CHIMNEY SWEEPERS' REGULATION BILL.— (Hansard, 25 June 1817)

Mr. Bennet

rose to submit to the House, a motion of the utmost importance to the character of the country, as well as to the interests of a class of unfortunate beings, who, from the nature of their present loathsome occupation, seemed to be shut out from almost all social intercourse with their fellow-men, and deprived of every portion of that respect which gene- 1156 rally attached itself to the exertions of industry in almost every other branch of human exertion. The object of his motion was, to procure the interference of parliament in defence of a helpless and infantine race of beings, generally known by the name of climbing-boys, in the service of chimney-sweepers. Their cruel treatment and sufferings had not escaped the attention of that House, who had by an act passed a few years ago, attempted to regulate this sort of trade, by enacting that no boys younger than eight years old, should be employed in this cruel occupation. This, however, had been found by the committee since appointed, to have been totally unattended to, and violated with impunity. Many were employed as climbing-boys, not more than four and six years old. The construction of several of the houses in the metropolis was such, that few of the chimnies therein was more than seven inches in diameter. It was the unanimous opinion of the committee, that no regulation could be depended upon, but that the trade should be gradually abolished. There were in this metropolis 200 master sweeps, about 20 of whom were, he believed, respectable tradesmen, and persons who used their apprentice boys kindly. Of the residue, more than 90 were a sort of jobbing itinerant characters, who went about the town or its environs looking for work, and amongst whom the boys employed were the youngest and most cruelly treated.— Indeed, it had come to the knowledge of the committee, that in some distant places even female children were employed, and that their delicacy of limbs, were considered most desirable requisites for insinuating the bodies of these unfortunate young creatures into the misshapen and ill-constructed narrow flues of chimnies. He should not trouble them with a detail of the accidents, distortations of the human body, and cruelties which were the frequent consequences of this practice, nor enlarge upon the moral and intellectual debasement consequent thereupon. It required no arguments in this age to prove that the practice was barbarous and inhuman, and unfit to be practised in a christian country. He had, he hoped, made out a case sufficiently strong to induce parliament to interpose its powerful protection in the cause of the youthful and helpless innocents thus exposed to contamination of mind, and unparalleled bodily suffering. He should leave it to the inge- 1157 nuity of the age to suggest a remedy for the evil. Machines had already been constructed, by which three-fourths of the chimnies might be swept and cleansed as well as they now were by boys; and with but very little alteration, he believed 95 out of 100, might be adapted to the use of the present machines. He could compare this traffic only to the slave trade—children were bought and sold—were kidnapped and cruelly treated—and, he hoped, the same spirit which had abolished all trades of slavery in our distant settlements, would not brook to see the helpless children of our native soil in a condition no less degrading and deplorable. The bill left altogether untouched the existing relations between master and apprentices. It provided, that no persons should in future be procured for the purpose of such occupation, until they had completed their 14th year; and that after a certain period, it should not be lawful, under the penalties attached to a misdemeanor, to employ any person in the sweeping of chimnies who had attained the age of 21. He then moved, for leave to bring in a bill to explain and amend the act for the better regulation of chimney-sweepers.