Biography

John was the eldest son of James Sanger and Sarah Elliott, born at Chew Magna, Somerset in 1819.

John grew up on the fairground helping on the family business. In 1848 John and brother George 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. This small outfit was a far cry from what the Sanger name will became in the showmen community and history, but grew from strength to strength and by 1858 Sanger’s circus could boast 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). Ellen was the eldest daughter of Harry Chapman (1803-1888), of the Chapman Circus family. She was born in Liverpool in 1831 and grew up with the Manders family, of Wombwell's Menagerie. While with the Wombwells, she became one of the first female lion-tamers, known as 'Madame Pauline de Vere, the Lady of the Lions' and ‘The Lion Queen’ and was hailed to be the first woman ever to put her head inside a lion’s mouth.

JOhn married Elizabeth Atkins (1825-1892), the daughter of Sam Atkins, the owner of the Liverpool Zoological Gardens, in June 1848. They had five children; John (1854-1929), Lavinia (b. c1858), William (1866-1893), George (1870-1947) and James (b 1871).

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.

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