Thomas Barry (clown): Difference between revisions
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'''Thomas Barry''' (c. 1810 - 23 March 1857) was an Irish-born circus clown. He worked with various circuses but was associated most with [[Astley's Circus]]. Barry was a traditional "buffoon" [[whiteface clown]] whose performances were based on [[physical humour]]. In 1844 he featured in a famous stunt whereby he appeared to be towed along the River Thames in a tub pulled by four geese. Barry left Astley's Circus in 1848 after falling-out with another clown, though he later returned, he retired permanently in 1856 after another disagreement. Whilst out of the circus Barry was landlord of the Crown Tavern in [[Lambeth]]. |
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'''Thomas Barry''' (c. 1810 - 23 March 1857) was an Irishborn circus clown. |
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== Life == |
== Life == |
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Barry reached the height of his fame in 1847 by which point he had become a long-term fixture at Astley's Circus. However the next year he fell out with WF Wallett, a clown at the circus.<ref name=dnb/> Wallett was pionering the more sophisticated [[Shakespearean fool|Shakespearian clown]] role in his performances.<ref name=wallett/> Barry demanded the right to chose which parts Wallett would be allocated to play in the show but this was denied and he left Astley's Circus.<ref name=luntley/> He was replaced as principal clown by Wallett, who described the situation as arising from Barry's jealousy.<ref name=wallett/><ref name=luntley>{{cite book |last1=Luntley |first1=John |title=The Public Life of W. F. W., the Queen's Jester: an Autobiography |date=1870 |page=78 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8VQBAAAAQAAJ |accessdate=20 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref> |
Barry reached the height of his fame in 1847 by which point he had become a long-term fixture at Astley's Circus. However the next year he fell out with WF Wallett, a clown at the circus.<ref name=dnb/> Wallett was pionering the more sophisticated [[Shakespearean fool|Shakespearian clown]] role in his performances.<ref name=wallett/> Barry demanded the right to chose which parts Wallett would be allocated to play in the show but this was denied and he left Astley's Circus.<ref name=luntley/> He was replaced as principal clown by Wallett, who described the situation as arising from Barry's jealousy.<ref name=wallett/><ref name=luntley>{{cite book |last1=Luntley |first1=John |title=The Public Life of W. F. W., the Queen's Jester: an Autobiography |date=1870 |page=78 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8VQBAAAAQAAJ |accessdate=20 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref> |
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Leaving the circus behind Barry took on the running of the Crown Tavern in [[Lambeth]], where he was landlord until 1850. In 1849 he found work for a 9-week season at [[Hengler's Circus]] in [[Windsor]] and by the early 1850s he had returned to Astley's Circus on a wage of £10 per week. He appeared before a court at Lambeth in 1850 charged with assaulting [[William Henry Harvey]], the ballet master at Astley's.<ref name=dnb/> In 1853 Barry worked at [[Madame Macarte's Monster American Circus]] in [[Wolverhampton]] and [[ET Smith's Circus]] in [[Drury Lane]], London.<ref name=dnb/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Stewart |first1=John |title=The Acrobat: Arthur Barnes and the Victorian Circus |date=2014 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9780786491124 |page=130 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8hvjsAqbsbkC |accessdate=20 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref> From 1853-4 he was with [[Hernandez and Stone's Circus]], though he continued to perform at Astley's Circus |
Leaving the circus behind Barry took on the running of the Crown Tavern in [[Lambeth]], where he was landlord until 1850. In 1849 he found work for a 9-week season at [[Hengler's Circus]] in [[Windsor]] and by the early 1850s he had returned to Astley's Circus on a wage of £10 per week. He appeared before a court at Lambeth in 1850 charged with assaulting [[William Henry Harvey]], the ballet master at Astley's.<ref name=dnb/> In 1853 Barry worked at [[Madame Macarte's Monster American Circus]] in [[Wolverhampton]] and [[ET Smith's Circus]] in [[Drury Lane]], London.<ref name=dnb/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Stewart |first1=John |title=The Acrobat: Arthur Barnes and the Victorian Circus |date=2014 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9780786491124 |page=130 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8hvjsAqbsbkC |accessdate=20 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref> From 1853-4 he was with [[Hernandez and Stone's Circus]], though he continued to perform at Astley's Circus throughout this time.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stewart |first1=John |title=The Acrobat: Arthur Barnes and the Victorian Circus |date=2014 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9780786491124 |pages=131 & 172 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8hvjsAqbsbkC |accessdate=20 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=dnb/> |
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Barry left Astley's Circus for the final time in 1856 when he was denied the first choice of parts in the show.<ref name=dnb/> He returned to managing the Crown Tavern, where he was landlord until his death.<ref name=dnb/> In 1857 he was known to be unwell and William Cooke, the manager of Astley's Circus, hosted a benefit show for Barry, provoking free use of a venue.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Assael |first1=Brenda |title=The Circus and Victorian Society |date=2005 |publisher=University of Virginia Press |isbn=9780813923406 |page=103 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=p5wMYvBVGgIC |accessdate=20 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Barry died on 26 March 1857 and is buried in [[Norwood Cemetery]].<ref name=dnb/> |
Barry left Astley's Circus for the final time in 1856 when he was denied the first choice of parts in the show.<ref name=dnb/> He returned to managing the Crown Tavern, where he was landlord until his death.<ref name=dnb/> In 1857 he was known to be unwell and William Cooke, the manager of Astley's Circus, hosted a benefit show for Barry, provoking free use of a venue.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Assael |first1=Brenda |title=The Circus and Victorian Society |date=2005 |publisher=University of Virginia Press |isbn=9780813923406 |page=103 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=p5wMYvBVGgIC |accessdate=20 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Barry died on 26 March 1857 and is buried in [[Norwood Cemetery]].<ref name=dnb/> |
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Revision as of 11:42, 20 January 2019
Thomas Barry (c. 1810 - 23 March 1857) was an Irish-born circus clown. He worked with various circuses but was associated most with Astley's Circus. Barry was a traditional "buffoon" whiteface clown whose performances were based on physical humour. In 1844 he featured in a famous stunt whereby he appeared to be towed along the River Thames in a tub pulled by four geese. Barry left Astley's Circus in 1848 after falling-out with another clown, though he later returned, he retired permanently in 1856 after another disagreement. Whilst out of the circus Barry was landlord of the Crown Tavern in Lambeth.
