Pablo Fanque
Encyclopedia
Pablo Fanque was the first black circus
proprietor in Britain
. His circus, in which he himself was a performer, was the most popular circus in Victorian Britain for 30 years, a period that is regarded as the golden age of the circus. Today, Pablo Fanque is best known from his mention in The Beatles
song "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
" on the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
.
. They were believed to have resided in Ber Street. Fanque reportedly declared his late father's occupation as "butler" on his marriage certificate in 1848. John M. Turner, Fanque's biographer, speculates that "his father was African born and had been brought to the port of Norwich and trained as a house servant." Fanque was reportedly orphaned at a young age. Another account has Fanque born in a workhouse
to a family of seven children.
Also, there's a legitimate question regarding the year of Fanque's birth. While John Turner, his biographer, has popularized the belief that he was born in 1796, a birth register for St. Andrews Workhouse in Norwich
reports the birth of a William Darby to John Darby and Mary Stamp at the workhouse on 1 April 1810. Also, a blue plaque commemorating Fanque's birth installed by the city of Norwich near the purported location of his childhood residence also records his birth as 1810. Still, at the time of his death, the newspaper Era records that his coffin bore the inscription "AGED 75 YEARS" and Fanque's tombstone records the same age. Another contemporaneous newspaper states that it researched the question of his age at death and concluded he was 75. Still, throughout his life, Fanque often reported himself to be younger, and of an age more consistent with an 1810 birth.
and made his first known appearance in a sawdust ring in Norwich
on December 26, 1821, as "Young Darby." His acts then included equestrian stunts and rope walking. Thomas Frost, in "Circus Life and Circus Celebrities," wrote, "We find Batty in 1836 at Nottingham
, with a company which included Pablo Fanque, a negro rope-dancer, whose real name was William Darby..." Once established, William Darby changed his name to Pablo Fanque. It appears that Fanque or his contemporaries often considered "Pablo" to be his surname.
Fanque made a highly successful London
debut in 1847. Describing Fanque and his performance, The Illustrated London News wrote:
The Illustrated London News reporting on perhaps an earlier performance during Fanque's 1847 run at London
's Astley's Amphitheatre
, fills in many biographical details regarding Fanque:
This same edition of The Illustrated London News provides an example of how contemporaries regarded his performance: "This extraordinary feat of the manege
has proved very attractive, as we anticipated in our Journal of last week; and we have judged the success worthy of graphic commemoration. As we have already described, the steed dances to the air, and the band has not to accommodate itself to the action of the horse, as in previous performances of this kind. The grace and facility in shifting time and paces with change of the air, is truly surprising." Fanque is described as a "skilful rider" and "a very good equestrian." Sounding almost as grand as the boasts of Fanque's own broadside
posters, the paper said, "Mr. Pablo has trained [his black mare] to do the most extraordinary feats of the manege
, an art hitherto considered to belong only to the French and German professors of equitation
, and her style certainly far exceeds anything that has ever yet been brought from the Continent."
An illustration closely resembling the one appearing in the 20 March 1847 edition of The Illustrated London News appears on an 1850's poster advertising Fanque's appearance in Leeds
, with the headline, "M. Pablo Fanque, as he performed, by royal command, at Astley's Amphitheatre
, before her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen."
While biographer John Turner cites Fanque's 1847 performance at Astley's as his London debut, the historical record documents an 1837 performance at The Lawns in Croydon
, a borough of metropolitan London. A history of The Lawns records an advertisement that read, "16th September 1834 - A Grand Scottish Fete with a tightrope performance by Pablo Fanque, gymnastics, a leopardess with dogs, military bands, illuminations and fireworks."
In the 30 years that he operated his own circus (sometimes in partnership with others), Fanque toured England, Scotland, and Ireland, although he performed mostly in the Midlands and the Northern England counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and what is now Greater Manchester. Among the many cities he visited were Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Bristol, Cambridge, Chester, Chesterfield, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Norwich
, Oldham, Preston, Rochdale
, Rotherdam, Sheffield, Shrewsbury, Wakefield
, Wigan, Wolverhampton, and Worcester. In Scotland, his circus visited Glasgow
, Edinburgh
, and Paisley
. In Edinburgh, in 1853, there was a Pablo Fanque's Amphitheatre on Nicolson Street at the current site of Edinburgh Festival Theatre
. In Ireland, Fanque's circus performed at Dublin, Belfast, Cork (city)
, Galway, Ballinasloe, Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, and Clonmel, among other places. In Cork, in 1850, Fanque built an amphitheatre on the site of the former Theatre Royal where the current General Post Office stands (built in 1877).
