When I booked for the seminar last year, I requested a pin board, with the intention of putting together a display about my firework/circus connections. This didn't feel like quite such a good idea when I realised time had passed by such that I had little more than two days to pull it all together, due to other activities having got in the way.
But, in the end, I managed it and had such fun producing the display that I'd encourage anyone to have a go at doing so. Just like this blog challenge, not only does the goal act as an incentive, it can also lead to new discoveries.
This is the final result, put up at the seminar:
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| Fire-work and Circus ancestors - display at Littleton Seminar Feb. 2020 |
I started with an introduction describing how I first became aware of what seemed like an unusual occupation amongst my ancestors when I was transcribing some certificates that had been purchased by my mother. One was for the marriage of my 2xgreat grandparents, Christopher HARRISON and Harriett Elizabeth JONES – and under the father’s occupations was written “Artists in Fire Works”.
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| Marriage certificate of Christopher HARRISON and Harriett Elizabeth JONES in 1857 |
I had never come across this occupation before so, rather intrigued, looked for the family in the censuses and parish registers. Some of the examples from those used in the display are included below and show how the entries confirmed that members of both the HARRISON and JONES families were, indeed, involved in the manufacturing of fireworks.
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| 1851 census entry for the JONES family |
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| 1851 census entry for the HARRISON family |
Other people’s Ancestry trees had been linked to the entries I found, in particular that of a, previously unknown, second cousin once removed. She had taken the pedigree back beyond our shared ancestor – Minnie Louisa HARRISON, the daughter of the Christopher and Harriet from the marriage above – for another four generations, back to a John Michael HENGLER. There were more pedigrees featuring him – many of which included information about the family’s occupation. And it was through all these that I first learnt of my ancestors’ role in the production of firework displays, not just for early circus performances, but also as part of other entertainment or celebratory events around the country.
For much of the display, I collected together relevant newspaper reports. The following graph shows the number of items found by searching for "Hengler" in the British newspapers collection on FindMyPast:
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| Graph showing number of reports for "Hengler" in British Newspapers on FindMyPast (as at Feb. 2020) |
The earliest reference I found, in 1788, was for a firework display in Northampton. Other adverts during the 1790s related to displays in Louth, Canterbury, and Oxford. As well as the fireworks, some of the events included a band of martial music and also "astonishing equestrian feats". During this period, John Michael HENGLER is known to have been producing firework displays to accompany Astley's circus performances but I didn't find any newspaper references specifically referring to Hengler with Astley at this time. However, the names of those performing at Oxford in 1796 include a "Mr Ducrow" who, I presume, was the father of Andrew DUCROW (1793–1842), later the proprietor of Astley's Amphitheatre.
Hengler, described as an "artist and engineer in fire-works to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales" was engaged to visit Oxford in May 1796 "at considerable expense" and his stay could only be short on account of "his grand Preparation of Fire-Works at Ranelagh against the King's Birth Day". Producing firework displays in honour of the King's birthday features in several years - which is interesting considering that the Canterbury Journal of 31 October 1800 records that:
"The fire-works at Prospect House have closed...Mrs Hengler left us last week to join the Signior, who was ordered to quit the town by Mr. Baldwin under the alien bill".(Isn't there a joke somewhere about difficult-to-find ancestors and how they must have come from outer space - it seems I really do have an 'alien' ancestor! )
Whatever the problem was, it doesn't seem to have severely impacted the business as, in 1801, there were several Galas concluding with a Hengler fireworks display in Vauxhall Gardens, London, as well as elsewhere in the country, such as in Bewdley.
Sadly, John Michael HENGLER died in Southwark, Surrey in 1802. However, his wife, Sarah, the "celebrated" and "inimitable" female artist, Madame Hengler, continued the business. Initially, it appears she was assisted by her son, a rope-walker who had trained in Paris and reputedly performed before Marie Antoinette. But, later, Madame Hengler was assisted by her daughter, Magdalen Elizabeth JONES and grandson, William JONES, while her son, Henry Michael HENGLER, continued his career as a circus performer.
One day, I'd like to do a proper survey of all of the early newspaper reports, in order to trace where the family were performing when. I didn't get time to look at the other collections on FindMyPast either, especially the Irish newspapers, where the numbers of references (3,849) follow a similar pattern to the above graph:
By Date
1800 - 1849 (206)
1850 - 1899 (3,556)
1900 - 1949 (81)
1950 - 1999 (6)
But it is amazing to read reports such as that in the "Hull Packet" (14 December 1813), where a display of fire-works under the direction of Signora Hengler was part of a celebration of the "Late Glorious Events", or the one in the Norwich Mercury (4 August 1838), where "the justly celebrated Madame Hengler, with Mr W Jones" are described thus, "Of their efficiency the public have had ample proof for many years, and lately in the most magnificent display on the evening after her Majesty's Coronation", and to know that these are one's own ancestors.
Unfortunately, things didn't end well for Madame Hengler, who was killed in a fire in 1845, in the building that served as both their factory and apartments. She was well into her 80s by then and described as "exceedingly stout" - clearly she had given up combining a circus act with fireworks some time before.
