me debt.
...
I’ll do it too one day, pay me debt and leave. Be sure to start yer own stash. A pence here and a haypenney there adds up. And don’t go eating just because you have the coin. Savings is better than a full stomach.” Pitt explains to Egan

The ultimate desire to save for freedom leads to an incident that results in a court case. The subsequent court case, Armory vs Delamirie, fuelled the inspiration for this book and is on record as establishing an important principle in property law.

If tears fall while reading this book, or your teeth clench with anger, then you have a heart that feels and empathises with the most vulnerable of society. Credit has to go to A.M. Watson for weaving her literary magic and making the reader feel like this. It’s impossible to let these images fall easily from your mind.

I highly recommend this book and I'm hugely impressed that this is a debut novel. ...more

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Jun 16, 2019 Lisa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Every time I read about the "olden" days, it breaks me. I'm 55. By now I realize that I should be used to this crap. Yet, I'm always astounded by the monstrosity of humans. Mostly men. How in the hell can people do this? How can you breathe, knowing the harm and agony you've caused? I think this is why I prefer my horror and thrillers. They don't stack up against the true horror that is mankind.
Would I recommend this book?.Yes. But, it will break your heart. ...more

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Apr 02, 2019 Ann rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction

I thought this book was brilliant. It covered the harsh life of children sold into service as Chimney Sweeps during the 18th century. The tasks required of the infants was to climb inside chimneys and sweep out the soot. Sometimes they went in when there was a blockage and a fire was still lit somewhere. The smallest children were the most sought after as they could fit the smallest spaces.

Egan and Pitt are 2 children that fictionalise this story and their characters are so beautifully developed ...more

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Dec 03, 2018 Margaret Mary rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, history

The Infants of the Brush story takes place during the industrial revolution in England. It is set in a period of history where children of lower classes were expected to contribute to working society covering all industries. This book focuses on the plight of chimney sweeps. Most chimney sweeps were sold as apprentices to master sweeps from the age of six, however, some took on children as young as four and exploited them to climb very slim chimneys. In reality, it was more a case of enslavement The Infants of the Brush story takes place during the industrial revolution in England. It is set in a period of history where children of lower classes were expected to contribute to working society covering all industries. This book focuses on the plight of chimney sweeps. Most chimney sweeps were sold as apprentices to master sweeps from the age of six, however, some took on children as young as four and exploited them to climb very slim chimneys. In reality, it was more a case of enslavement rather than being true apprentices as they did not get paid and worked from predawn until dusk. Very few survived into their teens suffering from stunted growth and skeletal deformities due to the nature of their job, most dying from the first recorded type of cancer, cancer of the scrotum, also known as ‘Chimney Sweep Cancer.’

Society turned a blind eye to the inhuman and cruel nature of the work inflicted upon such very young children. There were very few people of wealth and influence willing to speak out against such cruel child exploitation bar such people as the Reverend Charles Kingsley who wrote the Water Babies about a child sweep who escaped from his plight. The trial of William Wyer for manslaughter in 1865 after the death of twelve-year-old George Brewster, provoked a bill which was passed through parliament, resulting in the end of the practice of using children as human sweeps.

This story begins with a young boy Egan being sold to servitude as a chimney sweep at the tender age of six. Detailing his journey from grief at losing his family to the developing relationships with fellow sweeps and coping with the enormous hardship and inhumanity of the job and living conditions.

I am hugely impressed with A.M Watson’s ability to marry true events and actions of that period with the fictional characters; delivering an eloquent portrayal of horrific conditions that most children not born into wealth and elitist society had to endure. It is beautifully written, and the story elaborates with natural fluidity. For children to have an innocent childhood, to explore and play without fear worry hunger and the real expectancy of death, was not an option. They were not treated as children to be nurtured but as little adults without the rights of adults to be used as pleased. Life was harsh, and significant numbers of families sold their children into servitude in order to survive. Death was perceived a better option than having to turn to the workhouse for help.

Reading A.M. Watson’s book is like a Dickens novel but with more realism, and less coincidence or drama pulling at every emotion. It makes you swing from pure heart-rending sadness for these children and their plight, to pure anger at the cruelty delivered by adults who saw children as nothing more than a means to make money, then cruelly disregarded when they were no longer fit for purpose. Welfare was non-existent and animals were treated with more compassion and dignity. It’s a real window into a class society where wealth ensured you were treated with dignity and respect, and children were allowed to be children. Lack of wealth, ensured families did not have the luxury to let children be children, but where a means to an end and treated like slaves at the mercy of adults. I wanted to be able to share with the children, the tenderness and unconditional love that all children should be privy to and offer the protection that is the right of all children. The inability to do this really stirred emotional anger and frustration at being unable to fulfil this. Not too many books can ignite such emotions and bring you on such an emotional journey. This was an easy book to review because it was thoroughly engrossing, totally captivating, and extremely well-written. I could also accept that the book was well researched and provided a factual true account of the conditions young chimney sweeps of that period endured.

I would highly recommend this book and a clear 5 star. ...more

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Nov 28, 2018 Hans rated it really liked it

This is a moving tale about child labour in the 1700s in London. Egan is a dreamer and very likeable.

Thanks for the recommendation, Peter!

