Merchant, Billy (Little Billy), 1919 - 2001
Dates
- Existence: 31 July 1919 - 26 May 2001
Biography
William Alfred Merchant, aka Little Billy, was an English dwarf clown born in a workhouse in Bristol on 31 July 1919. Billy was abandoned by his parents as a child and brought up in an orphanage in the city.
From a young age, Billy became fascinated with his local variety theatre, the Bristol Empire, where he was eventually recruited into John Lester’s midget troupe in 1937. From this point Billy’s career as a performer took off and he started to tour around the leading variety theatres in England with several troupes.
During the Second World War Billy worked as an aircraft fitter for the Bristol Aeroplane Company. He also performed for wounded soldiers and in 1944 was engaged to work at Chessington Zoo Circus in a double act with clown Fiery Jack during the summer season. In the late 1940s he started a partnership with Jacko Fossett which will last thirty years and turned the pair into one of the most popular clowning acts in Britain and Europe, where they travelled extensively. The duo also became a household name at the Belle Vue annual Christmas Circus until Billy retired in 1979 and spent six summer seasons at the Great Yarmouth Hippodrome.
Billy became one of Britain’s best loved circus clowns and received a lifetime achievement award from the Circus Friends' Association of Great Britain in 2000.
Found in 12 Collections and/or Records:
Belle Vue Circus, Manchester Programme, 6 December 1980 - 31 January 1981
Belle Vue Programmes, c1900 - 1999
Belle Vue Circus programmes.
Billy Russell’s Circus Spectacular Programme, 1975
Billy Russell’s Circus Spectacular Programme, 1976
Hippodrome, Great Yarmouth, Jerry, Jimmy and Johnny equestrians, Udo Heltano equilibrist, Mary Chipperfield’s kindergarten animals, chimpanzees and Liberty horses, Senorita Manolita aerial act, Miss Wendy’s Poodle Party, Jacko Fossett and Little Billy clowns, The Belios acrobats, The Halfwits comedy acrobats, The Tonitas Veracruz trapeze, Miss Conti balancing roller act, Jorge Tonito tightwire, The Herculeans moustachioed acrobats. Contains illustrations with photos, 24p.p.
Billy Russell’s Circus Spectacular Programme, 1977
The Two Bohumils jugglers, The Robert Brothers Camel Caravan, elephants and ponies, Skippy the Boxing Kangaroo, Blanini aerialist, Jacko Fossett and Little Billy clowns, Markus and Rosita strongman, The Valla Bertini Troupe trick cyclist, The Wychwoods magic and dog act, Chyfudey contortion, acrobatic and balancing act, The Bjoerlings equestrian act, Bobby Dixon comedy acrobat, The Tanger troupe tumblers. Contains illustration with photos, 24p.p.
Christopher Palmer Collection
Circus programmes and VHS tapes from Billy Smart’s Circus and Chipperfields’s Circus collected during the 1970s and early 1980s by the TV producer, Christopher John Palmer. There are also a number of promotional photographs of artistes and other ephemera related to the circus.
Circus Friends Association Collection
This collection consists of a large library of books and journals, as well as archival material including posters, programmes, photographs, films, handbills, research material, scrapbooks, original artwork and many other items of ephemera relating to British, Irish and European circuses
Films, c1930 - 1990
Amateur and commercial films on multiple formats, focusing mainly on Circus but also including transport, fairs, fairground rides and other types of travelling entertainments.
Noel Drewe Collection
A large collection of films entitled Circusama containing amateur and professional films on the themes of circus, performing animals and zoos, and edited clips from commercial Western and comedy films. The films are in a variety of formats including 8mm, Super8, 9.5mm and 16mm and contain related correspondence and notes. This collection also contains some sound reels mainly of fairground music.
Original Artwork, c1800 - 2000
Original works of art including artists' prints, drawings, watercolours and paintings, and designs for circus posters.
Programmes, 1970 - 1981
Programmes for various British and international circuses including Billy Russell's, Blackpool Tower, Fossett's, Chipperfield's and the Toni Boltini's Circus.
Programmes, c1800 - 2019
A collection of mainly British and international circus programmes and some variety and music hall programmes containing circus acts.