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Big Daddy, 1930 - 1997

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 14 November 1930 - 2 December 1997

Biography

Shirley Crabtree aka Bid Daddy was born in England on 14 November 1930 to professional rugby player and wrestler Shirley Crabtree Senior.

Big Daddy followed his father’s footsteps into professional rugby and wrestling. He played rugby league for Bradford Northern and Halifax, he also worked briefly as a coal miner and with the British Army's Coldstream Guards before becoming a professional wrestler in 1952. Between the 1950s and 1960s he wrestled as the Blond Adonis Shirley Crabtree. He worked for Joint Promotions and the original British Wrestling Federation. In 1966 he stopped wrestling until 1972 when he returned to Joint Promotions to become their top star until the early 1990s.

Crabtree adopted his Big Daddy persona in 1974, which made him famous. In August 1987 while wrestling at Great Yarmouth Hippodrome, his opponent King Kong Kirk died after a match. Although Big Daddy was cleared of any responsibility, he was devastated.

Big Daddy retired from wrestling in 1993. During his career he won the European Heavyweight Championship in Joint Promotions and a disputed branch of the British Heavyweight title in the independent British Wrestling Federation.

Big Daddy died of a stroke on 2 December 1997 in Halifax General Hospital.

Found in 5 Collections and/or Records:

Blackpool Tower Circus Posters, c1930 - 1990

 Sub-Series
Reference code: 178R47.141-212
Scope and Contents

Posters for Blackpool Tower Circus including shows by Knie's Circus, Circus Krone, Circus Schumann, Bertram Mills Circus, Robert Brothers Circus and performances by Charlie Cairoli, Doddles, Coco the Clown, The Rosaires, Lilly Yokoi, Alfred Court, Vojtek Trubka, The Great Wallendas and Mary Chipperfield among others.

Dates: c1930 - 1990

Circus Friends Association Collection

 Fonds
Reference code: NFA0122
Scope and Contents

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

Dates: 1795 - 2020

Cyril Critchlow Collection

 Fonds
Reference code: NFA0089
Scope and Contents The Cyril Critchlow collection contains programmes, posters, handbills, books and magic journals, many of which relate to shows in Blackpool where Cyril resided and includes material on entertainment venues such as Blackpool’s North Pier, Central Pier, South Pier, Tower Circus and a small collection of programmes from other national venues. Additionally, it contains circus photographs and postcards mainly of the Ohmy Circus and Sanger Circus including individual circus troupes and performers...
Dates: c1837 - 2008

Posters, c1887 - 2010

 Series
Reference code: 178R27
Scope and Contents

Circus, variety, pantomime and magic posters including Argyle theatre, Liverpool Empire, Blackpool Tower Circus, Robert Brothers, Austen Brothers, Sorcar, Vesta Tilley, Ken Dodd, Dan Leno, Florrie Forde and others.

Dates: c1887 - 2010

Posters, c1800 - 2011

 Series
Reference code: 178R47
Scope and Contents

A wide range of British and international circus and menagerie posters ranging from the 19th to the 21st century including Astley's Amphitheatre, Pablo Fanque, Polito, Bostock and Wombwell, Ducrow, Cooke, Hengler, Sanger, Smart, Gerry Cottle, Bertram Mills, Chipperfield's, Robert Brothers, Fossett, Blackpool Tower, Billy Russell, Belle Vue, Great Yarmouth Hippodrome, Austen Brothers and many more.

Dates: c1800 - 2011