From horseback to Big Top:
The early days of circus
An advertisement for an early circus performance by Phillip Astley and his circus, c. 1780. Source: British Library archive
Who invented circus? Where did it come from? When did it start?
Wakefield Libraries preserves material that helps tells the history of circus. And library services around the country help us understand how this entertainment became an artform. This preservation work helps communities uncover stories about local cultural heritage.
This page is a work in progress. What do you think of it so far? Let us know.
Have you ever wondered about the history of the circus? Where, why and how did it begin?
When you think of the circus you might imagine clowns in big red shoes, exotic animals or extreme acrobatic feats. You might also think of daring modern circus performances involving fire or motorbikes.
While these traits might be part of performances today, when it first started the circus looked rather different...
A spectacle for the ages
Mentions of large scale entertainment displays can be found throughout history. These give a glimpse as to what the circus used to look like.
For example, this illustration is from Panvinio’s De Ludis Circensibus. Created in 1600, its title means ‘On the circus games’ (the word ‘circus’ is Latin for ‘ring’ or ‘circle’). Panvinio was a historian of the Roman era, and this picture gives an idea of the scale of the events that would be staged in Roman colosseums.
The ‘acts’ in Roman times were much more violent than you’d find in a modern circus. They would include fights to the death between gladiators, clashes between men and lions, and animal sacrifices.
Panvinio’s ‘De Ludis Circensibus’, from 1600. Source: British Library 076648_589.l.2, 62
Where the circus started
Philip Astley, a former sergeant major, is widely thought of as the father of the modern circus. He was born in 1742 in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.
A lover of horses from an early age, he joined the Kings Light Dragoons at the age of 17. By the time he ended his service he had developed advanced trick horse-riding skills.
In 1768 he headed to London and set up a riding school on land where, today, you’ll find Waterloo train station. Here he demonstrated his tricks, such as standing on a horse’s back, dismounting and remounting, and standing on his head – all while his horse cantered round in a circle. His wife, Patty, was also a trick rider and performed alongside him.
From outdoor to amphitheatre
In refining his company's tricks, Astley set the size of the circle as 42 feet in diameter. These dimensions are still used as the standard circus ring size today.
Eventually Astley progressed from his open-air riding school and opened an amphitheatre for his shows.
In fact, he ended up having to build several venues in London alone, as they kept burning down – possibly due to the number of candles used to light the space.
Today, in the garden at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, you can see a plaque commemorating Philip Astley’s amphitheatre, which stood nearby.
Astley's Amphitheatre interior, Westminster Bridge Road c.1808. Source: 'The Microcosm of London', publisher R. Ackermann 1808-1811. From the British Library archive
Popularity brings risk
The above painting shows the inside of Astley's Amphitheatre as it would have looked in the early 19th century.
As the performers entertain a packed house, the arena is lit by a chandelier of candles hung from the venue's ceiling. There are further candles along the balconies.
While atmospheric, this was a major fire risk and helps explain why some of Astley's venues burned down.
Gas lamps, while also hazardous, were a safer alternative to candlelight but didn't become widespread until the 1820s.
As we'll read later, fire was one of many risks performers and audiences would face as circus grew in popularity.
These illustrations of 'Young Astley' performing horse tricks are presumed to be of Philip Astley's son, John. Source: British Library archive
More circus acts added
To his own daring equestrianism, Astley eventually added other acts to his shows. These included jugglers, tightrope walkers and, in 1770, a clown known as ‘Mr Merryman’.
Astley also added his son, John, as a performer. Similarly skilled on horseback, he would go on to perform for Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France, in 1783. He would have been just 15 years old. Astley junior’s performance left quite an impression on the monarch. This helped his father gain permission to open an amphitheatre in Paris.
However, the French Revolution of 1789 led him to return to Britain, where he found competition from other circuses entertaining the masses...
Left: Cooke's Circus featuring Mr. Kite; Centre: Pablo Fanque's Circus featuring a performance of Mazeppa; Right: From Wakefield Libraries' Cryer Collection, one of John Cryer's many scrapbooks. Source: Wakefield Libraries, photo by LibraryOn
Early circus promotion
As the 19th century dawned, competition between circuses increased. Circus owners realised they needed to put increased effort into marketing their shows.
A touring company would arrive at a new place and need to whip up enthusiasm for its limited number of shows. Then they'd head off on the road again to the next location.
To get the attention of potential audiences, circuses started printing handbills and posters. These would be handed out and pasted to walls throughout towns.
