Lord George Sanger
| George Sanger | |
|---|---|
| Born |
23 December 1825 Newbury, Berkshire |
| Died | 28 November 1911 (aged 85) East Finchley, London |
| Other names | Lord George Sanger |
| Occupation | circus proprietor |
'Lord' George Sanger (23 December 1825 – 28 November 1911) was an English showman and circus proprietor. Born to a showman father, he grew up working in travelling peep shows. He successfully ran shows and circuses throughout much of the nineteenth century with his brother John. He retired in 1905 and was murdered by a disgruntled employee in 1911.
Sanger was born on 23 December, probably 1825, in Newbury, Berkshire to James Sanger. James Sanger, the son of a Wiltshire farmer, had been pressed into the service of the Royal Navy at a young age, where he learned conjuring tricks, and later, as a navy pensioner, became a showman. He and his wife, named Sarah Elliott, travelled the country in a caravan, showing human curiosities and a peep show. After they began to have children, the family settled in Trowbridge and then Newbury, where George was born.
George Sanger was the sixth of ten children, and the youngest son. The children grew up helping with their father's business. As a young man, Sanger made his first start in business, independent of his father, as an animal tamer. His first "troupe" consisted of canaries, redpoles, white mice and later, hares. He taught them to fire miniature cannons and walk tightropes. The show was a success and he exhibited at private parties, although he drew a few accusations of witchcraft from rural villagers.
Sanger started a travelling conjuring show with his older brothers William and John. Sanger had earned the nickname "Gentleman George" from fellow showmen, and "his Lordship" from his father, for the smart way he dressed. In 1848, the three brothers took their show to Stepney Fair. Here, he renewed an acquaintance with a woman he knew from his childhood called Ellen Chapman. She was a lion tamer, known professionally as Madame Pauline de Vere. They married on 1 December 1850 in Sheffield.
John and George Sanger decided to take their show to country fairs, believing that they would make more money than at the fairs in London. In the winter of 1850–51 they returned to London and, in addition to their conjuring show, they rented Enon Chapel—a former charnel house— to run a "sort of winter theatrical show". They employed actors and put on a Christmas pantomime. After being informed that not all of the bodies improperly buried at the site had been removed, and that the authorities intended to close the building, the Sangers moved out.
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