The Oriental Troupe 1868 - 1873 England, Ireland and France

[heywood]

It must have been so exciting for the townsfolk.

[maresscares]

It must have been so exciting for the townsfolk.

I'm hoping there's photographs out there somewhere.

[maresscares]

Ok, for those playing along

So I ordered the marriage cert and it finally arrived. It's not the best for reading, but it's also not the worst I've seen.

But it seems we have another spelling for Sumjoo

If anyone can help transcribe John "sumjoo's" fathers name that'd be great

[Ashtone]

Could the father's name be John Purzer Sumzao.  Also, as the couple and I'm assuming bride's father (John Boxall, witness) all signed with their mark how phonetically spelled was the father's name?
Example: Should the name Purzer actually be spelled Pursor or Persor?

On the marriage record it appears the groom's surname was altered from Sumzoo to Sumzao.

[maresscares]

Could the father's name be John Purzer Sumzao.  Also, as the couple and I'm assuming bride's father (John Boxall, witness) all signed with their mark how phonetically spelled was the father's name?
Example: Should the name Purzer actually be spelled Pursor or Persor?

On the marriage record it appears the groom's surname was altered from Sumzoo to Sumzao.

The Sumzao side are meant to be Indian acrobats, I've got no idea on the names. I think the John part is made up and the Sumjoo/Sumzao etc are stage names or shortened versions

Elvina was not 18 she was 14 going by my research and had only know her husband for about 3 weeks

Witness Eliza Rose, is Elvina's sister, also married at a young age (16). The witness John Boxall could be the father or a brother

Her father, John Boxall is another story all together. This family is like a pair of wired headphones that have gotten tangled in a pocket

[AlanBoyd]

Sumzao prompted me to think of the Portuguese version of John: Joćo. Maybe they were from Goa?

[maresscares]

Sumzao prompted me to think of the Portuguese version of John: Joćo. Maybe they were from Goa?

From the newspaper articles/ads I think they're from Bombay, but I can't really be sure of anything at this stage, besides him being a tightrope walker.

https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002920/18671109/049/0002

Only article I haven't managed to look at. As no subscriptopn to british newspapers

[AlanBoyd]

The article that you linked to is from the Bombay Gazette of November 9th 1867.

Added: just realised that there is also a long article on the same page: I will transcribe it.

[AlanBoyd]

It seems that Sumjao was Nepalese.

Bombay Gazette of November 9th 1867.

The performances of the "Original Troupe of Oriental Artistes" at the Grant Road Theatre on the evenings of last Thursday and Friday may, without exaggeration, be described as unique and unrivalled, for feats of the sort. Unfortunately, owing to the abrupt arrival of the Troupe in Bombay and the fact that their intention to give one or two representations here before their departure for Europe was not very generally known, as large an attendance of the Bombay public as their peculiar and singular artistic merits unquestionably entitled them to expect did not patronise them on their first appearance; however we are happy to state that their second appearance on yesterday night was a decided success, as the crowded state of the theatre fully testified. For those who have not witnessed the performances of this Troupe, any attempt to give a description of their varied and surprising feats must fall far short of the reality. The clever tours of ground tumbling, in which the whole force of the Troupe took part, the agile somersaulting by Cabootree the leading female artiste, the amusing representation of the "Goozratee wheel" by the Brothers Davie and Rajub, the artistic proficiency of the wonderful little Golab Sing, a child of three years, constituted the most attractive features of the First Part of the spectacle, which also included "la pole a perche" feat by Sumjoo a young Nepalese, and the sisters Elachee and Loung's display of the strange contortions to which the human frame may be subjected. The Second Part opened with a most amazing feat, the threading of a needle, by Lachee the "Gum-e-lastic girl," with her toes, while her eyes were bandaged and her body was placed in a most uncommon position, supported on her hands, with her limbs thrown so as to touch her head, giving to her person the form of a hoop. This feat was followed by a most cleverly executed tour consisting of a revolution on her head by Cabootree within a centre of ten naked sabres. But, perhaps, the most astounding feat of the evening was that of the nose ring by Perojah, another of the native lady artistes. Detaching her nose-ring, she dropped it into a vessel filled with water into which some substance had been thrown so as to deprive it of pellucidity, then standing with her back to the vessel she gradually bent over until she had immersed her head and bust nearly up to her waist in the water, and after apparently searching for a few minutes for the ring at the bottom of the vessel, she withdrew her head, and –astonishing to relate– the ring was suspended from its usual place in her nose. How this extraordinary feat was accomplished we can not take on us to explain. The Acrobatic performances of the Third Part by the male performers of the troupe were unexceptionable. But with the exception, perhaps, of the nose-ring feat, the feat of the evening was undoubtedly the performance on the slack-rope by the Nepalese Rajub; with a Buffalo-horn attached to each of his feet, Rajub proceeded to walk along a slack-rope, stretching across the stage, on the tips of the horns, holding a balancing-pole in his hands. After having successfully performed his singular promenade Rajub next undertook to slide along the slack-rope kneeling in a plate and working himself along with his feet, which journey he executed with equal success. This closed the evening's entertainment, which, we are convinced, all who witnessed it must have found as surprising and amusing as ourselves. We believe the Troupe intend to give a third performance before they set out for Europe, as they purpose doing by an early steamer to Suez. They number in all eighteen artistes, including four native lady performers and two little native girls, daughters of one of the native ladies. Their success in Europe we look upon as certain, and the appearance of real native women of India is likely we think to create a "furore in the English and other European cities where they propose to exhibit. We here recall that some months ago a Paris correspondent of one of the Indian journals alluded to the probability of the success in Europe of an undertaking of this sort, and especially remarked on the advantages of the Troupe consisting both of male and female artistes. We believe the enterprising Impresari, the Messrs. Conlan Brothers, who have undertaken this venture, propose to visit Paris, amongst other cities of Europe, and, while we doubt not that the Parisians will patronise them most emphatically, we advise the Impresari to look sharp after their native beauties, one or two of whom are really good-looking specimens of the swarth maidens of Hind, while in the Metropolis of the gay Parisians, where we are much mistaken it they do not meet with "offers" innumerable from stage speculators and, as a matter of course, from the "lions" of the day. We are informed that a regular contract has been entered into by the Messrs. Conlan with the several individuals of their Troupe, by which the latter are bound to remain with the former, who on their part are held to bring back ultimately to their country these native artistes of India, now bent on astonishing the natives of Europe, We heartily wish the Impresari bon voyage and a safe return, with a goodly store of the golden coin of Europe as a recompense for their singular venture amongst the sight-seeking denizens of that continent.