Sanger, George, 1825 - 1911
Biography
George was born in Newbury, a historic market town in Berkshire in 1825 and grew up on the fairground working in the family’s peep show. In 1848 George and his brother John bought some canaries and mice and trained them for exhibition. This humble beginning into animal performance within the fairground scene and their business ambition, built up to the formation of the Sanger's Allied Circus in 1854 at the King’s Lynn Charter Fair, which they operated with a few family members and friends. By 1858 Sanger’s circus boasted of presenting the largest stud of horses ever seen in the European continent and visited over two hundred towns in a nine-month season, giving two shows a day. By the 1860s the Sanger emporium owned ten permanent circuses between Plymouth and Aberdeen.
One of the brothers’ popular shows was the pantomime ‘Lady Godiva’ featuring a well-known equestrienne, Ellen Chapman (1831-1899).
George and Ellen married in 1850 in Sheffield and Ellen immediately became a key act on the family shows. She appeared in pantomimes, performing the serpentine dance in the lions' den and impersonating 'Brittannia' in the acclaimed Sanger's circus processions.
George and Ellen had three children; a son who died as a baby, Laurina (1853-1882) and Sarah Harriet (1854-1929).
In 1856, when George and John added wild animals to their circus, Ellen returned to her former profession as a lion tamer. By 1858 they had added six lions and ten elephants to the show which proved to be a big winner with the public.
The Sanger brother’s expansion into circus greatness continued with the acquisition of two of the most famous and reputable circus venues in London; the Royal Agricultural Hall at Islington in 1870 and Astley’s New Royal Amphitheatre in 1871, which they bought from William Batty’s widow.
By this point Sanger's Circus travelling road train was said to be two miles long and reputedly had around ten wagons to carry the tent and seating, a lamp wagon, eight or ten living carriages, a foal wagon, ten wild animal wagons, a harness wagon, a portable blacksmith's forge, property wagons, wardrobe and dressing wagons, a band carriage and at least six great tableau parade cars.
From 1874 Sanger also presented tenting shows on the Continent for fifteen seasons, travelling up to 160 horses, eleven elephants, a dozen camels and about 330 staff.
George and John eventually decided to go their separate ways and split their various business ventures amicably.
During his extensive and impressive career as a circus proprietor George Sanger presented two Royal performances before Queen Victoria, the first at Sandringham on 8 January 1885 and the second at Balmoral Castle on 17 June 1898.
George Sanger was a respected member of the showland community and although he spent most of his later life in the circus, he maintained a strong link to his fairground roots and was elected the first President of the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain in 1890, a post he held until 1909.
George Sanger was murdered on 28 November 1911, at Park Farm by one of his employees for unknown reasons. His circus and effects were auctioned off by showman Tom Norman aka ‘The Silver King’.
Found in 11 Collections and/or Records:
Catalogues of Sale, 1905 - 1912
Catalogues for the sale of George Sanger's equiptment and animals.
Correspondence, c1900 - 2008
Items of personal correspondence and correspondence related to the Sanger and Ohmy families.
Cyril Critchlow Collection
Freehold Properties and Building Land Booklet, 26 August 1907
Particulars, plans and conditions of sale of the estate of the late Thomas Dalby Reeve, Margate. Sale by auction by Messrs Crockett & Henderson. Black type on brown paper on cover, inside black type on white paper and coloured plans of the properties for sale, 11pp.
Hall by the Sea Newspaper Cuttings, 1900 - 1945
Various newspaper cutting about event at the Hall by the Sea.
Lord George Sanger's Horses and Equipment Catalogue of Sale, 4 January 1912
Park Farm, East Finchley, London, to be sold at auction by Tom Norman. Catalogue of sale of Lord George Sanger's stud of horses and related equipment. Black type on off white paper, 2p.p.
Lord George Sanger's Two Day Great Sale Catalogue, 31 October - 1 November 1905
Park Farm, East Finchley, London, to be sold at auction by Tom Norman. Catalogue of sale of Lord George Sanger's business possessions including animals and equipment. Black type on off white paper with hand written prices against items. Printed by E.S. Wheatley, Steam Printer, Barnet, 12pp.
Newspaper Cuttings and Scrapbooks, c1865 - 1945
Newspaper cuttings related to George Sanger's circus and business.
Sanger Circus Collection
Black and white and some colour photographs, negatives, handbills, programmes and other items of ephemera relating George Sanger's circus and the Hall by the Sea.
The Showmen's Year Book, 1909
Contains lists of Executive Council and Divisional Committee members with black and white photographs, an article entitled The Grand Old Man of Showland about George Sanger, the Showmen's nineteenth annual report, the chaplain's report, a list of honorary members, an article about St John's Ambulance Bridage, a list of wakes, fairs and feasts in England, Scotland and Wales and commercial advertising.
Various, c1800 - 1999
Various items of ephemera.