Pablo FANQUE - son or nephew?

[spison]

What a tangled web! Why do all these people assume the same professional name I ask you!

Thankyou for all your wonderful finds and information. Every time something new turns up I update Annie's biography. A link to my site is in post #1. (I wish I had more success finding her!)

I think that there is no doubt that William Banham was the "Young Pablo" (or variations) who was performing during the 1830s. sparklingsilver I find it really interesting that Jane Banham was buried with Susan Darby (and was eventually joined by William Darby!) Thankyou for that little gem! helachau the absconder certainly sounds like my man. I wonder whether he returned in time to perform on the rope later in the month or whether Lionel was the performer at this stage? I also wondered who the Pablo Fanque who married Miss Cork was when I found that reference and I still don't know! William Senior, William junior or Lionel or some other Pablo Fanque!? Unfortunately there seem to be few or no references to any of these stated events for researchers to find!

I have been communicating with the Australian Circus historian who was in turn in communication with Dr. John Turner before Turner's death 6 or 7 years ago. He wonders whether Turner's work was completed before he died. Like me, he believes that William Banham was an illegitimate son of William Darby. All very intriguing!

Jane

[geneius]

The marriage certificate is now on line

28 September 1854 by Licence

The Cath' & Parish Church Manchester ( St Mary , St Denys, & St George)

William BANHAM Bach 24 Equestrian 44 Windmill Street father William BANHAM Musician

Martha ROLLINSON 22 Spinster Peter Street father Thomas ROLLINSON Joiner & Builder

Both sign their names

witnesses Robert COUSENS & Ellen COUSENS X

[helachau]

".... tangled web" describes it exactly!

I had always understood the only one to have packed their trunk and said goodbye to the circus was a certain Nellie, but that was clearly wrong. In Aug 1849 Pablo Fanque is again advertising the disappearance of "Pablo Fanque Jun" with dire warnings of employing him/failing to return him. This time there is no mention of "....master Burkham".
Did wonder if "Burkham" in the earlier advert was a corruption of "Banham"?

[spison]

Thankyou very much helechau and geneius. I'm still on the trail here. I'll let you know whether anything else turns up!

Jane

[spison]

Geneius,
Forgive my ignorance but could you please tell me where you found the info. on the marriage as I can't find it. I have Lancastrian ancestry (JONES so I need all the help I can get!) so it will be good to know of another site.
Jane

[geneius]

Yes, Manchester Parish registers are now on the well known green A******* subscription site!!

[spison]

Thanks so much Geneius. It will have to wait until I get to the library to access OS stuff on that site.

Jane

[sparklingsilver]

