Chapter I: Preface

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There are probably few persons who do not number among the most pleasant recollections of their youth their first visit to a circus, whether their earliest sniff of the saw-dust was inhaled in the building made classical by Ducrow, or under the canvas canopy of Samwell or Clarke. In my boyish days, the cry of ‘This way for the riders!’ bawled from the stentorian vocal organs of the proprietor or ring-master of a travelling circus, never failed to attract all the boys, and no small proportion of the men and women, to the part of the fair from which it proceeded. Fairs have become things of the past within twelve or fifteen miles of the metropolis; but ever and anon a tenting circus pitches, for a day or two, in a meadow, and the performances prove as attractive as ever. The boys, who protest that they are better than a play,—the young women, who are delighted with the ‘loves of horses,’—the old gentlemen, who are never so pleased as when they are amusing their grandchildren,—the admirers of graceful horsemanship of all ages,—crowd the benches, and find the old tricks and the old ‘wheezes,’ as the poet found the view from Grongar Hill, ‘ever charming—ever new.’

What boy is there who, though he may have seen it before, does not follow with sparkling eyes the Pawnee Chief in his rapid career upon a bare-backed steed,—the lady in the scarlet habit and high hat, who leaps over hurdles,—the stout farmer who, while his horse bears him round the ring, divests himself of any number of coats and vests, until he finally appears in tights and trunks,—the juggler who plays at cup and ball, and tosses knives in an endless shower, as he is whirled round the arena? And which of us has not, in the days of our boyhood, fallen in love with the fascinating young lady in short skirts who leaps through ‘balloons’ and over banners? Even when we have attained man’s estate, and learned a wrinkle or two, we take our children to Astley’s or Hengler’s, and enjoy the time-honoured feats of equitation, the tumbling, the gymnastics, and the rope-dancing, as much as the boys and girls.

But of the circus _artistes_—the riders, the clowns, the acrobats, the gymnasts,—what do we know? How many are there, unconnected with the saw-dust, who can say that they have known a member of that strange race? Charles Dickens, who was perhaps as well acquainted with the physiology of the less known sections of society as any man of his day, whetted public curiosity by introducing his readers to the humours of Sleary’s circus; and the world wants to know more about the subject. When, it is asked, will another saw-dust _artiste_ give us such an amusing book as Wallett presented the world with, in his autobiography? When are the reminiscences of the late Nelson Lee to be published? With the exception of the autobiography of Wallett, and a few passages in Elliston’s memoirs, the circus has hitherto been without any exponent whatever. Under the heading of ‘Amphitheatres,’ Watts’s _Bibliotheca Britannica_, that boon to literary readers at the British Museum in quest of information upon occult subjects, mentions only a collection of the bills of Astley’s from 1819 to 1845.

Circus proprietors are not, as a rule, so garrulous as poor old Sleary; they are specially reticent concerning their own antecedents, and the varied fortunes of their respective shows. To this cause must be ascribed whatever shortcomings may be found in the following pages in the matter of circus records. Circus men, too, are very apt to meet a hint that a few reminiscences of their lives and adventures would be acceptable with the reply of Canning’s needy knife-grinder,—‘Story! God bless you! I have none to tell, sir.’ There are exceptions, however, and as a rule the better educated members of the profession are the least unwilling to impart information concerning its history and mysteries to those outside of their circle. To the kindness and courtesy of several of these I am considerably indebted, and beg them to accept this public expression of my thanks.

T. FROST.

LONG DITTON, _Oct. 1st, 1873_.

CONTENTS.

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CHAPTER I.
PAGE

Beginnings of the Circus in England—Tumblers and Performing 1–37
Horses of the Middle Ages—Jacob Hall, the
Rope-dancer—Francis Forcer and Sadler’s Wells—Vauxhall
Gardens—Price’s Equestrian Performances at Johnson’s
Gardens—Sampson’s Feats of Horsemanship—Philip Astley—His
Open-air Performances near Halfpenny Hatch—The First
Circus—Erection of the Amphitheatre in Westminster
Road—First Performances there—Rival Establishment in
Blackfriars Road—Hughes and Clementina

CHAPTER II.

