Pablo Fanque
| Pablo Fanque | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
William Darby 30 March 1810 Norwich, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 4 May 1871 (aged 61) , England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Circus proprietor; equestrian performer |
Pablo Fanque (born William Darby 30 March 1810 in Norwich,England; died 4 May 1871 in , England) was an English equestrian performer and circus proprietor, the first non-white British circus owner in Britain. His circus was the most popular in Victorian Britain for 30 years, a period that is regarded as the golden age of the circus.
Since the late 20th century, Pablo Fanque is best known from being mentioned in The Beatles song "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" on their album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967).
Little is known about Pablo Fanque's early life. Church records suggest that he was born in 1810, one of at least five children born to John and Mary Darby (née Stamp) of Norwich. They were believed to have resided in Ber Street. When Fanque married in 1848, he said his late father's occupation was "butler" on his marriage certificate.
Dr. John M. Turner speculates in his 2003 biography of Fanque 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 with seven children.
Since shortly after Fanque's death in 1871, biographers have disputed his date of birth. Since 2003 biographer Turner has popularized the belief that Fanque was born in 1796. The newspaper Era records on 14 May 1871 that Fanque's coffin bore the inscription "AGED 75 YEARS". Fanque's gravestone, located at the base of his late wife Susannah Darby's grave in Woodhouse Cemetery, Leeds (now St George's Field, part of the University of Leeds), reads "Also the above named William Darby Pablo Fanque who died May 4th 1871 Aged 75 Years".
But Fanque's age was recorded in the 1841, 1851 and 1871 censuses of England as indicating he was born in 1810. A birth register at 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. This is the birth year on a blue plaque commemorating Fanque's birth, which was installed by the city of Norwich near the purported location of his childhood residence.
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