Social History — C. 1848-1860
Cash bag, chimney sweep's cash bag
This leather cash bag was used by a chimney sweep or nightman working for the firm of C.Smith and Company based at St Ann's Court, Soho. The company is first listed in the London trade directories at this address in 1848. In 1886 Blackman & Son took over the business.
The associated trades of chimney sweep and nightman played a key role in keeping London clean. Nightmen removed sewage from London's cess pools and public 'privy' pits. Working during the dead of night to cause least disruption they piled the sewage into carts and transported it away to the countryside where it was often spread on fields.
The cash bag dates from about the mid-19th century. By this time the employment of child chimney sweeps was illegal, an act of parliament in 1834 having raised the age of apprenticeship to 14 years.
- Category:
- Social History
- Object ID:
- 80.273/4
- Object name:
- cash bag, chimney sweep's cash bag
- Object type:
- Artist/Maker:
- —
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- c. 1848-1860
- Material:
leather, steel
- Measurements/duration:
- H 98 mm, W 80 mm, D 15 mm, WT 14g (overall)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 100%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.