Fortunes of the Royal Circus—Destruction of Astley’s 38–57
Amphitheatre by Fire—Its Reconstruction—Second
Conflagration—Astley in Paris—Burning of the Royal
Circus—Erection of the Olympic Pavilion—Hengler, the
Rope-dancer—Astley’s Horses—Dancing Horses—The Trick
Horse, Billy—Abraham Saunders—John Astley and William
Davis—Death of Philip Astley—Vauxhall Gardens—Andrew
Ducrow—John Clarke—Barrymore’s Season at
Astley’s—Hippo-dramatic Spectacles—The first Circus Camel

CHAPTER III.
Ducrow at Covent Garden—Engagement at Astley’s—Double Acts 58–72
in the circle—Ducrow at Manchester—Rapid Act on Six
Horses—‘Raphael’s Dream’—Miss Woolford—Cross’s performing
Elephant—O’Donnel’s Antipodean Feats—First year of Ducrow
and West—Henry Adams—Ducrow at Hull—The Wild Horse of the
Ukraine—Ducrow at Sheffield—Travelling Circuses—An Entrée
at Holloway’s—Wild’s Show—Constantine, the Posturer—Circus
Horses—Tenting at Fairs—The Mountebanks

CHAPTER IV.

A few words about Menageries—George Wombwell—The Lion 73–87
Baitings at Warwick—Atkins’s Lion and Tigress at
Astley’s—A Bull-fight and a Zebra Hunt—Ducrow at the
Pavilion—The Stud at Drury Lane—Letter from Wooler to
Elliston—Ducrow and the Drury ‘Supers’—Zebras on the
Stage—The first Arab Troupe—Contention between Ducrow and
Clarkson Stanfield—Deaths of John Ducrow and Madame
Ducrow—Miss Woolford

CHAPTER V.

Lions and Lion-tamers—Manchester Jack—Van Amburgh—Carter’s 88–99
Feats—What is a Tiger?—Lion-driving and Tiger-fighting—Van
Amburgh and the Duke of Wellington—Vaulting Competition
between Price and North—Burning of the Amphitheatre—Death
of Ducrow—Equestrian Performances at the Surrey
Theatre—Travelling Circuses—Wells and Miller—Thomas
Cooke-Van Amburgh—Edwin Hughes—William Batty—Pablo Fanque

CHAPTER VI.

Conversion of the Lambeth Baths into a Circus—Garlick and 100–122
the Wild Beasts—Gar-lick Company at the Surrey—White
Conduit Gardens—Re-opening of Astley’s—Batty’s Circus on
its Travels—Batty and the Sussex Justices—Equestrianism at
the Lyceum—Lions and Lion-tamers at Astley’s—Franconi’s
Circus at Cremorne Gardens—An Elephant on the
Tight-rope—The Art of Balancing—Franconi’s Company at
Drury Lane—Van Amburgh at Astley’s—The Black Tiger—Pablo
Fanque—Rivalry of Wallett and Barry—Wallett’s
Circus—Junction with Franconi’s

CHAPTER VII.

Hengler’s Circus—John and George Sanger—Managerial 123–134
Anachronisms and Incongruities—James Hernandez—Eaton and
Stone—Horses at Drury Lane—James New-some—Howes and
Cushing’s Circus—George Sanger and the Fighting
Lions—Crockett and the Lions at Astley’s—The Lions at
large—Hilton’s Circus—Lion-queens—Miss Chapman—Macomo and
the Fighting Tigers

CHAPTER VIII.

Pablo Fanque—James Cooke—Pablo Fanque and the 135–155
Celestials—Ludicrous affair in the Glasgow
Police-court—Batty’s Transactions with Pablo Fanque—The
Liverpool Amphitheatre—John Clarke—William
Cooke—Astley’s—Fitzball and the Supers—Batty’s
Hippodrome—Vauxhall Gardens—Garnett’s Circus—The
Alhambra—Gymnastic Performances in Music-halls—Gymnastic
Mishaps

CHAPTER IX.

Cremorne Gardens—The Female Blondie—Fatal Accident at Aston 156–173
Park—Reproduction of the Eglinton Tournament—Newsome and
Wallett—Pablo Fanque’s Circus—Equestrianism at Drury
Lane—Spence Stokes—Talliott’s Circus—The Gymnasts of the
Music-halls—Fatal Accident at the Canterbury—Gymnastic
Brotherhoods—Sensational Feats—Sergeant Bates and the
Berringtons—The Rope-trick—How to do it

CHAPTER X.