His circus also performed at the Donnybrook Fair
in 1850, just five years before the discontinuation of the centuries' old fair.
Fanque's children joined his circus. One of his sons performed under the name Ted Pablo..." They performed with the most popular acts of the business, including Young Hernandez (1832-1861), the great American rider, and the clown Henry Brown (1814-1902)."
In the autumn of 1861, famous English prizefighter
Jem Mace
toured with Fanque's circus.
In 1869, the front cover of Illustrated London News
reported on a near-tragedy at a performance of Pablo Fanque's Circus in Bolton
. A tightrope walker, Madame Caroline, stumbled on the rope, and then hung suspended 60 feet in the air by her hands. The rope was lowered a few feet and then, at the exhortation of men who had amassed below, Madame Caroline fell safely into the hands of the crowd.
While some contemporary reports make no mention of Fanque's African ancestry, some reports refer to Fanque as "a man of colour," or "a coloured gentleman," or "an artiste of colour." In 1905, many years after Fanque's death, the chaplain of the Showmen's Guild, in commenting on Fanque's success despite being black in Victorian
England wrote, "In the great brotherhood of the equestrian world there is no colour-line."
, in composing The Beatles
' Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
borrowed liberally from an 1843 playbill for Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal. Lennon bought the poster from an antique shop in Sevenoaks
, Kent, while shooting a promotional film for the song, Strawberry Fields Forever
, in Knole Park. Tony Bramwell, a former Apple employee, recalled, "There was an antique shop close to the hotel we were using in Sevenoaks. John and I wandered in and John spotted this Victorian circus poster and bought it." The poster advertises a performance in Rochdale
and announces the appearance of "Mr. J. Henderson, the celebrated somerset thrower" and "Mr. Kite" who is described as "late of Wells's Circus." Lennon modifies the language, singing instead, "The Hendersons will all be there/Late of Pablo Fanque's Fair/What a scene!" Lennon's pronunciation of "Fanque" rhymes with "Yankee."
The title, "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
" is taken literally from the poster. The Mr. Kite referenced in the poster was William Kite
, who is believed to have performed in Fanque's circus from 1843 to 1845.
The full text of the original poster is:
"Mr. J. Henderson" was John Henderson, a wire-walker, equestrian
, trampoline
artist, and clown
. While the poster made no mention of "Hendersons" plural, as Lennon sings, John Henderson did perform with his wife Agnes, the daughter of circus owner Henry Hengler. The Hendersons performed throughout Europe
and Russia
during the 1840s and 1850s.
, he held a benefit for the family of the late Tom Barry, a clown. Brenda Assael, in The Circus and Victorian Society, writes that in March 1857, "Pablo Fanque extended the hand of friendship to Barry's widow and held a benefit in her husband's name at his Allied Circus in Bradford. Using the Era offices to transmit the money he earned from this event, Fanque enclosed 10 pounds worth of 'post office orders...being the profits of the benefit. I should have been better pleased had it been more, but this was the close of a very dull season.'" In 24 October 1858, The Herald of Scotland reported, "IN GLASGOW, 'Pablo Fanque's Cirrque Nationale' offered 'A Masonic Benefit.'"
At a time when Britain had just abolished slavery and while it was still thriving in the United States, Britons embraced Fanque publicly and privately. The minutes of Edinburgh's Celtic Lodge No. 291 read, "28th February 1853. Deputation to Brother Pablo Fanque’s Amphitheatre. [A] few of the brethren met this evening in accordance with the resolution of the committee meeting of 23rd inst and accompanied the Right Worshipful Master to Brother Pablo’s Fanque’s Amphitheatre to patronage Luin on this occasion of his benefit[.] [T]he Celtic brethren met with several Sister Lodges and had much pleasure to attend."
