Editing Circus (section)

====Astley and early British circus====
[[File:Astley's Amphitheatre Microcosm edited.jpg|thumb|[[Astley's Amphitheatre]] in London, c. 1808]]
[[File:Circus Ronaldo door Dirk Annemans.jpg|thumb|[[Circus Ronaldo]]]]
The origin of the modern circus has been attributed to [[Philip Astley]], who was born 1742 in Newcastle-under-Lyme, England. He became a cavalry officer who set up the first modern amphitheatre for the display of horse riding tricks in Lambeth, London, on 4 April 1768.<ref>Marius Kwint, "Astley, Philip (1742–1814)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, January 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/821, accessed 7 January 2014]</ref>{{sfn|Speaight|1980|p={{page needed|date=July 2022}}}}<ref name="oed">''The Oxford English Dictionary'' lists the 1791 book ''The History of the Royal Circus'' about Philip Astley's troupe as the first written use of the word to describe the modern circus.</ref> Astley did not originate trick horse riding, nor was he first to introduce acts such as acrobats and clowns to the English public, but he was the first to create a space where all these acts were brought together to perform a show.<ref name="BBC"/> Astley rode in a circle rather than a straight line as his rivals did, and thus chanced on the format of performing in a circle.<ref>Joe Nickell (2005). "Secrets of the sideshows". p.8. University Press of Kentucky, 2005</ref> Astley performed stunts in a 42&nbsp;ft diameter ring, which is the standard size used by circuses ever since.<ref name="BBC">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/2929565.stm "The circus comes to the Circus"]. BBC News. Retrieved 13 December 2014.</ref> Astley referred to the performance arena as a circle and the building as an amphitheatre; these would later be known as a circus.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stoddart|first=Helen|title=Rings of Desire: Circus History and Representation|year=2000|publisher=Manchester University Press|location=Manchester|isbn=978-0-7190-5234-7|pages=13–15}}</ref> In 1770, Astley hired [[Acrobatics|acrobats]], [[Tightrope walking|tightrope walkers]], [[jugglers]], and a clown to fill in the pauses between acts.<ref name="BBC"/>

[[File:The training of wild animals (1903) (14764853204).jpg|thumb|upright|Elephant trainer (1903)]]

Astley was followed by [[Andrew Ducrow]], whose feats of horsemanship had much to do with establishing the traditions of the circus, which were perpetuated by Hengler's and [[Lord George Sanger|Sanger]]'s celebrated shows in a later generation. In England circuses were often held in purpose-built buildings in large cities, such as the [[London Hippodrome]], which was built as a combination of the circus, the menagerie, and the variety theatre, where wild animals such as lions and elephants from time to time appeared in the ring, and where convulsions of nature such as floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions were produced with an extraordinary wealth of realistic display.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=391}} [[Joseph Grimaldi]], the first mainstream [[clown]], had his first major role as Little Clown in the pantomime ''The Triumph of Mirth; or, Harlequin's Wedding'' in 1781.<ref>McConnell Stott|, Andrew (2009), ''The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi'', Canongate Books, p. 28.</ref> The [[Royal Circus]] was opened in London on 4 November 1782 by [[Charles Dibdin]] (who coined the term "circus"),<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/the-first-circus/ "The First Circus"; Victoria and Albert Museum]</ref> aided by his partner Charles Hughes, an equestrian performer.<ref>[http://www.peopleplayuk.org.uk/guided_tours/circus_tour/the_first_circus/default.php ''Mr Philip Astley's Introduction to The First Circus in England''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081108114017/http://www.peopleplayuk.org.uk/guided_tours/circus_tour/the_first_circus/default.php |date=8 November 2008 }}. PeoplePlay UK. Retrieved 18 March 2007.</ref> In 1782, Astley established the [[Amphithéâtre Anglais]] in Paris, the first purpose-built circus in France, followed by 18 other permanent circuses in cities throughout Europe.<ref name="Encyclopedia">[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/39827/Philip-Astley Philip Astley (British circus manager)], ''Encyclopædia Britannica''.</ref><ref>Leathers, Victor L. (1959). ''British Entertainers in France'', University of Toronto Press, 1959, p. 29.</ref> Astley leased his Parisian circus to the Italian [[Antonio Franconi]] in 1793.<ref>Banham, Martin (1995). ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'', Cambridge University Press, 1995, p.216.</ref> In 1826, the first circus took place under a canvas big top.<ref>{{cite book|title=Guinness World Records 2014|last=Glenday|first=Craig|year=2013|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |isbn=978-1-908843-15-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7}}</ref>

[[File:Trapeze Artists in Circus.jpg|thumb|left|[[Trapeze]] artists, in lithograph by Calvert Litho. Co., 1890]]