living conditions

chimney sweeps in the victorian period were usually small children in the employ of a master chimney sweep. most children were sold as indentured servants and were to work as soon as they could walk. most would scramble up chimneys with brushes and clean the soot from the charcoal from the insdes of the chimney. this was higly dangerous, and the children usually ended up with respiratory infections and other breathing problems. the chimneys were very small in the victorian period, so children would often get stuck in the flue due to their size, or the phsychological factor. in these cases, most master sweeps would light a fire under the children to 'encourage' them.