In 1843, when clergy in Burnley
were criticized in the Blackburn Mercury for attending performances of Fanque's circus, a reader responded:
An 1846 Bolton newspaper story epitomized the public's high regard for Fanque in the communities he visited on account of his beneficence:
performed in Fanque's circus during the 1840s and 1850s, was a close friend, and even managed Fanque's circus for a time. Wallett frequently promoted himself as "the Queen's Jester," having performed once before Queen Victoria in 1844 at Windsor Castle
. Wallett was with Fanque's circus in Leeds
, Wakefield
, Oxford
, and Glasgow
. It was a benefit night for Wallett in Leeds when the amphitheatre collapsed killing Fanque's wife. Wallett's wife was sitting with her but escaped serious injury. Throughout his 1870 autobiography, Wallett shares several amusing anecdotes about his work and friendship with Fanque, including the following about their 1859 engagement in Glasgow:
.
buttonmaker. They had two sons, one of whom was named Lionel. On 18 March 1848, his wife died when a wooden viewers' gallery at the circus in which Fanque's son was performing collapsed. That night, their son was performing a tightrope act before a large crowd at the Amphitheatre at King Charles Croft, in the Headrow in Leeds
. The 600 people seated in the gallery fell with its collapse, but Susannah Darby was the only fatality. Heavy planks hit her on the back of the head. Reportedly, Fanque sought medical attention for his wife at the King Charles Hotel, but a surgeon pronounced her dead.
A 4 March 1854 edition of the Leeds Intelligencer
recalled the incident, while announcing the return of Pablo Fanque's Circus to Leeds
: "His last visit, preceding the present one, was unfortunately attended by a very melancholy accident. On that occasion he occupied a circus in King Charles's Croft and part of the building gave way during the time it was occupied by a crowded audience. Several persons were more or less injured by the fall of the timbers composing the part that proved too weak, and Mrs Darby, the wife of the proprietor, was killed. This event, which occurred on Saturday the 18th March 1848, excited much sympathy throughout the borough. A neat monument with an impressive inscription is placed above the grave of Mrs Darby, in the Woodhouse Lane Cemetery."
In June 1848, Fanque married Elizabeth Corker, a circus rider and daughter of George Corker of Bradford
. Corker was 22 years old. With Corker, Fanque had two more sons, George (1854–1881) and Edward Charles "Ted" (1855–1937). Both joined the circus. Ted, known as Ted Pablo, also achieved acclaim as a boxer.
The 1861 census records Fanque as living with a woman named Sarah, 25, who is described as his wife, although in 1871, just before he died census records show him living again with his wife Elizabeth and his two sons, in Stockport.
at the Britannia Inn at 22 Churchgate in Stockport
, England on 4 May 1871. In the funeral procession to Woodhouse Lane Cemetery, Leeds
, a band marched ahead of Fanque's hearse playing the 'Dead March
.' Fanque's favourite horse followed, along with four coaches and mourners. Fanque is buried next to his first wife Susannah Darby. Woodhouse Lane Cemetery is now St. George's Field and part of the University of Leeds
campus. While the remains of many of the 100,000 graves and monuments have been relocated, the monument that Fanque erected in his wife's memory, and a smaller modest monument in his memory still stand. Susannah Darby's monument reads:
Fanque's monument reads:
On 8 October 2010, as part of Light Night
ceremony, The Leeds University Union unveiled a blue plaque
commemorating Pablo Fanque's final resting place.
by a commemorative blue plaque.
Thirty years after his death, the chaplain of the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain
, Reverend Thomas Horne, wrote: "In the great brotherhood of the equestrian world there is no colour line [bar], for, although Pablo Fanque was of African extraction, he speedily made his way to the top of his profession. The camaraderie of the ring has but one test - ability."
A drawing of Pablo Fanque upon his horse from the 20 March 1847 issue of The Illustrated London News (captioned, ASTLEY'S:--MR. PABLO FANQUE, AND HIS TRAINED STEED) appears on the cover of the 2003 book Black Victorians, Black Victoriana, edited by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina.
In 2008, a gallery named Pablo Fanque opened in Sydney
, New South Wales
, Australia
, showcasing limited-edition wearable and small-scale artworks and contemporary collectible jewelry and objects from across Australia and overseas.
