George William Lockhart
Encyclopedia
George William Lockhart was a famous Victorian
elephant
trainer. His original group of three elephants, Boney , Molly and Waddy, toured Great Britain
's music hall
scene, as well as Europe
, and is reported to have appeared "500 times" at Proctor's Pleasure Palace in New York
in 1895. He is also known for his death in an elephant stampede
that made two of his new elephants, Salt and Sauce
, infamous until their deaths in 1952 and 1960, respectively.
He was the brother of the more famous elephant trainer, Sam Lockhart, and the father of George Claude Lockhart
, who was the first ringmaster
to wear the "pink" tails and top hat
in circus
.
-walking clown
, and Hannah Pinder, sister of the pioneers of the famous French
circus Pinder. Lockhart and his brother Sam worked together on their parents' circus, and then toured Europe as bareback riders
, clowns and acrobat
s. An accident in 1875 brought George's acrobatic career to an end and the two brothers went separate ways to pursue individual careers.
and was given this name, which was later bastardized to Boney. After bringing up Boney, the Lockharts bought two more elephants they called Molly and Waddy, and formed an act. This act included various tricks that were popular at the time, including getting Boney to ride a tricycle
, act as if they were playing in a band, and act out a comedy routine in a restaurant.
The act toured most of the British music hall scene, including performances in front of Queen Victoria and the royal family. According to his son, George Claude Lockhart
, the act also toured Europe and Russia
. In 1895 it apparently worked at Proctor's Pleasure Palace in New York "500 times". The act was sold to William Orford in 1901.
. The group was made up of Salt, Sauce (later changed to Saucy), Mustard and Pepper. Mustard and Pepper died, suffering from dropsy symptoms. New elephants, Vinegar and Baby, were acquired. According to reports from George Claude Lockhart, the elephants stampeded and caused considerable damage at venues in Hackney
, Woolwich
and Chesterfield
among others. Salt, referred to as "ringleader", was blamed for causing the stampedes.
On 24 January 1904, Lockhart was killed at Walthamstow Station's goodsyard (today known as Walthamstow Central station
). He was crushed during a stampede, apparently by Sauce.
of Ringmasters". On the advice of the famous circus proprietor Bertram Mills
, he presented circuses in "pink" hunting tails and black top hat, and started this particular showbusiness trend. He also smoked a trademark cigar
.
Elephants Salt and Sauce went on to become celebrities in their own right. They were first owned by Captain Joe Taylor, then by John "Broncho Bill" Swallow, then by Dudley Zoo
, then by Tom Fossett, and then by Dennis Fossett, before Salt's death in 1952, which received a lot of local publicity in Cambridge
. Sauce was later sold to Harry Coady for his circus, and finally to Billy Butlin
, where she died at his Skegness
holiday camp in 1960.
The elephants were frequently mentioned in local press, as they were often walked from circus ground to circus ground. They were regularly allowed to wander freely, when they sometimes got up to mischief on people's land, making the local press. Salt killed one William Aslett in 1937, who was one of her grooms, and may have killed another keeper when she worked on Paulo's Circus.
The elephants were known for starting the famous elephant trainer, Ivor Rosaire, on his independent career path as an elephant trainer.
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
trainer. His original group of three elephants, Boney , Molly and Waddy, toured Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
's music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
scene, as well as Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and is reported to have appeared "500 times" at Proctor's Pleasure Palace in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1895. He is also known for his death in an elephant stampede
Stampede
A stampede is an act of mass impulse among herd animals or a crowd of people in which the herd collectively begins running with no clear direction or purpose....
that made two of his new elephants, Salt and Sauce
Salt and Sauce
Salt and Sauce were once two of Britain's most famous and notorious performing elephants .-Career :...
, infamous until their deaths in 1952 and 1960, respectively.
He was the brother of the more famous elephant trainer, Sam Lockhart, and the father of George Claude Lockhart
George Claude Lockhart
George Claude Lockhart was the first ringmaster to wear the "pink" hunter tails and top hat, and was referred to in his World's Fair obituary as "The Doyen of Ringmasters"...
, who was the first ringmaster
Ringmaster (circus)
The ringmaster is the most visible performer in the modern circus, and among the most important, since he stage-manages the performance, introduces the various acts, and guides the audience through the entertainment experience. In smaller circuses, the ringmaster is often the owner and artistic...
to wear the "pink" tails and top hat
Top hat
A top hat, beaver hat, high hat silk hat, cylinder hat, chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat is a tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, predominantly worn from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century...
in circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
.
Early career
Lockhart was the eldest of three brothers and one sister. His parents were Sam Locker Snr., a stiltStilt
Stilt is a common name for several species of birds in the family Recurvirostridae, which also includes those known as avocets. They are found in brackish or saline wetlands in warm or hot climates....
-walking clown
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
, and Hannah Pinder, sister of the pioneers of the famous French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
circus Pinder. Lockhart and his brother Sam worked together on their parents' circus, and then toured Europe as bareback riders
Bareback riding
Bareback riding is a form of horseback riding without a saddle. It requires skill, balance, and coordination, as the rider does not have any equipment to compensate for errors of balance or skill....
, clowns and acrobat
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
s. An accident in 1875 brought George's acrobatic career to an end and the two brothers went separate ways to pursue individual careers.
Boney, Molly and Waddy
Lockhart reportedly bought his first elephant in Burma. The elephant had originally come from BorneoBorneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
and was given this name, which was later bastardized to Boney. After bringing up Boney, the Lockharts bought two more elephants they called Molly and Waddy, and formed an act. This act included various tricks that were popular at the time, including getting Boney to ride a tricycle
Tricycle
A tricycle is a three-wheeled vehicle. While tricycles are often associated with the small three-wheeled vehicles used by pre-school-age children, they are also used by adults for a variety of purposes. In the United States and Canada, adult-sized tricycles are used primarily by older persons for...
