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Do you remember the first time
you saw the movie Mary Poppins? Did you ever wonder about the
mysterious lives of the many chimney sweeps in that movie? The
magic of the scene on the rooftops of London, with chimney sweeps
dancing precariously close to the roof's edge, thrills audiences
of many ages.
Sweeping was begun mostly in England during the
17th or 18th century, where it was the government's wishes that
all flues, or chimneys, be swept often. The chimneys of the period
were very large, so small boys, usually sold into slavery from
orphanages, called "climbing boys" were sent up the
flue to brush away the soot by hand. Often, an older more experienced
boy followed behind. If the new boy slowed down or stopped, the
boy underneath would poke the younger boy's feet with needles.
It was because of this and because many children got stuck and
died in chimneys that narrowed at the top, that the Queen of England
supposedly offered a reward for a better way of cleaning the chimneys.
Thus, the rods and brushes that are still used today came into
use. It is also said that once, one of England's kings had an
incident with his horse, and a chimney sweep gentled the horse
and prevented the king from being thrown to the ground. The king
returned the sweep with a gesture that all sweeps would get one
day off per year, by law.
The traditional outfit of top hat and tails
was worn because wealthy undertakers would give their clothes
away to the sweeps - a very different outfit from the coverings
worn today.
The above lines come from:
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