Fanque is also mentioned in the song Ritz by the band Cockney Rebel.
's The West Coast Times reported on the arrival in Hokitika the previous evening from Melbourne
, Australia
of the ship Gothenburg. The paper stated, "She brings to our shores Mr Stevens; English Troupe of acrobats consisting of Mr and Mrs Stevens, the masters Stevens (two), Pablo Fanque and son, Messrs Hatton, Briggs, Rayner, Wilkins, Charles, Wildt, and Master Poono..." This, however, was not the Pablo Fanque of British fame, but Fanque's nephew, William "Billy" Banham, who used the pseudonym of his famous uncle during his time in New Zealand
and Australia
in the 1850s and 1860s.
Fanque's son, Ted Pablo, may have also fought under the name Pablo Fanque in his Australian boxing matches.
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...
proprietor in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. His circus, in which he himself was a performer, was the most popular circus in Victorian Britain for 30 years, a period that is regarded as the golden age of the circus. Today, Pablo Fanque is best known from his mention in The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
song "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
"Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is a song from the 1967 album by The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was composed by John Lennon...
" on the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin...
.
Early life
Little is known about Pablo Fanque’s early life. Church records suggest that he was one of at least five children born to John and Mary Darby (née Stamp) of NorwichNorwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
. They were believed to have resided in Ber Street. Fanque reportedly declared his late father's occupation as "butler" on his marriage certificate in 1848. John M. Turner, Fanque's biographer, speculates that "his father was African born and had been brought to the port of Norwich and trained as a house servant." Fanque was reportedly orphaned at a young age. Another account has Fanque born in a workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
to a family of seven children.
Also, there's a legitimate question regarding the year of Fanque's birth. While John Turner, his biographer, has popularized the belief that he was born in 1796, a birth register for St. Andrews Workhouse in Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
reports the birth of a William Darby to John Darby and Mary Stamp at the workhouse on 1 April 1810. Also, a blue plaque commemorating Fanque's birth installed by the city of Norwich near the purported location of his childhood residence also records his birth as 1810. Still, at the time of his death, the newspaper Era records that his coffin bore the inscription "AGED 75 YEARS" and Fanque's tombstone records the same age. Another contemporaneous newspaper states that it researched the question of his age at death and concluded he was 75. Still, throughout his life, Fanque often reported himself to be younger, and of an age more consistent with an 1810 birth.
Career
Fanque apprenticed to circus proprietor William BattyWilliam Batty
William Batty was an equestrian performer, circus proprietor, and longtime operator of Astley's Amphitheatre in London. Batty was one of the most successful circus proprietors in Victorian England, and helped launch the careers of a number of leading Victorian circus personalities, such as Pablo...
and made his first known appearance in a sawdust ring in Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
on December 26, 1821, as "Young Darby." His acts then included equestrian stunts and rope walking. Thomas Frost, in "Circus Life and Circus Celebrities," wrote, "We find Batty in 1836 at Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, with a company which included Pablo Fanque, a negro rope-dancer, whose real name was William Darby..." Once established, William Darby changed his name to Pablo Fanque. It appears that Fanque or his contemporaries often considered "Pablo" to be his surname.
Fanque made a highly successful London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
debut in 1847. Describing Fanque and his performance, The Illustrated London News wrote:
The Illustrated London News reporting on perhaps an earlier performance during Fanque's 1847 run at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Astley's Amphitheatre
Astley's Amphitheatre
Philip Astley opened Astley's Amphitheatre in London in 1773. * The structure was burned in 1794, then rebuilt. With increasing prosperity and rebuilding after successive fires, it grew to become Astley's Royal Amphitheatre and this was the home of the circus...
