John Sanger

Background

He was born at Chew Magna, Somerset, in 1816, the son of an old sailor who had turned showman.

Career

This enterprise was a success from the beginning, and in due course John and George Sanger became lessees of the Agricultural Hall, London, and there produced a large number of elaborate spectacles. In 1871 the Sangers leased Astley"s Amphitheatre where they gave an equestrian pantomime every winter, touring in the summer with a large circus. Subsequently the partnership was dissolved, each brother producing his own show.

John Sanger"s great-granddaughter, Victoria Sanger Freeman became a legendary figure in the circus world in her own right, becoming known as "the Queen of the Elephants." She was the last of the great Sanger circus dynasty which proudly held the title "The Greatest Name in Circus.".

Achievements

• Sanger's circus once featured William Kite, an all-around performer whose appearance, as announced on a poster for Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal, was the inspiration for The Beatles song Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!

Connections

Wife:

Elizabeth Atkins Sanger

She died in 1892.

Son:

John Sanger

He was born in 1853 and died in 1929.

Son:

William Frederick Sanger

He died in 1893.

great-granddaughter:

Victoria Sanger Freeman

She was born on September 28, 1895 and died on August 1991.