Biography

Ellen Chapman, also known as Nellie, was born in Liverpool in 1831 to Harry (Henry) Chapman (1803-1888) and Harriet Chapman, of the Chapman circus family.

Ellen grew up with the Manders family, of Wombwell's Menagerie and in 1847, she made her debut as one of the first ever female lion tamers in the world aged 16, working with the Wombwell menagerie. Her stage name was 'Madame Pauline de Vere’ Lady of the Lions also known as the ‘Lion Queen’, a name popular with female wild cat performers of the time. Ellen worked with a mixed group of lions, tigers and leopards and was acclaimed as the first woman to put her head inside a lion’s mouth. She became an almost overnight celebrity that same year, after the Wombwell Menagerie performed for Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle.

Ellen married Lord George Sanger, the famous showman on 1st December 1850, in Sheffield Parish Church. As it was customary, she immediately became a key act on the family shows, abandoning her career as a lion tamer for a while. She appeared in pantomimes, performing the serpentine dance in the lions' den and impersonating 'Britannia' in the acclaimed Sanger's circus processions, which carried a life lion. Eventually, Ellen became the business head of the family show.

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.

This type of life was perilous; Ellen survived an explosion in her caravan at Northwich and at least two lion attacks, once she was severely clawed down the back of her head and on another occasion, she was bitten on the leg.

Ellen Chapman was so famous in her time that she was mentioned by Dickens on two letters and became the subject of two paintings by George Christopher Horner, romanticising animal training and answering Dicken's plea for her to become immortalised on canvas. She also had her own Staffordshire ceramic figurine, produced to celebrate Chapman's success during her royal performance.

Ellen died on 30th April 1899, aged 67 years and is buried at Margate in the family tomb.

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