, fills in many biographical details regarding Fanque:
This same edition of The Illustrated London News provides an example of how contemporaries regarded his performance: "This extraordinary feat of the manege
Manege
Manège is the French word for a riding academy. As a loanword in Russian it is Manezh .It may refer to any riding school, riding arena or exercise rectangle, or specifically to:* the Salle du Manège in Paris, France...
has proved very attractive, as we anticipated in our Journal of last week; and we have judged the success worthy of graphic commemoration. As we have already described, the steed dances to the air, and the band has not to accommodate itself to the action of the horse, as in previous performances of this kind. The grace and facility in shifting time and paces with change of the air, is truly surprising." Fanque is described as a "skilful rider" and "a very good equestrian." Sounding almost as grand as the boasts of Fanque's own broadside
Broadside
A broadside is the side of a ship; the battery of cannon on one side of a warship; or their simultaneous fire in naval warfare.-Age of Sail:...
posters, the paper said, "Mr. Pablo has trained [his black mare] to do the most extraordinary feats of the manege
Manege
Manège is the French word for a riding academy. As a loanword in Russian it is Manezh .It may refer to any riding school, riding arena or exercise rectangle, or specifically to:* the Salle du Manège in Paris, France...
, an art hitherto considered to belong only to the French and German professors of equitation
Equitation
Equitation is the art or practice of horse riding or horsemanship.More specifically, equitation may refer to a rider's position while mounted, and encompass a rider's ability to ride correctly and with effective aids. In horse show competition, the rider, rather than the horse is evaluated...
, and her style certainly far exceeds anything that has ever yet been brought from the Continent."
An illustration closely resembling the one appearing in the 20 March 1847 edition of The Illustrated London News appears on an 1850's poster advertising Fanque's appearance in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, with the headline, "M. Pablo Fanque, as he performed, by royal command, at Astley's Amphitheatre
Astley's Amphitheatre
Philip Astley opened Astley's Amphitheatre in London in 1773. * The structure was burned in 1794, then rebuilt. With increasing prosperity and rebuilding after successive fires, it grew to become Astley's Royal Amphitheatre and this was the home of the circus...
, before her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen."
While biographer John Turner cites Fanque's 1847 performance at Astley's as his London debut, the historical record documents an 1837 performance at The Lawns in Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, a borough of metropolitan London. A history of The Lawns records an advertisement that read, "16th September 1834 - A Grand Scottish Fete with a tightrope performance by Pablo Fanque, gymnastics, a leopardess with dogs, military bands, illuminations and fireworks."
In the 30 years that he operated his own circus (sometimes in partnership with others), Fanque toured England, Scotland, and Ireland, although he performed mostly in the Midlands and the Northern England counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and what is now Greater Manchester. Among the many cities he visited were Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Bristol, Cambridge, Chester, Chesterfield, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, Oldham, Preston, Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
, Rotherdam, Sheffield, Shrewsbury, Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
, Wigan, Wolverhampton, and Worcester. In Scotland, his circus visited Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, and Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
. In Edinburgh, in 1853, there was a Pablo Fanque's Amphitheatre on Nicolson Street at the current site of Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Edinburgh Festival Theatre
The Edinburgh Festival Theatre is a performing arts venue located on Nicolson Street in Edinburgh Scotland used primarily for performances of opera and ballet, large-scale musical events, and touring groups. After its most recent renovation in 1994, it seats 1,915...
. In Ireland, Fanque's circus performed at Dublin, Belfast, Cork (city)
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, Galway, Ballinasloe, Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, and Clonmel, among other places. In Cork, in 1850, Fanque built an amphitheatre on the site of the former Theatre Royal where the current General Post Office stands (built in 1877).
His circus also performed at the Donnybrook Fair
Donnybrook Fair
Donnybrook Fair was a fair that used to be held in Donnybrook, Dublin from the 13th century until the 1850s. It has given its name to an Irish jig, a broadsheet ballad, and a slang term for a brawl or riot.-History:...
in 1850, just five years before the discontinuation of the centuries' old fair.
Fanque's children joined his circus. One of his sons performed under the name Ted Pablo..." They performed with the most popular acts of the business, including Young Hernandez (1832-1861), the great American rider, and the clown Henry Brown (1814-1902)."
In the autumn of 1861, famous English prizefighter
Prizefighter
A prizefighter is a boxer.Prizefighter may also refer to:*Don King Presents: Prizefighter, a video game by 2k Sports released in 2008*Prize Fighter, a video game by Digital Pictures released in 1994 for the Sega CD...
Jem Mace
Jem Mace
Jem Mace was an English boxing champion. He was born at Beeston, Norfolk. Although nicknamed "The Gypsy", he denied Romani ethnicity in his autobiography...
toured with Fanque's circus.
