The Sad & Tragic Truth Of Old-Timey Chimney Sweeps

Old-timey chimney sweeps have been mythologized in film and in TV shows for decades. But the life of a chimney sweep was far from romantic. It was dirty, dark, and often deadly. Here's the sad and tragic truth of old-timey chimney sweeps.

Apprenticeships were agreements that — in theory — allowed children to learn a trade, while the master tradesman got some free labor. But according to Owlcation, apprentice chimney sweeps were some of the most badly abused.

Master chimney sweeps tended to choose a very specific type of child: the smallest and most underfed children, preferably those with no parents or parents who weren't exactly in the picture. According to Victorian Children, those kids who weren't sweeps by apprenticeship were often orphans plucked off the streets, or they were downright kidnapped into slavery.

And master sweeps wanted them young - very young. The youngest on record was just three and a half years old, while most were 5 or 6 for a terrible reason: they were still small enough to fit in the chimneys, but they were old — and tough — enough to give them a fighting chance to survive the ordeal.

Yes, we said fit in the chimneys: while most countries in Europe used a mechanical contraption to help clean chimneys, in England they just sent the kid up the chute to do it manually.

Watch this video for the sad and tragic truth of old timey chimney sweeps!

#History #Truth #ChimneySweeps

A miserable life | 0:00
Claustrophobic nightmare | 1:33
Cruel intentions | 2:53
Safety last | 3:50
Horrible death | 4:59
Plus: cancer! | 6:26
Tip top top hat | 8:49
Lucky is as lucky does | 9:58
Long history of woe | 11:04

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