Philip Astley, the father of the circus was born on 8 January, 279 years ago. Here are 15 facts about the man who first brought together equestrian displays, acrobats, strongmen and clowns in the circus ring.
1 Philip Astley was a cabinetmaker’s son from
Newcastle-under-Lyme.
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An illustration from
Circus Mania |
2 He was born on
8 January, 1742.
3 He was a sergeant major in the Fifthteenth Light Dragoons.
4 Astley’s first displays of trick horse-riding were in the open air at
Half Penny Hatch just south of
Westminster Bridge in
London.
5 His wife
Patty provided musical accompaniment on a drum and also performed on horseback.
6 Their first performance was on
Easter Monday, 4 April, 1768.
7 Astley’s circus performers included a
strongman called
Signor Colpi and a
clown called
Mr Merryman.
8 Astley established the still-standard diameter of the
circus ring as
42-ft.
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Astley's later,
grander amphitheatre |
9 Astley never called his entertainment a circus. The word was coined by
Charles Dibdin and
Charles Hughes who established the rival
Royal Circus.
10 Astley was invited to perform before
King Louis XV of
France in
1772.
11 He built France’s first purpose-built circus building, the
Amphitheatre Anglais, in
Paris.
12 He established circuses in 20 European cities.
13 Astley’s Amphitheatre is mentioned in books by
Charles Dickens and
Jane Austen.
14 His name is commemorated in the dance tunes
Astley’s Ride,
Astley’s Flag and
Astley’s Hornpipe.
15 Astley died on
27 January 1814 and was buried in
Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Paris.
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New Edition
Out now! |
For more on the history of the circus and the lives of today’s circus performers click here to buy Circus Mania - The Ultimate Book For Anyone Who Dreamed of Running Away With The Circus by Douglas McPherson
“A brilliant account of a vanishing art form.”- Mail on Sunday.
