Circus Artistes and families.

[Christopher]

I'll try to put some information about circuses on this thread including the Irish ones as some of them originally came from England and some of the British shows tour Ireland for a year or so.

There are at least three of the old time Irish circuses still on the road ... Duffy's, Fossett's and Gerbola's. The history of Duffy's Circus is well detailed. It started with the family of Patrick James Duffy (1822-1890), a Belfast shoemaker, touring England as a troupe of acrobatic performers in the1840s.

Emerald Reflections Online contains an article "Ladies and Gentlemen, Center Ring - The Irish Circus" by Brian Witt in which these shows are menioned. Brian states that the history of the Irish circus began with the emigration, in 1690, of an Irishman, Michael Hanneford, to England, where he entertained audiences with his skills in juggling, horsemanship and other acts. There's no mention as to whether he was fleeing Ireland following the Battle of the Boyne.

Clara Paulo's Obituary written by D. Nevil and published in The Independent (London) on 27th April 2001 contains a lot of information about her family including her maternal grandmother, Elisabeth Silvester, who was a circus performer and her paternal grandmother, Madame Blondin, who followed the example of the celebrated Blondin (Emile Gravelet) and walked a tightrope over the Niagra Falls.

There was a Pinder circus from England which travelled outside the U.K. around the time of the Prussian War in the 1860s. Members of this circus immigrated to France, its adopted country, around the 1870's.

The history of Robert Brothers Famous Circus started when Paul Otto, a Belgian, came to England when he was aged eighteen. He was an all-round circus artiste - tumbler, clown, animal trainer and one of the finest acrobats of his time. He joined Fossett's Circus and married Mary, daughter of the original "Sir" Robert Fossett. The history of Fossett's Circus in Ireland, which starts in 1870, is linked closely to the history of "Sir" Robert Fossett's Circus. Edward Fosset, a bareback rider, joined Powell and Clarke’s Circus in Ireland in 1918. He was the youngest son of Sir Robert Fossett 2nd and circus proprietor Mary Francis who was a Wexford woman.

The website of Bobby Roberts' Circus gives not only some history of the Roberts family but also of Philip Astley (1742-1814), a former Sergeant-Major turned showman who started a circus in England. The article says that he invented modern circus in England. He must have had a few more acts than Michael Hanneford.

Billy Smart's Circus started after World War II.

[cheshiremog]

Dear Christopher
Have you ever heard of Weight's Circus
who I think toured in Devon about 1880 1890 ?
Albert Trino Weight also had a theatre in Bideford

[Christopher]

Dear Christopher
Have you ever heard of Weight's Circus
who I think toured in Devon about 1880 1890 ?
Albert Trino Weight also had a theatre in Bideford

Thanks for your message cheshiremog.

Weight's Circus is a new name to me. I hope to learn about many more circuses through other Rootschatters posting details of Circuses that they may have seen or heard about. There used to be a large number in both Britain and Ireland. I hope we learn not only about these ones but also some of the other ones throughout the world particularly if the ancestors of members had any connection with the show either as an artiste, a proprietor or one of the workers. 

Peter Bendell's website not only mentions Weights Family Circus but also has a number of great photographs of Circus artistes. Peter also refers to one or two other Circuses I did not know about.

Christopher

[cheshiremog]

Thanks Chris
Yes the site mentions Weights - that's great
One of my ggg aunts married Albert Trino Weight and he was an actor.  She also became an actor - but they seemed to tour about as a family and all their many children became actors - so I guessed they were like a travelling show or even circus.  They were touring in the 1890s.  I am sure there must be a connection.  Some of the given names suggest Italian or continental origins so showmanship could well have been in their blood. My mother said she had a relative in the circus - an Uncle Billy who was an elephant trainer but thats all I know.

Thanks for the link.

Mog

[Christopher]

Coco the clown (1900 - 1974) was born Nicolai Poliakoff in Latvia. Strictly speaking Coco was not a clown but an 'Auguste' - a foolish character who is always on the receiving end of buckets of water and custard pies.   

Grock (January 10, 1880, Reconvilier, Switzerland - July 14, 1959, Imperia, Italy) was one of the internationally known clowns of the twentieth century. He was born Karl (Charles) Adrien Wettach and his blunders with the piano and the violin became proverbial.

In the 1851 Census the Hengler family were at Market Place, Bradford, Yorkshire, 
(HO107/2308/9/172/27)
Charles Hengler, lodger, 29, Cambridge, Canada, riding master
Mary Ann Hengler, lodger, 23, Hackney, Middlesex
Susannah Hengler, lodger, 3, Coventry, Warwickshire
Jenny Hengler, lodger, 2, Lewes, Sussex
Alford Hengler, lodger, 2 months, Bradford, Yorkshire
Rosina Hengler, lodger, 27, Lambeth, Surrey
The Mitchell Library Theatre Collection mentions that Hengler's Circus was established
by Charles Hengler and carried on by his son Albert. (Could that be Alford or was another child born later than 1851?) The show opened in Glasgow in 1867 on the site of the former Prince's Theatre in West Nile Street.