, act as if they were playing in a band, and act out a comedy routine in a restaurant.
The act toured most of the British music hall scene, including performances in front of Queen Victoria and the royal family. According to his son, George Claude Lockhart
George Claude Lockhart
George Claude Lockhart was the first ringmaster to wear the "pink" hunter tails and top hat, and was referred to in his World's Fair obituary as "The Doyen of Ringmasters"...
, the act also toured Europe and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. In 1895 it apparently worked at Proctor's Pleasure Palace in New York "500 times". The act was sold to William Orford in 1901.
The Cruet
In 1901, Lockhart bought his next troup of elephants, called "The Cruet", from the famous animal trainer, zoo director and animal dealer Carl HagenbeckCarl Hagenbeck
Carl Hagenbeck was a merchant of wild animals who supplied many European zoos, as well as P.T. Barnum. He is often considered the father of the modern zoo because he introduced "natural" animal enclosures that included recreations of animals' native habitats without bars...
. The group was made up of Salt, Sauce (later changed to Saucy), Mustard and Pepper. Mustard and Pepper died, suffering from dropsy symptoms. New elephants, Vinegar and Baby, were acquired. According to reports from George Claude Lockhart, the elephants stampeded and caused considerable damage at venues in Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
, Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
and Chesterfield
Chesterfield
Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...
among others. Salt, referred to as "ringleader", was blamed for causing the stampedes.
On 24 January 1904, Lockhart was killed at Walthamstow Station's goodsyard (today known as Walthamstow Central station
Walthamstow Central station
Walthamstow Central is a London Underground and commuter rail station. It is the terminus of the Victoria line, and is on the branch of the London commuter rail network operated by National Express East Anglia...
). He was crushed during a stampede, apparently by Sauce.
Legacy
George Claude Lockhart, the son, went on to become what the "World's Fair" newspaper called "The DoyenDoyen
Doyen is a surname. The word doyen is derived from the French term for dean, e.g. Dean and Dean ....
of Ringmasters". On the advice of the famous circus proprietor Bertram Mills
Bertram Mills
Bertram Wagstaff Mills was a British circus owner who ran the Bertram Mills Circus. Originally from Paddington, London, his circus became famous in the UK for its Christmas shows at Olympia in West London...
, he presented circuses in "pink" hunting tails and black top hat, and started this particular showbusiness trend. He also smoked a trademark cigar
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
.
Elephants Salt and Sauce went on to become celebrities in their own right. They were first owned by Captain Joe Taylor, then by John "Broncho Bill" Swallow, then by Dudley Zoo
Dudley Zoo
Dudley Zoological Gardens is a zoo located within the grounds of Dudley Castle in the town of Dudley, in the Black Country region of the West Midlands, England...
, then by Tom Fossett, and then by Dennis Fossett, before Salt's death in 1952, which received a lot of local publicity in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. Sauce was later sold to Harry Coady for his circus, and finally to Billy Butlin
Billy Butlin
Sir William Heygate Edmund Colborne Butlin, , was a British, South Africa-born entrepreneur whose name is synonymous with the British holiday camp.American Heritage Dictionary 2004, p. 135.Scott 2001, p. 5...
, where she died at his Skegness
Skegness
Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910....
holiday camp in 1960.
The elephants were frequently mentioned in local press, as they were often walked from circus ground to circus ground. They were regularly allowed to wander freely, when they sometimes got up to mischief on people's land, making the local press. Salt killed one William Aslett in 1937, who was one of her grooms, and may have killed another keeper when she worked on Paulo's Circus.
The elephants were known for starting the famous elephant trainer, Ivor Rosaire, on his independent career path as an elephant trainer.
The Legend of Salt and Sauce
The Legend of Salt and Sauce (ISBN 978-1-872904-36-8) is a book written by Jamie Clubb with his father the wild animal trainer Jim Clubb, published by Aardvark Publishing in May 2008. The book begins with a prologue featuring the death of George William Lockhart and the first third of the book heavily involves him. It also has a lot of new material on the Lockhart family The book was launched at the Circus Friends Association Annual General MeetingBooks featuring George William Lockhart
- "The Grey Titan, Book of Elephants", George Lockhart Jnr and W. G. Bosworth, 1938.
- "The English Circus", Ruth Manning-SandersRuth Manning-SandersRuth Manning-Sanders was a prolific British poet and author who was perhaps best known for her series of children's books in which she collected and retold fairy tales from all over the world. All told, she published more than 90 books during her lifetime. The dust jacket for A Book of Giants...
, 1952 (mistaken for his brother Sam). - "Elephants in Royal Leamington SpaLeamington SpaRoyal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
", Janet Storrie, Weir Books, 1990. - "The Victorian Arena: The Performers" Volumes 1 and 2, John Turner.
- "The Legend of Salt and Sauce", Jamie Clubb, Aardvark Publishing circa 2008.
External links
- George Lockhart's elephants mentioned in New York Times articles October, 24, 1895: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9804E6DF1139E033A25757C2A9669D94649ED7CF, September, 8, 1895: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=980DE7DD113DE433A2575BC0A96F9C94649ED7CF.
- Report of George Lockhart's death in New York Times, January 25, 1904: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9405E0DD1238E733A25756C2A9679C946597D6CF.
- Pen and Spindle blog entry: http://penandspindle.blogspot.com/2007/10/circus-wild-west-shows.html.