In cases where there were two chimneys one above the other, or three or four pipes, the first would cost 15 sols and the following 10 sols.ĭespite this ordinance, fire was still an ever-present danger due to the closeness of houses, and the fact that most were built of wood. The ordinance also required that sweepers be paid 10 sols per chimney in cash. If anyone refused the order, they would be fined 3 livres. On, an ordinance was published in Montreal, stating that all bourgeois merchants and inhabitants of the city had to have their chimneys swept every two months. One downside to this technique was that many trees were required per day.Ĭhimney sweeps were considered an important part of society, especially when it came to fire prevention. One sweeper stood on the roof, while the other stood at the other opening and, using an upside-down fir, they each pulled on the rope in turns, cleaning the inside of the chimney. Sweepers started to use a new technique involving a fir tree and a rope tied to each extremity. The floors got covered in soot, and all furniture and objects had to be covered up.Īt the beginning of the 18th century, stoves started to replace hearths, and new chimneys were much smaller. They had to stop using the hearth two days prior to the sweeper’s arrival, which meant that they couldn’t cook during this time. Regardless of the method, having your chimney swept was very intrusive for inhabitants. Under the English regime, chimney sweeps started using weights and scrappers to clean chimneys. Since the primary prerequisite to be a chimney sweep was to be small, most sweepers started at age 13 or 14.

One couldn’t simply become a chimney sweep-you either had to have practiced the occupation in France, or in Québec as a master’s apprentice. The Intendants of New France even sent written requests to the Savoie, asking for chimney sweeps to be sent over. Soot), his occupation was also nicknamed savoyard, as most chimney sweeps in Québec and Montréal came from the Savoie region of France. Once he was finished, the sweeper was completely black from soot from head to foot, with only his eyes and teeth displaying white. He would lower the sweeper slowly down the chimney, holding onto knots that were tied every foot along the rope. A co-worker would hold the end of the rope and stand on the roof, preventing the chimney sweep from falling. On his belt were two iron rings where a rope could be looped through. He was instantly recognizable in town, as he always wore a tight-fitting toque, kneepads and a type of leather protector for his bottom. The sweeper usually worked barefoot, allowing him to more easily find footholds along the chimney walls. He used a small scraper and a broom affixed with twigs, but mostly his bare hands and his clothing.

Because of their size, a small man could fit in the chimney, normally entering from the bottom, climbing to the top and cleaning the soot from the walls as he clung on and slowly descended. Under the French regime, homes had large hearths for cooking and heating. A chimney sweep’s job is to remove the soot, allowing the chimney to function properly and prevent fires. With regular use, a chimney’s walls accumulate soot, a mass of carbon particles, which restricts the flow of air and is highly flammable. A ramoneur, or chimney sweep, is a person who removes the ash and soot from chimneys.

The chimney sweep