This is a poster in the museum which sought to oppose plans to stop children being sent up chimneys, which the Master Chimney Sweepers were most annoyed by. The poster reads:
“A BILL now in the HOUSE of LORDS, for regulating the Business of CHIMNEY-SWEEPERS, contains a Clause, prohibiting the Use of Climbing Boys in the Sweeping of Chimneys. The Mischiefs likely to arise from the Adoption of such a Measure, may be estimated from the following Considerations.
First. In a large Number of the Flues of present Construction, it is quite impracticable to Sweep them without Climbing Boys; the Machines hitherto invented being inapplicable. Neither can such Flues be adapted to Machine Sweeping, without an entire Reconstruction of the Chimneys, at a great Inconvenience and Expense, for which no Provision is, or can be, proposed.
Secondly. Because already the Majority of Fires, particularly those of the most frightful Consequence, originate from foul Flues, where Wood is improperly laid into them; and as Machine Sweeping cannot possibly remedy Defects of this Description, and is, in all Cases, far more expensive and offensive than the Old Method, (now to be entirely abolished) the Number of Fires will be much increased, both as it will be impossible to clean many, and as all Persons will become indisposed to the regular cleansing of their Flues, from the excessive Dirt, Inconvenience, and Expense, which attends Machine Sweeping.
It is apprehended, that upon careful enquiry it will be found impracticable to carry the proposed Regulation into Effect; and public Attention is earnestly invited to the Consideration, whether, with a View to alleviate a supposed Evil, the Legislature may not, if the present Bill passes into a Law, introduce a real one, the inevitable Consequence of which must be, an Increase of the Risk of Conflagrations, the Certainty of an Increase of Pauperism, and of Parochial Rates, whilst the Chance of bettering the Condition of the Persons on whose Account the Measure is brought forward, is at best speculative and uncertain.
If such should be the reasonable and true View of the Subject, ought not the different Parishes to call Meetings, as St. George’s, Hanover-Square, and some others have done, to Petition Parliament against the passing of the Bill?
The Master Chimney Sweepers, Householders of the Cities of London and Westminster, have published an Abstract of the Bill in Question, with a brief Review of its Consequences to the Country if carried into a Law; to which is added, an Outline of a Plan for regulating the Business of Chimney Sweepers, and improving the Condition of their Apprentices and of Climbing Boys in general, which may be had, Price Two Shillings, of all the respectable Master Chimney Sweepers in London.
London: Printed by J. Barfield, 91, Wardour-Street, Soho.”
The museum notes that this campaign started in 1829 and it did get a fair amount of sympathy, all leading to an Act of Parliament in 1834 which limited itself to increasing the minimum age from which kids were sent up chimneys to be fourteen. During the debates, there was furious debate and insurance companies came out on different sides of the argument about what they wanted.
There were numerous pieces of legislation over the next few decades, most of which were ignored, and it wasn’t until 1875 that the police were able to enforce anyone under the age of 16 being sent up a chimney. There are many jobs in Victorian times that I wouldn’t have liked, but climbing up a chimney covered with soot does sound particularly unpleasant. The 1834 legislation reinforced that children shouldn’t be sent up a chimney that was on fire, as if that needed to be made clear. But different times and all that…..
One thing that I hadn’t realised is that the 1662 Hearth Tax led to a lot of this, as builders started to create more complex and joined up flues to minimise the tax that they had to pay. This, over time, meant that adults couldn’t easily clean the chimneys, but children aged about six were perfect. Orphaned children were often apprenticed off to chimney sweeps which saved the local overseers of the poor happy as they didn’t have support them.