In 1869, the front cover of Illustrated London News
Illustrated London News
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper; the first issue appeared on Saturday 14 May 1842. It was published weekly until 1971 and then increasingly less frequently until publication ceased in 2003.-History:...
reported on a near-tragedy at a performance of Pablo Fanque's Circus in Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
. A tightrope walker, Madame Caroline, stumbled on the rope, and then hung suspended 60 feet in the air by her hands. The rope was lowered a few feet and then, at the exhortation of men who had amassed below, Madame Caroline fell safely into the hands of the crowd.
While some contemporary reports make no mention of Fanque's African ancestry, some reports refer to Fanque as "a man of colour," or "a coloured gentleman," or "an artiste of colour." In 1905, many years after Fanque's death, the chaplain of the Showmen's Guild, in commenting on Fanque's success despite being black in Victorian
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...
England wrote, "In the great brotherhood of the equestrian world there is no colour-line."
Beatles Fame
Pablo Fanque achieved fame again in the twentieth century, when John LennonJohn Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, in composing The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
"Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is a song from the 1967 album by The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was composed by John Lennon...
borrowed liberally from an 1843 playbill for Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal. Lennon bought the poster from an antique shop in Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
, Kent, while shooting a promotional film for the song, Strawberry Fields Forever
Strawberry Fields Forever
"Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and attributed to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. It was inspired by Lennon's memories of playing in the garden of a Salvation Army house named "Strawberry Field" near his childhood home."Strawberry Fields...
, in Knole Park. Tony Bramwell, a former Apple employee, recalled, "There was an antique shop close to the hotel we were using in Sevenoaks. John and I wandered in and John spotted this Victorian circus poster and bought it." The poster advertises a performance in Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
and announces the appearance of "Mr. J. Henderson, the celebrated somerset thrower" and "Mr. Kite" who is described as "late of Wells's Circus." Lennon modifies the language, singing instead, "The Hendersons will all be there/Late of Pablo Fanque's Fair/What a scene!" Lennon's pronunciation of "Fanque" rhymes with "Yankee."
The title, "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
"Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is a song from the 1967 album by The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was composed by John Lennon...
" is taken literally from the poster. The Mr. Kite referenced in the poster was William Kite
William Kite
William Kite was a 19th century circus performer, best known as being the "Mr. Kite" from the Beatles song "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!"...
, who is believed to have performed in Fanque's circus from 1843 to 1845.
The full text of the original poster is:
"Mr. J. Henderson" was John Henderson, a wire-walker, equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
, trampoline
Trampoline
A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched over a steel frame using many coiled springs. People bounce on trampolines for recreational and competitive purposes....
artist, and 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...
. While the poster made no mention of "Hendersons" plural, as Lennon sings, John Henderson did perform with his wife Agnes, the daughter of circus owner Henry Hengler. The Hendersons performed throughout 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 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...
during the 1840s and 1850s.
Being for the Beneficence of Mr. Fanque
The "Benefit for Mr. Kite" that was the subject of The Beatles song was just one of many benefits that Pablo Fanque held for performers in his circus, others in the profession, and for community organizations. Fanque was a member of the Order of Ancient Shepherds, a fraternal organization affiliated with the Freemasons, which assisted families in times of illness or death with burial costs and other expenses. For example, an 1845 show in Blackburn benefitted the Blackburn Mechanics Institution and the Independent Order of Odd-fellows, offering a bonus to the Widows and Orphans Fund. He held a similar benefit in Bury the following year. While Fanque's biographer, John M. Turner, writing in 2003, could find nothing in the historical record regarding Fanque's circus activities in 1857 and 1858, Fanque was active during those years, holding at least two benefits among other performances. In 1857, in BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, he held a benefit for the family of the late Tom Barry, a clown. Brenda Assael, in The Circus and Victorian Society, writes that in March 1857, "Pablo Fanque extended the hand of friendship to Barry's widow and held a benefit in her husband's name at his Allied Circus in Bradford. Using the Era offices to transmit the money he earned from this event, Fanque enclosed 10 pounds worth of 'post office orders...being the profits of the benefit. I should have been better pleased had it been more, but this was the close of a very dull season.'" In 24 October 1858, The Herald of Scotland reported, "IN GLASGOW, 'Pablo Fanque's Cirrque Nationale' offered 'A Masonic Benefit.'"
