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 49 Collections and/or Records:
A Biography of George Sanger, c1990 - 2000
Manuscript by June Dick about George Sanger's life, 10pp. Black pen and ink on ruled paper, text only on one side of the pages.
Articles and Monographs, c1880 - 1899
Script for Cinderella and Life of George Sanger booklets.
Astley's New Royal Amphitheatre Photograph, 1893
Photograph of Astley's New royal Amphitheatre on Westminster Bridge Road. Handwritten on front of the photograph 'Dada & Mama, Topsy and Marie on balcony' and also 'Astley's Theatre taken in the last weeks before pulled down'. The people described in the photograph are 'Lord' George Sanger, Ellen Sanger (nee Chapman), Ellen Austin (nee Coleman) and Marie Reeve.
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
Correspondence, 1873 - 1888
Business and personal correspondence related to George Sanger.
Correspondence, c1900 - 2008
Items of personal correspondence and correspondence related to the Sanger and Ohmy families.
Cyril Critchlow Collection
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.
George and Ellen Sanger in Carriage Photograph, c1880 - 1899
Photograph of George and Ellen Sanger in a horse drawn carriage with grooms mounted on the horses.
George and Ellen Sanger in Carriage Photograph, c1880 - 1899
Black and white framed photograph of George and Ellen Sanger in a horse drawn carriage with grooms mounted on the horses. (Framed and larger version of 178C114.72).
George, Ellen and Handlers with Elephants and Camels Photograph, c1880 - 1899
Photograph of George Sanger and his wife Ellen with elephants and camels and animal handlers. George is marked on the photograph in pen as 'Dada' and Ellen as 'Mama'. The man standing furthest right is William Sanger, George's brother. The photograph was taken at the 'Hall by the Sea' in Margate.
George Sanger Circus Scrapbook, c1865
Scrapbook containing newspaper cuttings about George Sanger's Circus, some pages are empty, 31pp.
George Sanger Retirement Presentation Photograph, 1905
Photograph of a large group of people with trophy and framed presentation. The presentation was to George Sanger to mark his retirement from the circus in 1905. George is seated on the front row to the left of the trophy. Other members of the Sanger Family are present including John Sanger on the second row right next to the cup, George James Sanger No.3 top row, James Sanger top row 3rd from the right and also Peter Hoffman back row left of the cup.
George Sanger's Last Will and Testament, c1890 - 1910
Photocopy of George Sanger's Will and Last Testament. Typewrite, 3pp. typed on one side of the page.
George Sanger's Obituary, 2 December 1911
In Memoriam, tragic Death of George Sanger. Obituary from The Era. Black type on white paper with black border and black and white head and shoulders portrait of George Sanger in the centre, contains a prayer by Thomas Horne, 1p.
George Sanger's Obituary, 2 December 1911
In Memoriam, tragic Death of George Sanger. Obituary from The Era. Black type on white paper with black border and black and white head and shoulders portrait of George Sanger in the centre, contains a prayer by Thomas Horne, 1p.
Interview with June Dick, 6 August 2018
Interview with June Dick, descendant of Lord George Sanger about the Sanger family history. Interview conducted by Professor Vanessa Toulmin and NFCA staff. Rushes. Filmed by NFCA staff. 8 x MP4 files , 42 mins.
Letter to Barnum and Sanger Circus, 18 March 1888
Letter to Sanger and Barnum Circus from Pauline Vermersch. Ink on ruled paper. Manuscript, 2pp.
Life of Lord Geo. Sanger, The World's Greatest Showman Article, c1880 - 1899
Interview and life story of George Sanger contained in a booklet with his portrait on the front page printed in several different colours, 6pp.
Lord John Sanger Scrapbook, 1911
Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings on the death and funeral of Lord George Sanger, also contains some correspondence and other items of ephemera, 17p.p.