Life
Thomas Barry was born in Ireland in around 1810.[1] He married Elizabeth Campbell (died 1873) and their son, also called Thomas Barry, was born in Manchester in 1839 - he would later also perform as a circus clown.[1][2] Barry joined Sam Wild's Circus in 1837 and Samwell's Circus - which was then at Swansea, Wales - in 1842. From 1843 Barry worked at Astley's Circus as a whiteface circus clown, the start of a long association with that circus that would last until his death.[1] Barry's style of clowning has been described as traditional, playing the buffoon character and relying on physical humour.[3][4] However he also performed with horses as an equestrian clown.[5] His most famous famous sketch was an impression of a parliamentary candidate speaking at a hustings. Barry's whiteface makeup included a small red outline to the mouth, red triangles on his cheeks, black eyebrows and a bald cap.[1]
Barry's character was described by an employer as jovial and good-natured.[1] The young WS Gilbert was a fan of Barry's as a child and once, starstruck upon recognising him, followed him down a street.[6] In 1844 Barry took part in a stunt where he sailed down the Thames between Vauxhall and Westminster in a tub pulled by four geese.[1] The trick, first devised by Dicky Usher in 1809, was achieved by having the tub pulled by a rowboat attached by an underwater line.[7][1] The stunt was popular at the time; in 1845 a similar trick performed by another clown caused the deaths of 79 people when a large crowd caused the collapse of Yarmouth Suspension Bridge.[8]
Barry reached the height of his fame in 1847 by which point he had become a long-term fixture at Astley's Circus. However the next year he fell out with WF Wallett, a clown at the circus.[1] Wallett was pionering the more sophisticated Shakespearian clown role in his performances.[4] Barry demanded the right to chose which parts Wallett would be allocated to play in the show but this was denied and he left Astley's Circus.[9] He was replaced as principal clown by Wallett, who described the situation as arising from Barry's jealousy.[4][9]
Leaving the circus behind Barry took on the running of the Crown Tavern in Lambeth, where he was landlord until 1850. In 1849 he found work for a 9-week season at Hengler's Circus in Windsor and by the early 1850s he had returned to Astley's Circus on a wage of £10 per week. He appeared before a court at Lambeth in 1850 charged with assaulting William Henry Harvey, the ballet master at Astley's.[1] In 1853 Barry worked at Madame Macarte's Monster American Circus in Wolverhampton and ET Smith's Circus in Drury Lane, London.[1][10] From 1853-4 he was with Hernandez and Stone's Circus, though he continued to perform at Astley's Circus throughout this time.[11][1]
Barry left Astley's Circus for the final time in 1856 when he was denied the first choice of parts in the show.[1] He returned to managing the Crown Tavern, where he was landlord until his death.[1] In 1857 he was known to be unwell and William Cooke, the manager of Astley's Circus, hosted a benefit show for Barry, provoking free use of a venue.[12] Barry died on 26 March 1857 and is buried in Norwood Cemetery.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Barry, Thomas". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/53835. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Slout, William Lawrence (1998). Olympians of the Sawdust Circle: A Biographical Dictionary of the Nineteenth Century American Circus. Wildside Press LLC. p. 19. ISBN 9780809503100. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ Rivier, Estelle; Brown, Eric C. (2014). Shakespeare in Performance. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 109. ISBN 9781443865791. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ a b c Davison, Jon (2013). Clown: Readings in Theatre Practice. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 20. ISBN 9781137300751. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ Notes and Queries. Oxford University Press. 1883. p. 73. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ Stedman, Jane W.; Stedman, Professor of English Emeritus Jane W. (1996). W.S. Gilbert: A Classic Victorian and His Theatre. Oxford University Press. p. 30. ISBN 9780198161745. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ Slout, William L. (1997). Clowns and Cannons: The American Circus During the Civil War. Wildside Press LLC. p. 18. ISBN 9780809513048. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ Barber, Martin (28 September 2013). "Suspension bridge tragedy memorial". Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ a b Luntley, John (1870). The Public Life of W. F. W., the Queen's Jester: an Autobiography. p. 78. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ Stewart, John (2014). The Acrobat: Arthur Barnes and the Victorian Circus. McFarland. p. 130. ISBN 9780786491124. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ Stewart, John (2014). The Acrobat: Arthur Barnes and the Victorian Circus. McFarland. pp. 131 & 172. ISBN 9780786491124. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ Assael, Brenda (2005). The Circus and Victorian Society. University of Virginia Press. p. 103. ISBN 9780813923406. Retrieved 20 January 2019.