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From: gwyn griffiths <>
Subject: Re: Re: [CIRCUS-FOLK] Menageries
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 22:13:22 +0000 (GMT)


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I'm no expert on circus; I come to the subject from the perspective of the zoo historian. I'm also more familiar with the British circumstances rather than American practice, but my understanding of the sequence is as follows:

Stage 1. Small-scale animal displays (maybe one or two species only) c.1400-c.1750
2. From c.1750 larger travelling menageries, owned by proprieters. Animals were displayed but not trained.
3. From c.1820s trainers started to display animals (esp big cats) in their menagerie travelling wagons.
4. From ?? mid 19th Century ?? circuses (previously largely based on horse acts) started to display exotic acts. My understanding is that mostly the circus proprieter would act as owner of animals and employers of trainers BUT later some trainers would become "independent" operators, owning their own animals and contracting to a circus perhaps a season at a time.
5. From c.1890s travelling menageries became much rarer; circuses more numerous (often with an accompanying menagerie - including the performing beasts and some non-performing animals.

Any comments from circus experts?

Gwyn (in Cheshire UK)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: (Betty Faye Lawton)
> Sent: Fri Jan 25 17:06:10 GMT 2002
> To:
> Subject: Re: [CIRCUS-FOLK] Menageries
>
> >Thanks for the e-mail. Yes I do believe that a menagerie was involved
> >somewhere along the line - but dont have a clue where. Any info at all on
> >any Sedgwick involved in this line of work would be most appreciated. Thanks
> >again - John Copper.
>
> In regard to menageries...in circus parlance, does that mean the TRAINING
> of the animals only or does the Trainer also own the animals involved? When
> the act is in a particular circus, does the owner of the menagerie act have
> a contrct with the circus owner?
>
> I know nothing about the inner workings of circuses but was curious about this.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Betty Faye (Double first name..ole Su'th'n custom)
> Searching for paternal:HOLT, LINDSEY, CARSWELL, TURNER;
> maternal:CLOUD,CHILDRESS, WHEELER, HARMON.
> Also: PLUMMER and DUBE
>
> website: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=fuzdawg
>
>
>
> ==============================
> To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to:
> http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237
>
>
>
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>Thanks for the e-mail. Yes I do believe that a menagerie was involved
>somewhere along the line - but dont have a clue where. Any info at all on
>any Sedgwick involved in this line of work would be most appreciated. Thanks
>again - John Copper.

In regard to menageries...in circus parlance, does that mean the TRAINING
of the animals only or does the Trainer also own the animals involved? When
the act is in a particular circus, does the owner of the menagerie act have
a contrct with the circus owner?

I know nothing about the inner workings of circuses but was curious about this.

Thank you,

Betty Faye (Double first name..ole Su'th'n custom)
Searching for paternal:HOLT, LINDSEY, CARSWELL, TURNER;
maternal:CLOUD,CHILDRESS, WHEELER, HARMON.
Also: PLUMMER and DUBE

website: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=fuzdawg



==============================
To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to:
http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237



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