Poodles Hanneford
| Poodles Hanneford | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Edwin Hanneford 14 June 1891 Barnsby, Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 9 December 1967 (aged 76) Kattskill Bay, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Comedian, Acrobat |
| Spouse(s) | Grace Norma |
The Royal Hanneford Circus is an American-based touring family circus. With origins dating back to 1690, it has been called the oldest circus in the world. The family first performed as a traveling troupe in 1807. In 1903, the family began its own circus as the "Hanneford Royal Canadian Circus" and in their early seasons toured the British Isles and Continental Europe. The family performed separately throughout much of the early 20th century in the United States. The modern Royal Hanneford Circus was formed in 1965, when Tommy Hanneford began producing shows featuring the family.
Accounts of the early origins of the Hanneford family performances conflict. Some accounts claim that the Hanneford family began performing as early as 1690, when the Irish-born Michael Hanneford entertained royalty with bareback riding, acrobatics, and juggling. The family themselves claim their oldest involvement with the circus involved Edwin Hanneford, a juggler from London. In 1778, Edwin was summoned by King George III to compete against Walter Scott to determine the best juggler in England. However, during the competition, King George became too preoccupied with other issues and did not declare a winner.
The Hanneford family first traveled as a in 1807. Successive generations of the family were involved in performances as well. By 1903, the family had their own circus production, the Hanneford Royal Canadian Circus. They performed under a canvas tent and traveled to cities and villages in the British Isles via horse-drawn wagons. During the winter months they performed with other acts indoors throughout Europe. In 1915 the family was performing in Spain while John Ringling of the Ringling Brothers Circus was in attendance. After seeing the production, Ringling wanted to bring the family to perform in the United States. In order to do so, Ringling purchased the entire circus. At that time, the family consisted of George Hanneford, Sr. and his wife Catherine, Edwin "Poodles", George, Grace, and Elizabeth.
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