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Dec 15, 2018 BAM Endlessly Booked rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, british-historical-fiction, traded

Audiobook #252

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Feb 24, 2018 Lori rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

I saw this title on goodreads and had to give this book a try. Infants of the Brush: A Chimney Sweep's Story is a historical fiction book. It takes place around 1720 in England. Egan Whitcombe lived with his family until he was six years old. His father died at sea and his mother is destitute. When his younger sister becomes very ill, his mother sells him to a man who keeps little boys to be chimney sweeps. He is treated badly by the owner. The only boy who shows him kindness is Pitt another bo ...more

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Jun 27, 2019 Susanne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, netgalley

Thank you to Red Acre Press and NetGalley for a reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Over the past months I've read several books about life in Britian just before and during the Industrial Revolution, so I jumped at the chance to read this book. Although this is shelved as "historical fiction", it is clear that the author has carefully done their research and the story marries historical fact with a fictional narrative extremely well. The author creates the atmosphere of the times, an ...more

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Aug 07, 2018 Paul rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, give-aways

Good read!

I really enjoyed this book! I have read a lot about child labor in the past, so I was not surprised by the injustices and hardships, but I felt for the children in this book. I felt they were well developed, and the story was compelling.

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Oct 22, 2019 Mrs. Y rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: book-reviews, historical-fiction-review, fiction-reviews

Hello everyone! I hope you are excited for a review of something special today. To begin, I was sent a copy of "Infants of the Brush: A Chimney Sweep's Story" from A.M Watson herself, and I want to thank her for such an honor. But, because most of my reviews circle on the e-book copy and scoring, I also purchased the book from Amazon so that I could read one and also make comments on how the e-book reads to someone who didn't buy the physical book.

Let me go into the first impressions, without g ...more

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Aug 15, 2018 gj indieBRAG rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: b-r-a-g-medallion-books

We are proud to announce that INFANTS IN THE BRUSH: A chimney Sweep's Story by A.M. Watson is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money! ...more

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Feb 24, 2018 Stephanie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is certainly a five-star-reading for me. I will be recommending it to my friends.

I read this book in one sitting. I DID have to put it down, but only because I became claustrophobic during some of the paragraphs. I don't think a book has ever made me be claustrophobic before!
I've read a lot of historical fiction, so some of the 'facts' didn't shock me, but Ms. Watson's telling of the events was very moving. The interesting thing was, she didn't go for sappy or sentimental. I think the pu ...more

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Nov 24, 2017 Lori Peterson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Well researched historical fiction

This is an excellent, well researched book. The author's writing style is that of a well seasoned writer. I love historical fiction. I like to see how the facts match up to the story. It is obvious A. M. Watson did thorough research. The book is engaging. I found it slightly macabre in the details of how these poor children were treated. However, I could not put the book down. I was hoping for some redemption for little Eagan and was relieved that he escaped the ...more

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Jul 18, 2020 Jim Sullivan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-historical-fiction, read-at-greens-beach, recommended-by-peter, 4-0-stars

4.0*

Reading a book about child exploitation in England in the 1700's was an eye-opening experience.

The history is extensively researched and it brings to life the environment that young children lived with as chimney sweeps. The cruelty by the masters and peers was shocking and seems inconceivable to us in our modern lifetimes.

It could be a fable like Oliver Twist, if it wasn't based on real events.

The Epilogue and Historical Notes really brings home how barbaric the practices were. Acts of par ...more

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Jul 05, 2019 Jilly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019

It defies belief that young children could be forced to climb hot chimneys to sweep away the soot but that's exactly what they did not so very long ago! This book is beautifully written from the child's perspective and gives a clear sense of their feelings of abandonment and despair, but at the same time their hope of saving for a future freedom. A very moving book, one I thought about for a long time afterwards. Highly recommended. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher, Red Acre Press for a ...more

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Dec 12, 2017 Barbara Dwyer rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Moving

Since Egan's story is based on accounts on record, I found myself believing every word written. Well constructed and definitely a great read. ...more

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Nov 11, 2019 Billy Buttons rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Infants of the Brush: A Chimney Sweep’s Story
Author: A. M. Watson

Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 23
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content: 10/10
Cover: 7/10
Of the 23 readers:
21 would read another book by this author.
16 thought the cover was good or excellent.
23 felt it was easy to follow.
21 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
10 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotti ...more

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Dec 18, 2019 Karl Holton rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Infants of the Brush is a moving historical drama, where the reader is pitched into London in the 1720s and child labour at that time. The story is evocative and steeped in detail, which is delivered in a lucid and haunting style. The characters go through cold and brutal slavery and you’ll feel like you can touch the poverty. The writing is extremely strong with engaging dialogue, crisp narrative and a striking plot.

AM Watson has written a very fine debut book. Finally, I must mention that her ...more

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Aug 15, 2019 Maureen rated it it was amazing

Oh my, this book! It made me laugh, it made me cry, it was funny, tragic, and then downright unbearable. A very well researched and written story.

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Jan 17, 2021 D.W. Plato rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Heartbreaking and historically accurate. We've come a long ways from when we made children sweep chimneys. Great story; sad with a bittersweet ending. ...more

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About A.M. Watson

A.M. Watson

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A. M. Watson is a teacher, attorney, and author whose soul awakens when visiting libraries, museums, and historic sites. She will always consider Victor, Colorado home.

Infants of the Brush: A Chimney Sweep’s Story is A. M. Watson’s debut novel.