At a time when Britain had just abolished slavery and while it was still thriving in the United States, Britons embraced Fanque publicly and privately. The minutes of Edinburgh's Celtic Lodge No. 291 read, "28th February 1853. Deputation to Brother Pablo Fanque’s Amphitheatre. [A] few of the brethren met this evening in accordance with the resolution of the committee meeting of 23rd inst and accompanied the Right Worshipful Master to Brother Pablo’s Fanque’s Amphitheatre to patronage Luin on this occasion of his benefit[.] [T]he Celtic brethren met with several Sister Lodges and had much pleasure to attend."
In 1843, when clergy in Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
were criticized in the Blackburn Mercury for attending performances of Fanque's circus, a reader responded:
An 1846 Bolton newspaper story epitomized the public's high regard for Fanque in the communities he visited on account of his beneficence:
Partnership with W.F. Wallett
The clown W.F. WallettW.F. Wallett
William Frederick "W.F." Wallett was a popular circus clown in Victorian England, who also enjoyed modest celebrity in the United States...
performed in Fanque's circus during the 1840s and 1850s, was a close friend, and even managed Fanque's circus for a time. Wallett frequently promoted himself as "the Queen's Jester," having performed once before Queen Victoria in 1844 at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
. Wallett was with Fanque's circus in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. It was a benefit night for Wallett in Leeds when the amphitheatre collapsed killing Fanque's wife. Wallett's wife was sitting with her but escaped serious injury. Throughout his 1870 autobiography, Wallett shares several amusing anecdotes about his work and friendship with Fanque, including the following about their 1859 engagement in Glasgow:
.
Marriages and family
Fanque married Susannah Marlaw, the daughter of a BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
buttonmaker. They had two sons, one of whom was named Lionel. On 18 March 1848, his wife died when a wooden viewers' gallery at the circus in which Fanque's son was performing collapsed. That night, their son was performing a tightrope act before a large crowd at the Amphitheatre at King Charles Croft, in the Headrow in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. The 600 people seated in the gallery fell with its collapse, but Susannah Darby was the only fatality. Heavy planks hit her on the back of the head. Reportedly, Fanque sought medical attention for his wife at the King Charles Hotel, but a surgeon pronounced her dead.
A 4 March 1854 edition of the Leeds Intelligencer
Leeds Intelligencer
The Leeds Intelligencer or Leedes Intelligencer was a newspaper in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, founded in 1754. It was a weekly paper until it was renamed and became the daily Yorkshire Post, first published on Monday 2 July 1866....
recalled the incident, while announcing the return of Pablo Fanque's Circus to Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
: "His last visit, preceding the present one, was unfortunately attended by a very melancholy accident. On that occasion he occupied a circus in King Charles's Croft and part of the building gave way during the time it was occupied by a crowded audience. Several persons were more or less injured by the fall of the timbers composing the part that proved too weak, and Mrs Darby, the wife of the proprietor, was killed. This event, which occurred on Saturday the 18th March 1848, excited much sympathy throughout the borough. A neat monument with an impressive inscription is placed above the grave of Mrs Darby, in the Woodhouse Lane Cemetery."
In June 1848, Fanque married Elizabeth Corker, a circus rider and daughter of George Corker of Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
. Corker was 22 years old. With Corker, Fanque had two more sons, George (1854–1881) and Edward Charles "Ted" (1855–1937). Both joined the circus. Ted, known as Ted Pablo, also achieved acclaim as a boxer.
The 1861 census records Fanque as living with a woman named Sarah, 25, who is described as his wife, although in 1871, just before he died census records show him living again with his wife Elizabeth and his two sons, in Stockport.
Death
Pablo Fanque died of bronchitisBronchitis
Acute bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchi in the lungs that is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks. Characteristic symptoms include cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath and wheezing related to the obstruction of the inflamed airways...
at the Britannia Inn at 22 Churchgate in Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, England on 4 May 1871. In the funeral procession to Woodhouse Lane Cemetery, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, a band marched ahead of Fanque's hearse playing the 'Dead March
Dead march
A dead march is a solemn tune played by a military band at military funerals and executions.A notable symphonic rendition of a dead march appears in Georg Friedrich Händel's Saul....