Given the rather graphic nature of the reporting at that time, I hesitated to add the reports and inquest details to the display but, in the end, did so, with warnings attached.
Here it shall suffice to include a drawing of Madame Hengler, taken from an "Ode to Madame Hengler", written by Thomas HOOD and available free on Google Books. I gather that as part of her act, she would climb a rope surrounded by a shower of fire. The Ode calls her the “Starry Enchantress of the Surrey Garden!”. How she managed doing that whilst also directing the displays detailed in some of the reports, I can't imagine.
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| Madame HENGLER, from "Hood's Own", by Thomas HOOD. (Digitised by Google) |
I still need to research the latter years of Sarah's daughter, Magdalen Elizabeth JONES and Magdalen's son, William JONES, to see when their firework business ceased. The graph above shows how the number of references in the newspapers to "Hengler" increases from the late 1840s until the early twentieth century - this is because that is the main period when Hengler's Circus, which was created by the sons of Henry Michael HENGLER, was in operation.
For the display, I included some other items which I thought people might find interesting - examples of the illustrations about the circus which often appear on ebay, a copy of the "Ode to Madame Hengler" by Thomas Hood, which I believe was written about 1830, a reference found in Leamington Museum to a "Hegler's Equestrian Circus" (which indicates how easily information can become corrupted, given that it was Henry Michael Hengler's family who appear in the 1841 census in Leamington), a print from a glass plate photograph of Minnie Louisa HARRISON, and finally a print of the "DNA tree" which I have on my personal family history blog, in the hope that it will act as "cousin bait".
Funnily enough, in the course of putting together the display, I discovered that one of my distant DNA matches on Ancestry appears to also descend from the HENGLERs, through a sister of William JONES. I also discovered a PARRY family tree on Ancestry which connects to the circus branch of the HENGLERS - so I can actually make a link between my HENGLER research and my One-Name Study, after all!
Since there'll be a report of the seminar in the Journal and the talks were recorded so they will also be available for members, I'm not going to say much. However, I did find something of relevance to my own family history in almost all of the talks, so I thought I'd note those here, since then I'll remember where I put the information!
When my Dad first started our family history research, he began with trying to prove the family stories - one of which was his mother's statement that her grandmother was a "Caroline BIDDLE" and that she had some connection to gypsies. Later research established that Caroline was actually a HARRIS and has never turned up any hint of links to gypsies - but the talk by Beverley Walker, Chair of the Romany and Traveller FHS. reminded me that the Hereford and Worcestershire side of my family would have had a great deal of contact with the travellers due to the regular seasonal influxes of migrants, for example during the hop-picking periods.
(It was also fascinating to see photographs of the "benders" - I'd never thought about what gypsies lived in before they took to the painted wagons I generally associate them with. Nor had I realised that the enumerators in the 1841 and 1851 censuses were only required to record the numbers of people found not living in houses, not their actual names).
Similarly, my consideration of my ancestors' "holidays" has so far been little more than thinking that, when marriages happened on Christmas Day, it was probably because that was the only day off they had, and knowing that fairs, such as the hiring, or "mop", fairs took place each year. So it was interesting to learn about the cycle of fairs in the talk on the "Fairground Calendar" by Graham Downie, especially when I learnt that Hereford's May fair has a 900 year history - imagine the excitement and anticipation our ancestors must have felt in the run up to such large annual events, and the fun they had during them (and pehaps the regret afterwards!) Graham mentioned the Tenbury Wells and Leominster fairs, as well as Hereford, which are all places important in my family history. So fairs are definitely events to bear in mind, when I look at what happened, when, in my ancestral lines (as well as in my ONS).
In the afternoon, Peter de Dulin's talk reminded me that, sometime in the long distant past of my early PARRY One-Name Study days, I remember coming across a photograph of an animal wagon that I'm sure said "Parry's menagerie" on it - I must go back and check through my early collections. And the "Search for Theatrical AncestoRs" website introduced to us by Professor Katharine Cockin of Essex University has provided me with a few PARRY references to look up, as well as a couple of HENGLERs.
I met the final speaker, Gillian Hunter, at the Guild's seminar in Whitmore last year. Both of us had our own particular reasons for wanting to hear Andrew Van Buren's talk about Philip ASTLEY, who is regarded as the "father" of the modern circus. Given the circus links we both have, it seemed obvious to keep in touch afterwards and Gillian's talk yesterday was additional motivation for me to attend the Littleton seminar. Facets of her family history, such as the various birthplaces of the children born to one couple, are repeated in some of my ancestors' descendant lines.
And whilst I doubt I shall ever find photographs of the earliest performing HENGLERS, I do have a glass plate image believed to be of Minnie Louisa HARRISON, who was my great grandmother, and the great grandaughter of Magdalen Elizabeth (HENGLER) JONES, :
I think the outfit is more "dance troupe" than "circus" - but that's still to be investigated. Either way, it is a reminder that some of my ancestors led slightly unconventional lives!
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