Circus Artistes and families.

[pegasusphil]

Thanks Mog - I'll zip in a couple of posts now.
Phil

[pegasusphil]

It will be interesting to include the info on the Vittery family in my research - thanks for that.

[pegasusphil]

I see you also have a story of "the family came from overseas"....  ours is probably fanciful I think but I keep looking.

[pegasusphil]

And yes, "Uncle Charlie" (Charles John Josie Weight) did indeed have elephants, I think they featured in the circus throughout from the late 1940s and he certainly had some up till the mid-1980s, as I visited him and his family at their "winter quarters" in around 1984 and have a couple of photos of him posing proudly with "Nellie" (how original !), his favourite elephant.  But I doubt there were any animals furtehr back in the days of the protable theatres, that would have been dramatic actors, comedians, musicians and singers - all of which were jobs done by various Weights along the way.
Phil

[jt888]

Charles Weight of Weights Circus was my grandfather, i was brought up on the family circus until i was old enough to go to school. I currently work for the Chinese state circus. My mother knows of the travelling theatre but we have very little information and no photos. I would also like to see any other photos or bills relating to the family show. As far as i know the timber from the travelling theatre was used to build bungalows near Lenham in Kent.

[cheshiremog]

Hi JT
Thanks for getting in touch and welcome to Rootschat.  My connection comes in with the Vittery family as stated above.  I have sent some info over to Phil about the Vitterys and he is hoepfully sending something back about the Weight family.  What a fascinating upbringing and career you must have had. Are you descended from Elizabeth Wyatt Vittery ?

Mog

[jt888]

As far as i understand there were two branches of the Weight family both running travelling theatres i will try and find out my great grandmothers name and get back to you.

[Yorkie2]

I've just been reading your request for circus information.
Have you heard of the Pablo Fangue's Circus, I have an ancestor who was Fanny Wallet. She was a tight rope walker with this circus, I'm not sure if they got to Ireland.
She died in Henderson N Carolina, USA 1868.
I also have another ancestor who was a tight rope dancer, her name was Louiza Cullen nee Jefferies. She was buried in 1907.


Yorkie2

[pegasusphil]

It's actually Pablo Fanque (not Fangue) - it's immortalised in the Beatles song "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite" (from "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band") which has these lines in the first verse :

"The Hendersons will all be there
Late of Pablo Fanque's Fair...."

Pablo Fanque (born William Darby in 1796 in Norwich – May 4, 1871 in Stockport) was the first black circus proprietor in Britain.  A famous showman in his time, he is buried in Woodhouse Cemetery, Leeds next to his first wife Susannah Darby. In 2010, he was honoured in his birthplace of Norwich by a commemorative blue plaque.