Last Podcast On The Left Episode 647: The Horrible History of Chimney Sweeps
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Dec 19, 2025 Discover the dark history of chimney sweeps and the horrifying realities of child labor in Victorian London. Learn about the perilous architecture that turned chimneys into deadly mazes and the tragic fate of climbing boys. Explore bizarre chimney lore, from Santa's origins to the use of soot. Uncover the cruel practices of master sweeps, how children were obtained, and the heartbreaking outcomes, including untimely deaths and lasting deformities. All this told amidst a grim but festive backdrop for a truly chilling holiday tale.
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Sweeps Were Both Reviled And Romanticized
- Chimney sweeps were socially paradoxical: reviled yet considered lucky at weddings and symbolic for reformers.
- Figures like John Coddington mythologized sweeps, showing mixed public perception despite horrific working conditions.
Body Conditioning Turned Kids Into Tools
- Training hardened children's skin via repeated abrasion to create calluses for chimney climbing.
- Masters treated bodies as tools, inflicting long-term deformities that often trapped boys in the trade for life.
Eight-Year-Old's Last Words In Chimney
- Marcus tells Thomas Pitt's 1813 story where eight-year-old Pitt was sent into a brew-house chimney and said, “I must die here.”
- Pitt was later found burnt to the bone and could not be saved despite rescue attempts.