Ben Elton, William John Bennett, gymnasts

[LoesLamb]

Sunderland, 1901, boarders with the family of Thomas Graham (1854, London):
William Elton, travelling gymnast (1871) and his wife Sarah.
Ben Elton,traveling gymnast (1872)and his wife Lily (1872).
Two children, 2 yr old William and 8 months old Lilian.
William born in India, all the others in Birmingham.

I suspect William is gt uncle William John Bennett, who I couldn't find in the 1901 census at all. He was born in Belgaum, Bombay, India, July 1870. In 1911 William John Bennett lived in Durham with his wife Sarah, son Alfred (1901) and daughter Lilian, who was supposed to be 9 at the time. William and Alfred were acrobats, Sarah a statue artiste. Boarders again. 6 Children, 3 died. Alfred was stayng with his grandparents Bennett in Hulme, Lancashire. Williams brother George Frederick Bennett was also a gymnast on stage, living in Sheffield.
I did not find any William Elton before or after 1901.

Ben and Lily Elton I found in 1911, again as boarders. They claim to be married for 6 years, and they had two children, both still living.

I can't see a marriage between Ben Elton and a Lily, no birth for a Lilian Elton in 1900, or William Elton around 1899 in Birmingham etc. No Ben Elton birth or censuses at all before 1901.
So I think that young William (couldn't find him in 1911) and Lilian were Bennett children.

A long introduction to my questions: does anyone know of acrobats called Bennett or Elton in the early 1900's, and what could have become of them? And who was Ben Elton?
Would the name Elton be a mistake in Williams case, or would it have been a stage name?

And what could the addition with the occupation mean (see attached image from 1901 census), Exhil? Echil?

Loes

[crisane]

Looking at the second last entry on this page for Daniel Gordon to compare it seems to be "Exhib"
Short for Exhibition?  There is a faintly written addition for the other people on this page eg  for Thomas Wallhead - first entry - who is down as an Ale store manager with "Pub"written faitly above it.

[LoesLamb]

How could I have missed the Lion Tamer! I thought had seen all those additions on that page, I clearly didn't. Exhib it is.
 
Exhibitionist: a person who behaves in ways intended to attract attention or display his or her powers, personality, etc.
That's a definition that makes sense.

Loes

[stanmapstone]

The annotations have been added by the census clerk extracting occupations, which are catargorised into Orders and Sub-Orders. In this case;
Order III Professional Occupations and their Subordinate Services.
Sub-Order  8. Exhibitions, Games, etc.
1. Performers, Showmen; Exhibtion, Games - Service.

On the original form the annotations will be in a different colour. There were 32,215 in this category in 1901
Stan

[LoesLamb]

Just like we see ourselves now on the 1911 household images. I realize now that explains the many mistakes and wrong spellings. It wasn't only the enumerator (I often accuse them of having had liquid lunches), there was the first transcriber as well (not accusing, it must have been a tedious job doing that all day long).

I suppose the originals of 1901 were all destroyed? It might have shown wether the name Elton was copied wrong on the list.

So, as I thought, the additions must add some extra information. Which reminds me of a 1911 record, but I'd better make that a new thread, nothing to do with the "Eltons".

Loes

[stanmapstone]

I suppose the originals of 1901 were all destroyed? It might have shown wether the name Elton was copied wrong on the list.

Loes

All the original census schedules up to 1901 were destroyed. The censuses were carried out for government statistical purposes, and not for the benefit of future family historians 
The only reason the 1911 originals exist is that the system was changed and enumerators did not copy the schedules into books, as the analysis was done by punched cards.
Stan

[LoesLamb]

It surprises me all the time how much was kept anyway.
Loes

[Spidermonkey]

Bit of a career change from slasher in cotton mill  RG12; Piece: 3224; Folio 86; Page 49 to gymnast!

[LoesLamb]

I don't know when he became one. Maybe at the same time as his brother George Frederick, three years younger. He was a warper in a cotton mill in 1891 (Salford or Hulme). When George married in 1897 in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, he was a Gymnast. The couple's address was the same of the witnesses, theatre people: Frederick McLaughlin Clive and his mother Sarah Emma. She was the widow of Samuel Cecil M. L. (Mclaughlin) Clive, aka Wybert Clive. His bloody story: http://www.melmorrisfamilytree.com/2/1410.htm
Possibly the two brothers got to know the Clives when they played in Manchester 1890/91.

Loes