FIND CIRCUS PERFORMERS IN YOUR FAMILY

Track down your show-stopping ancestors in the archives

Tracing a circus ancestor can be tricky. If you only have a name to start with then an exploration of census returns might give a clue to your ancestor’s occupation. Terms such as acrobat, circus proprietor, circus artist, and equestrian rider are specifically circus occupations. But do not discount other roles such as variety artist, stage actor, and performer. It might be that your ancestor was performing a circus based act in a music hall. You might also find your ancestor recorded as a ‘boarder’, along with other performers of various descriptions.

If you are lucky enough to have the name of the circus they worked in, their performance name or the name of the troupe they performed with, then things become a little easier. Many long-standing circuses have their own websites worth exploring. Trade newspapers such as

The Stage and The World’s Fair can provide you with valuable information on circuses and circus performers. The British Newspaper Archive can also be a good source of information.

During the 19th century, many young children were ‘sold’ into the circus, such as William Cattermole who was apprenticed to the Schaeffer family of acrobats at the age of seven. His story was told in the BBC Heir Hunters programme (Series 9 March 2015). His apprenticeship document survived. If a child was apprenticed by the parish (a common means for dealing with poor children who had become chargeable to the parish), then records may survive in parish archives. Occasionally they also survive in family archives.

The Circus Friends Association ( CFA) monthly magazine, King Pole, has regular features on past and present individual performers and circuses. The CFA historical collection is held at the National Fairground and Circus Archive at the University of Sheffield (see page 27).