Joseph Glass (1791/2 – 29 December 1867) was the inventor of a successful chimney-sweeping apparatus, and a campaigner against boys being employed in sweeping chimneys.

Life

He was born in

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

, in Essex, England; after early years in

Manningtree Manningtree is a town and civil parish in the Tendring district of Essex, England, which lies on the River Stour. It is part of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Natural Beauty. Smallest town claim Manningtree has traditionally claimed to b ...

, he moved to London, working as a builder. By the 1820s he had a chimney-sweeping business. During this period there was a movement to prevent boys being employed in cleaning chimneys. The Society for Superseding the Necessity of Climbing Boys (SSNCB) was founded in 1803 under the patronage of

the Duchess of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curren ...

. The SSNCB and the

Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

promoted a competition for an effective apparatus for cleaning chimneys. Several systems were invented; one invented by George Smart was awarded a gold medal by the Society of Arts in 1805. However it had little effect on the campaign.Jackson, Lee (2014)
''Dirty Old London: The Victorian Fight Against Filth''
Yale University Press, p. 218. Glass invented an apparatus in which cane rods were connected with brass screw joints, creating a flexible rod which coped with bends in the chimney. A wheel was fixed to the top of the stock, to prevent jamming. Glass's system, introduced in 1828, was considered superior to Smart's apparatus. It was approved by the SSNCB, and from 1829 the Home Secretary

Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer ...

ordered the apparatus to be used in government offices. In 1834 there was a committee of the House of Lords to which Glass gave evidence, resulting in the

Chimney Sweepers Act 1834 The Chimney Sweepers Act 1834 was a British Act of Parliament passed to try to stop child labour. Many boys as young as six were being used as chimney sweep A chimney sweep is a person who clears soot and creosote from chimneys. The chimney ...

. He did not patent his invention. He was active in the campaign against the employment of "climbing boys", prosecuting those who tried to evade the provisions of the Act. Since many sweeps still employed boys, there were further Acts of Parliament: the

Chimney Sweepers and Chimneys Regulation Act 1840 The Chimney Sweepers and Chimneys Regulation Act 1840The citation of this Act by this short title was authorised by the Short Titles Act 1896, section 1 and the first schedule. Due to the repeal of those provisions it is now authorised by secti ...

and the

Chimney Sweepers Regulation Act 1864 The Chimney Sweepers Regulation Act 1864This short title was conferred on this Act by section 1 of this Act. (27 & 28 Vict c 37) was a British Act of Parliament that amended the Chimney Sweepers and Chimneys Regulation Act 1840 passed to try to s ...

. Glass died at his home in

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...

on 29 December 1867, in his seventy-sixth year; his death was noticed in the

Court Circular The Court Circular (CC) is the official record that lists the engagements carried out by the monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms; the Royal Family; and appointments to their staff and to the court. It is issued by St Ja ...

, since Queen Victoria was interested in the campaign. His son Henry became a newspaper editor, and another son Joseph became a Congregational minister.

References

Cited sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Glass, Joseph 1791 births 1867 deaths People from Colchester 19th-century British inventors English philanthropists 19th-century British philanthropists