The Samwell circus family is mentioned on the Travelling People board.

[Unë kthimi i papenduar]

Just a point of interest there is a descendant of the Hengler's in the  UK House of Lords - 3rd Baron Mancroft via Emily Maude (b1860).     

[pegasusphil]

Cheshiremog - re your comments on Weight's Circus and Albert Trino Weight :

I am a direct descendant (great grand-nephew) of Albert Trino Weight Snr. (1840-1926) who was indeed logged in censuses as a "theatrical performer", "strolling player", "travelling comedian" and "actor" at various times between 1864 and 1901 (he then took a pub).  A.T. Weight had a son also called Albert Trino Weight (1873-1957) who was merchant seaman prior to WW1, but I believe the Albert Trino you referred to is the elder.

The Weight family were heavily involved in running portable theatres in the West Country in the 19th century - indeed, Albert Trino Snr's father, William Henry Weight (1815-1864), was also a travelling actor/comedian as was his mother Sophia Weight (nee sanders).  Sophia and her son Charles (Albert Trino's brother) owned and ran "Weight's Portable Theatre" which toured the West Country and featured at Barnstaple Fair at least until 1875, possibly later. 

Other members of the family were also involved in touring theatre - and this involvement continued with well into the 20th century, down as far as my father Philip Christopher Weight (1911-1973), who was Albert Trino's grand-nephew - my father was still touring England and Ireland in the late 1930s, where he met my mother in the troupe and they married at the outbreak of WW2.

The "Famous Weight's Circus and Zoo" was started up by Charles John Josie (or Jose) Weight (1916-1985) who was the grand-nephew of Albert Trino Weight Snr.  C.J.J. Weight started the circus after he was demobbed at the end of WW2.  It grew is size and toured the summer season across southern England and up to north Wales annually for many years.  Eventually the circus was taken over by his son, Charles P Weight, until (I believe) it finally closed during the late 1990's.  (I still have some circus posters and some photo's of CJJ Weight with his animals).

Regarding the "latin" names - Trino, possibly Jose, and there was also a Rosina Weight - family legend had it that the origins of the family had been Mediterranean (Spanish ?) and that the family had migrated to England after the Armada and were originally called Costello ..... "Weight" supposedly having come from a pair of weightlifter brothers in a touring show..... sadly there's no evidence to support this at all.  But the latin names remain a mystery.

[pegasusphil]

PS - I forgot to add, if Albert Trino Weight Snr. was marreid to your GGG Aunt, I think that would have been Elizabeth Vittery (1844-1887) ?  I'd be interested to know your line of descent - I'm currently researching the extended family tree.

[cheshiremog]

Dear Phil  - Thank you for this amazing account of the Weight family - yes I do refer to Albert Trino Weight the elder 1840 - 1926 who married Elizabeth Wyatt Vittery. I am not now sure if she was my ggg aunt - but she was second cousin of my great grandmother Mary Trist b. 1836.

Elizabeth Wyatt Vittery was daughter of Roger Pomeroy Vittery, Roger was son of Samuel Vittery 1775 - 1857, Samuel was son of Samuel Vittery b. 1826 and Mary Rowe.  Samuel Vittery b. 1775 had a brother named William Vittery b. 1767.  William Vittery b. 1767 and his wife Sarah Curtis are my ggg grand parents.

I came across the Trino Weights whilst looking at the Vittery tree and became rather interested in them as they were actors.  My mother talked about an uncle or relative who was in the circus but I am not quite sure if she was refrring to them.  My mother grew up in South Devon, so I think it is very likely to be them and she perhaps knews her family were connected with the Vittery family in some way. My mother said a relative was an elephant trainer? Did the Weights have elephants?

Well - anyway - welcome to rootschat.  When you have made 5 posts I can send you a personal message (PM) - that would be better as the open forum is perhaps not the place to discuss dates and names of more current day ancestors.

I have done quite a lot of work on the Vittery family and think I have indentified pretty much all of them.  What I do believe is that there is only one Vittery family in the UK - so any Vittery to be found is related to the main tree.

I have some information about the schooners the Vittery's owned and believe they came from overseas originally, but not sure from where - possibly Holland or France and that they anglacised their name in some way.  They seem to crop up in Churston Ferrers in 15th 16thC

Keep posting and I can send you over some info by PM

Mog