Blue plaque honours boy, 11, who died up chimney

A chimney sweep whose tragic death at the age of 11 led to a change in Victorian child labour laws is to become the youngest Briton to be honoured with a blue plaque.

- Harriet Sherwood

George Brewster died in 1875 after getting stuck in a chimney at a lunatic asylum in Fulbourn outside Cambridge. He had been told by the master sweeper, William Wyer, to strip and go up the flue measuring just 30cm (12in) by 19cm (7.5in).

Within 15 minutes George became stuck, according to a contemporary report in the Cambridge Independent News. Although a wall was demolished in efforts to rescue him, he died shortly after being pulled out.

Wyer was sentenced to six months of hard labour for manslaughter.

After reading an account of the inquest, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury vowed to renew his 35-year campaign against the use of "climbing boys" and parliament passed an act banning the practice seven months later.