.' Fanque's favourite horse followed, along with four coaches and mourners. Fanque is buried next to his first wife Susannah Darby. Woodhouse Lane Cemetery is now St. George's Field and part of the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
campus. While the remains of many of the 100,000 graves and monuments have been relocated, the monument that Fanque erected in his wife's memory, and a smaller modest monument in his memory still stand. Susannah Darby's monument reads:
- SACRED
- TO THE MEMORY OF
- SUSANNAH DARBY
- AGED 47 YEARS
- THE BELOVED WIFE OF
- WILLIAM DARBY, EQUESTRIAN MANAGER
- PROFESSIONALLY KNOWN AS
- PABLO FANQUE
- HER DEATH WAS OCCASIONED BY THE FALLING
- OF A PART OF THE CIRCUS ERECTED IN
- KING CHARLES' CROFT
- LEEDS
- ON SATURDAY THE 18TH DAY OF MAY 1848
- HER BEREAVED AND AFFLICTED HUSBAND
- HAS CAUSED THIS MONUMENT TO BE ERECTED
Fanque's monument reads:
- ALSO THE ABOVE NAMED
- WILLIAM DARBY PABLO FANQUE
- WHO DIED MAY 4TH 1871 AGED 75 YEARS.
On 8 October 2010, as part of Light Night
Light night
Light Night is a cultural event which first happened in the city of Leeds in October 2005, as part of the launch of the region-wide Illuminate Cultural Festival....
ceremony, The Leeds University Union unveiled a blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
commemorating Pablo Fanque's final resting place.
Legacy
In 2010, Fanque was honoured in his birthplace of NorwichNorwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
by a commemorative blue plaque.
Thirty years after his death, the chaplain of the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain
Showmen's Guild of Great Britain
The Showmen's Guild of Great Britain exists to protect the interests of travelling showmen at funfairs in Great Britain.The Showmen's Guild was originally founded as the United Kingdom Van Dwellers Protection Association in 1889 in Salford...
, Reverend Thomas Horne, wrote: "In the great brotherhood of the equestrian world there is no colour line [bar], for, although Pablo Fanque was of African extraction, he speedily made his way to the top of his profession. The camaraderie of the ring has but one test - ability."
A drawing of Pablo Fanque upon his horse from the 20 March 1847 issue of The Illustrated London News (captioned, ASTLEY'S:--MR. PABLO FANQUE, AND HIS TRAINED STEED) appears on the cover of the 2003 book Black Victorians, Black Victoriana, edited by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina.
In 2008, a gallery named Pablo Fanque opened in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, showcasing limited-edition wearable and small-scale artworks and contemporary collectible jewelry and objects from across Australia and overseas.
Fanque is also mentioned in the song Ritz by the band Cockney Rebel.
Others By the Same Name
On 2 November 1865, New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's The West Coast Times reported on the arrival in Hokitika the previous evening from Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
of the ship Gothenburg. The paper stated, "She brings to our shores Mr Stevens; English Troupe of acrobats consisting of Mr and Mrs Stevens, the masters Stevens (two), Pablo Fanque and son, Messrs Hatton, Briggs, Rayner, Wilkins, Charles, Wildt, and Master Poono..." This, however, was not the Pablo Fanque of British fame, but Fanque's nephew, William "Billy" Banham, who used the pseudonym of his famous uncle during his time in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the 1850s and 1860s.
Fanque's son, Ted Pablo, may have also fought under the name Pablo Fanque in his Australian boxing matches.
External links
- 100 Great Black Britons: Pablo Fanque
- Posters of Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal at Wakefield. Twixt Aire and Calder, Navigate the Wakefield District in words and pictures. Published by Wakefield City Council.
- Posters of Pablo Fanque's Circus at Leeds. Leeds Playbills. Published by Leeds City Council.
- Circus history at ancestry.com Contemporaneous Leeds Intelligencer and Leeds Mercury articles documenting Pablo Fanque's life and work in Leeds (reviews of performances and advertisements).
- Who was Pablo Fanque