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Chimney sweep ‘climbing boy’ honoured with blue plaque after 150 years

George Brewster was the last ‘climbing boy’ to die in England, but his death was also part of a much greater transformation of British industrial society.

George Brewster - Climbing boy chimney sweep

On 11th February 1875, George Brewster was forced by his master to climb and clean a chimney at what was then the County Pauper Lunatic Asylum in Fulbourn (3 miles from Cambridge city centre). 15 minutes after entering the chimney, George became stuck. In an attempt to rescue him, an entire wall was pulled down. He was eventually pulled from the chimney but died shortly after. 

The use of ‘climbing boy’ chimney sweeps was not uncommon in Britain up to the Victorian age, and attempts had been made to outlaw the use of children to clean chimneys but the practice continued. The death of George Brewster in 1875 was extraordinary, changing Britain forever.

George’s inquest was reported in the national press and when the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury read about the boy’s tragic death, he vowed to make a change. George’s death was the catalyst enabling the Earl to get another Act passed by Parliament in September 1875 that succeeded in stopping children from being used as ‘climbing boys’ in England and ending a 35 year-long campaign led by the Earl.

George Brewster was the last ‘climbing boy’ to die in England, but his death was also part of a much greater transformation of British industrial society that saw the end of all child labour practices in other industries such as farming, mining and in factories. Just a year later, in 1876, it was recommended that education be made compulsory in the UK for all children. And then, in 1880, a further Education Act finally made school attendance compulsory. 

In 2019, Joanna Hudson from Pampisford (Cambridgeshire) stumbled upon George Brewster’s little-known story and was inspired to launch a campaign to tell his remarkable story and to honour his legacy. Joanna conducted extensive research into George’s life and death to support her application to the Cambridge & District Blue Plaque Scheme and even discovered the location of George’s grave. 

Joanna Hudson said: “When you realise the momentous turning point George Brewster’s death brought to changing child labour laws in Britain, you realise how important his story is and how vital it is that we share it with everyone. Every child should know this boy’s name, as he represents the countless children who were victims of greed and cruelty in the Victorian era, exploited by those who valued profit over their welfare.

“George Brewster deserves our recognition. I launched this campaign to remind people of the sacrifice and extreme working conditions Victorian children endured.  Today offers a powerful reminder of how far we have come since those dark days. We shouldn’t take our child labour rights for granted. It took the tragic death of one of our own Cambridgeshire children to change the law that all children now enjoy.”

7th Earl of Shaftesbury

Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of Shaftesbury and direct descendant of the 7th Earl who pushed through the law 150 years ago, said: “During his life, the 7th Earl campaigned tirelessly to help the downtrodden and neglected in society. Perhaps no other cause captured his attention more than the plight of the chimney sweeps’ boys. It was a cause that took him 35 years of campaigning to finally bring to an end. It is a tragedy that George and so many others were not saved by the change in the law, but this plaque will ensure he is never forgotten.”

Lawson Wight, Chairman of the Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps said: “George’s story was not well known among today’s chimney sweeps – it will be now. This unique blue plaque will help raise awareness of a time of great change. It’s important to understand the history and how tireless political campaigning and a tragic event have changed all of our lives for the better. Every modern sweep will have found it a sobering thought that many of the chimneys they sweep were once worked by climbing boys’”

The Friends of Mill Road Cemetery (FOMRC) in Cambridge helped Joanna to find George’s final resting place. On a cold Monday in November 2019, they battled through a thicket of brambles, found his unmarked grave and laid some flowers. 

The award is the culmination of a six-year campaign led by mother-of-two and amateur local historian, Joanna Hudson, supported by Longfellow Real Estate Partners, the Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps, Friends of Mill Road Cemetery, the Museum of Cambridge and the 12th Earl of Shaftesbury.

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