History
History of the chimney sweep
The history of chimney cleaning has a history that can be traced back to the Georgian times of Europe. It's a story rich in its history, but can be traced back to a dark beginning.
As early as the 17th century the history of chimneys and chimney sweeps can be seen. The size of a house could be determined by how many fireplaces the home contained. These fireplaces came with a cost though. Home owners would be charged a tax per fireplace. These taxes would be come known as a Hearth Tax. The history of the chimney sweeps contain references to the term Master Sweep. In todays standards we would consider a master sweep truly a master of his trade. If fact some chimney companies today use this exact term to describe their company. Ironically this is far from the truth. The master sweeps received this name because they were truly masters, Slave Masters. The master sweeps would often tie a rope around the children and lower them down a chimney in order to clean it properly. The chimneys of these times were often very high. Typically three to four stories by todays standards. These climbing boys often suffered major injuries. 
The master sweeps would employ small boys as young as six or seven. These boys were either sold into slavery by a needy family or they were given to the master sweep in the hope that the youngster would learn a trade and have a better life. The master sweeps would send these small boys inside the fireplace with a brush and metal scraper. They would climb inside working their way up the flue brushing and scraping the creosote deposits from he chimney interior. These young boys would be come to be known as "The Climbing Boys"