Opening of the Holborn Amphitheatre—Friend’s Season at 174–193
Astley’s—Adah Isaacs Menken—Sanger’s Company at the
Agricultural Hall—The Carré Troupe at the Holborn
Amphitheatre—Wandering Stars of the Arena—Albert Smith and
the Clown—Guillaume’s Circus—The Circo Price—Hengler’s
Company at the Palais Royal—Re-opening of Astley’s by the
Pal’s—Franconi’s Circus—Newsome’s Circus—Miss Newsome and
the Cheshire Hunt—Rivalry between the Sangers and Howes
and Cushing

CHAPTER XI.

Reminiscences of the Henglers—The Rope-dancing Henglers at 194–213
Astley’s—Circus of Price and Powell—Its Acquisition by the
Henglers—Clerical Presentation to Frowde, the Clown—Circus
Difficulties at Liverpool—Retirement of Edward
Hengler—Rivalry of Howes and Cushing—Discontinuance of the
Tenting System—Miss Jenny Louise Hengler—Conversion of the
Palais Royal into an Amphitheatre—Felix Rivolti, the
Ring-master

CHAPTER XII.

The Brothers Sanger—First Appearance in London—Vicissitudes 214–222
of Astley’s—Batty and Cooke—Purchase of the Theatre by the
Brothers Sanger—Their Travelling Circus—The Tenting
System—Barnum and the Sangers

CHAPTER XIII.

American Circuses—American Performers in England, and 223–253
English Performers in the United States—The Cookes in
America—Barnum’s Great Show—Yankee Parades—Van Amburgh’s
Circus and Menagerie—Robinson’s Combined Shows—Stone and
Murray’s Circus—The Forepaughs—Joel Warner—Side
Shows—Amphitheatres of New York and New Orleans

CHAPTER XIV.

Reminiscences of a Gymnast—Training and Practising—A 254–267
Professional Rendezvous—Circus Agencies—The First
Engagement—Springthorp’s Music-hall—Newsome’s
Circus—Reception in the Dressing-room—The Company and the
Stud—The Newsome Family—Miss Newsome’s wonderful Leap
across a Green Lane—The Handkerchief Trick—An Equine
Veteran from the Crimea—Engagement to Travel

CHAPTER XV.

Continuation of the Gymnast’s Reminiscences—A Circus on the 268–279
move—Three Months at Carlisle—Performance for the Benefit
of local Charities—Removal to Middlesborough—A Stockton
Man’s Adventure—Journey to York—Circus Ballets—The Paynes
in the Arena—Accidents in the Ring—A Circus
Benefit—Removal to Scarborough—A Gymnastic
Adventure—Twelve Nights at the Pantheon—On the
Tramp—Return to London

CHAPTER XVI.

Continuation of the Gymnast’s Reminiscences—Circus Men in 280–290
Difficulties—Heavy Security for a Small Debt—The Sheriff’s
Officer and the Elephant—Taking Refuge with the
Lions—Another Provincial Tour—With a Circus in Dublin—A
Joke in the Wrong Place—A Fenian Hoax—A Case of
Pikes—Return to England—At the Kentish Watering-places—Off
to the North

CHAPTER XVII.

Lions and Lion-tamers—Lorenzo and the Lions—Andros and the 291–304
Lion—The Successor of Macomo—Accident in Bell and Myers’s
Circus—Lion Hunting—Death of McCarthy—True Causes of
Accidents with Lions and Tigers—Performing
Leopards—Anticipating the Millennium—Tame Hyenas—Aggrieves
Menagerie—Performing Lions, Tigers, Leopards, and
Hyenas—Camels and Dromedaries—The Great Elephant

CHAPTER XVIII.

Circus Slang—Its Peculiarities and Derivation—Certain 305–318
Phrases used by others of the Amusing
Classes—Technicalities of the Circus—The Riders and Clowns
of Dickens—Sleary’s Circus—Circus Men and Women in Fiction
and in Real Life—Domestic Habits of Circus People—Dress
and Manners—The Professional Quarter of the Metropolis

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CIRCUS LIFE

AND

CIRCUS CELEBRITIES.

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