The paper used to print these materials would be finer than what we see newspapers printed on today. Advertising specific performances on specific dates, these 'bills' weren't intended to last long.
Even so, some townsfolk found them interesting enough to keep. One of those people was Wakefield bookseller and stationer, John Cryer.
John Cryer collected handbills, flyers, pamphlets and other ephemera in Wakefield in the 1800s. There was enough material to fill dozens of scrapbooks.
These scrapbooks are now part of Wakefield Libraries’ Cryer Collection. The collection offers a fascinating glimpse into life in the town in the 19th century.
The printers of these disposable artefacts would surely be very surprised to hear they’re still around over a century later...
19th century posters, preserved by Wakefield Libraries, from (left) Pablo Fanque's and (centre and right) Cooke's circuses. Source: Wakefield Libraries, photo by LibraryOn
What the early circus looked and smelled like
This excerpt from Beneath the Big Top: A Social History of the Circus in Britain, by Dr. Steve Ward, captures the sensations early circus audiences could expect:
An enormous glittering chandelier, lit by hundreds of candles, is suspended above the circular ring and casts a warm glow on the proceedings. The first thing you notice is the smell – of burning tallow candles, of the sawdust in the ring, the odor of horses and the stink of the crowd packed tightly together.
... The people in the upper gallery must have a marvelous view of that chandelier for the entry price of one shilling! It is hot up there and the heat from the candles and the crowd below gathers beneath the roof.
The orchestra is seated between the front of the stage and the ring and are playing a merry tune. In the ring at this moment is a young woman astride three white horses. As they gallop in a circle she balances on one leg on the middle horse and her diaphanous costume billows out behind her. The clown in the middle of the ring laughs and claps.
Reading recommendations from
Wakefield Libraries' Circus Doctor
Wakefield Libraries engaged the help of Dr. Steve Ward to assess the significance of the Cryer Collection's circus bills. Here he recommends further reading for anyone interested in learning more about the history of circus.
Pablo Fanque and The Victorian Circus
Gareth H. H. Davies2017The life story of Pablo Fanque, or William Darby, the first Black circus proprietor.The Circus: A Visual History
Pascal Jacob2018Using over 200 circus related artworks from the French National Library's private collections, celebrated cultural historian Pascal Jacob tells the story of travelling entertainers and their art and trade.Father of the Modern Circus; 'Billy Buttons'; The Life and Times of Philip Astley
Steve Ward2018Dr. Steve Ward's history of Philip Astley charts the life of the man credited as the father of the modern circus.The Circus and Victorian Society
Brenda Assael2005Brenda Assael examines how circus became integrated into Victorian society despite - or because of - its acts often pushing against the boundaries of the period's societal norms.
Light relief in dark times
When circuses first became popular, most audiences would have had few comparable experiences. Travel was only for the very wealthy. What little leisure time people got would have been restricted to the area where they lived.
Moreover, the general quality of life was poor by today’s standards. People were barely expected to live past the age of 40. Many didn’t even live that long, due to disease, poor living conditions and limited medical care.
So a visit to the circus was a chance to leave behind daily worries and be entertained by dazzling feats. When menageries started to merge with circuses, exotic animals added yet more excitement.
A dangerous profession – and spectacle
Circus owners didn’t generally prioritise the safety of performers, workers and spectators. With animals, daring feats and temporary structures in the same space, there was a lot that could go wrong.
Here are just a few examples of times when tragedy struck.
Source: British Newspaper Archive
In May 1845 Cooke's Circus advertised that Mr. Nelson the clown, sitting in a tub, would be pulled along Yarmouth's River Bure by four geese. Hundreds of people gathered on a bridge to watch. The bridge collapsed, causing the deaths of 79 people - many of them children. The bridge was later assessed to have substandard welding that contributed to its collapse. Nobody was held criminally responsible for the deaths. Today a memorial marks the site of the tragedy.
On March 18 1848 - less than a year after the posters on this page - Pablo Fanque's Circus was performing in Leeds. A balcony in the circus structure collapsed under the weight of the crowd gathered for the performance. Falling debris struck Fanque's wife, Susannah, who was in the crowd below. She died instantly.
Selina Powell was a well-known tightrope walker on the circus circuit in the 19th century.
While performing in Birmingham on July 20 1863, Powell fell from her rope and died from her injuries. It was later revealed she had been in the advanced stages of pregnancy. The outrage was such that Queen Victoria was moved to comment publicly on 'her personal feelings of horror' that a woman was 'sacrificed to the gratification of the demoralising taste unfortunately prevalent for exhibitions attended with the greatest danger to the performers.'