I am delighted to see the Pablo Fanque show is performing well – please keep it coming and who knows the mystery may yet be solved. First I need to qualify the burial of Mary Elizabeth Darby I mentioned and which is indexed in Familysearch as Darcy but her parents name is correct.
Now to the Pablo Fanque, senior (William Darby born 1810 as opposed to 1796): his wife is named as Susannah Marlaw, daughter of a Birmingham button maker. Her memorial reads: "Sacred to the Memory of Susannah Darby, aged 47 years, the beloved wife of William Darby, Equestrian Manager professionally known as Pablo Fanque. Her death was occasioned by the falling of a part of the circus erected in King Charles' Croft, Leeds, on Saturday the 18th Day of May 1848 her bereaved and afflicted husband has caused this monument to be erected."
However, and despite grief and affliction, "In June 1848, Pablo Fanque (William Darby) married Elizabeth Corker, a circus rider and daughter of George Corker of Bradford. Corker was 22 years old. With Corker, Fanque had two more sons, George (1854–1881) and Edward Charles "Ted" (1855–1937). Both joined the circus. “Ted, known as Ted Pablo, also achieved acclaim as a boxer (fought in Australia)." It has not escaped my notice that if Susannah was indeed 47 when she died then she was eight or nine years her husband's senior. I speculate whether or not Marlow was a married name rather than a maiden name.
Just as the physical appearance of Annie supports the notion that Pablo Fanque (WD) is the father of William Banham, recruitment records in 1867 quoting physical appearance lead me to believe that Lionel Granville/Greville is also his son. Thus confirming that there were two sons and the possibility that Lionel (believed born 1834/5) absconded since he claimed he left home at the age of 12. Lionel in 1867 was known to have spent time in Manchester, Italy and London.
The 1871 Census shows an entry for Lionel Greville, circus clown, birth place France (four alternatives so far: Greenwich, France, Spain and N/K), and Jennie (later appears as Jane) lodging at Warrington, Lancashire. Interestingly, a Lionel Vivian Granville (Greville) appears as a patient in the Croydon Workhouse Infirmary where his occupation is stated as chemist’s assistant. One could be forgiven for believing this was a different man entirely. But is it??
In 1867 Lionel Granville was recruited into the Manchester City Police. At the time, his physical description is stated as: Complex: Brown; Hair: Brown; Height: 5' 8½′′; Trade: Apothecary (in other words chemist and likely to be the same man that appears as a patient at Croydon); Employer: Sea Merchants Service. After two weeks he is dismissed from the Police Force but no reason is given.
In December 1867 Lionel Granville is being repatriated by the British Consul at Genoa, Italy, as a distressed seaman. Berthed on the seamen mess deck they suspect he is suspected of having no seamanship because he does not respond as one of them. He is asked about his antecedents (I take this question to be related to his appearance); and he begins to relate stories about being at Manchester and being questioned about the shooting of Sergeant Brett who was shoot and killed by escaping Fenian Prisoners.
His stories raise so much suspicion that the master of the vessel is informed and he radio’s ahead to London. Thames River Police await the arrival of the vessel at London Bridge and detain Lionel Granville. Overnight a telegram is sent to Manchester and the following day witnesses arrive to identify him and he is released. The episode was widely publicised at the time. Following his release Lionel wrote to one newspaper stating that Lionel Granville was indeed his name and that he had been fully vindicated of all suspicion - even though he accepted his exaggerated stories were responsible.
Adding to the confusion is Mary Greville born at Huddersfield, Yorkshire, in 1866/7 and who makes her first appears in the 1881 census aged 14 as the daughter of Lionel and Jane Greville/Granville. Their next eldest is born some five years later in 1871/2 which coincides with Lionel’s return to Lancashire after the death of his father. Since Lionel and Jennie/Jane were claimed as lodgers at Warrington in 1871 – where was Mary!!
At the time of the 1871 Census Wombwell’s Fair and Menagerie was recorded with a number of performers and attractions and sited at: Caravan, Cricket Field, Norbiton, Kingston on Thames, Surrey; its founder, George Wombwell, although by then deceased had performed with the Pablo Fanque Circus so his company was probably known to Lionel. Lionel had been sacked from his job as a light porter to an apothecary in 1870 so was he back into his old life and hence his appearance at Croydon Infirmary?
This is by no means the end of Lionel’s story. But since I am not presently able to confidently relate further I just hope some thing of the above will resonate.

[spison]

From Sparklingsilver

"In June 1848, Pablo Fanque (William Darby) married Elizabeth Corker, a circus rider and daughter of George Corker of Bradford. Corker was 22 years old. With Corker, Fanque had two more sons, George (1854–1881) and Edward Charles "Ted" (1855–1937).

Is this it? I guess so!? The whole mob seem to be free and easy with names don't they!?

The closest to a "Miss Cork" I can find on FreeBMD is -
"Eliza Corker, Jun 1848, Rotherham, 22 397. However, potential grooms are a Thomas Allott, Abraham Holmes, William Lockwood, Charles Scholey

Martha BANHAM returned to England abandoning her children in the institutions of NSW. I haven't looked hard for her in 1871 or 1891 onwards but in 1881 she is housekeeper for her parents in Clee with Weelsby. [copyright TNA: RG11/3273] It would have been expensive to bring her children back with her. I'm trying to work out why she returned without them and am wondering if there was a financial incentive to make the voyage?

A PM from helachau has got me (and I assume him too) looking for a will for William BANHAM! I went to State Records Kingswood today. Nothing in NSW! No will, no probate, no intestate estates. I'm less confident with Victorian records but on my scrounging there I didn't find anything. If anyone who knows their way around PROV could take a look it would be good.

Tangled and confused families!

Jane

[helachau]

Re William Darby's age, his Obituary in The Era, 16 May 1871, included -
"As some doubt has been expressed respecting Mr Pablo's age, the following copy of the certificate of his birth, with which we have been favoured by Mr Montague**, may be interesting to our readers:- 'William, son of John Darby and Mary, his wife, late Mary Stamp, spinster, was born at Norwich, Norfolk, February 28th, 1796; privately baptised February 28th, 1796, as it appears by the Register of All Saint's Parish. Ed. Press, Assisting Minister'. The reason the deceased being baptised the same day of his birth was thathis parents did not think he would live beyond a few hours".

The Leeds Times mentioned "To anyone not aquainted with his age the impression would have been produced that he was only about 50 years of age ......"

** Harry Montague, his manager?