There are two pictures of who I think is Harriet when she was younger and a picture of a couple taken at Liverpool in the 1890s that is clearly the same woman older and her husband (1880s or early 90s). Do you have any pictures of Bevan or any other family members that you would be willing to share a scanned copy with me? My dad didn’t know who many of the people were and that might be because his grandfather Charles died fairly young and his father may not have remembered all the people in the album. I would be so grateful for any images you could share.

Thanks again so much for this information, I’ll pursue it.
Susan

Bevan Wilkinson is a gg uncle of mine and by tracing his line came across his marriage to Harriet. I found an entry in the 1901 census where a Bevan and Harriet are in Ashton under Lyme in caravan number 5….Bevan’s occupation is traveller and caravan number 4 has Harold Berkett listed as a worker for Wombwells menagerie so this looks like them..this is where my trail goes cold..I can find nothing after this.

My great, great grandmother Elizabeth Carding b. 1826 married William Wombwell. They had one child Harriet Wombwell 26 December 1848 and registered 11 January 1849. Elizabeth (Carding) Wombwell married George Anthoness who served as a musician and booking agent for the Wombwell menagerie. He and Elizabeth had two children Charlotte b. about 1852 and Charles my great-grandfather b. 1854.

Harriet was often listed as Harriet Anthoness in the census records (probably because the census takers asked the childrens’ first name birth dates, Harriet used her birth name Wombwell in her marriage record to James Tucker in 1866. The Tuckers had one child Ellen. James died in 1870.

Harriet and Her daughter were living with Elizabeth Anthoness in 1871, but sometime after that she joined the Bostock and Wombwell’s menagerie. E.H. Bostock mentions her in his memoir. He notes that his cousin Harriet, an animal trainer was attacked by a hyena. He saved her, but she sustained a number of bites. It seems that they were on the back and shoulder.

Harriet (Wombwell) Tucker married Bevan Wilkinson in 1876, and they are listed with the menagerie at least until 1891. Wilkinson came from a very musical family similar to the musical background of George Anthoness. Bevan was a musician as were his father and brother. They were listed as music professors in the census.

I am working on Harriet in her later years, but need to get more documentation.

Charles Anthoness used the name Wombwell when he, his wife Sarah Ann (Foxley) Anthoness, my grandfather Frederick George Anthoness(age 4) and my great uncle Charles Bevan Anthoness emigrated to the U.S.A. in 1881.

Other members of the extended family came to the U.S. for a time, including Frank Charles Bostock the youngest brother of E.H. Bostock, but repatriated to England. My family stayed.

Hope you get through this time! When you respond I’ll send the article straight to you (it has some photos).

Liked the page on B&W. and those photos/memorabilia. Willie Layzell also fascinates me but as you have said it’s an entirely new story to tell.

I research Wombwell for probably the same reasons as yourself and hope to have a complete history over the next few years. This is not easy since it relies on goodwill, not least of all those that have responded to your pages.

There is also another video from Mitchell and Kenyon collection via the BFI, I don’t know whether it is freely available as such. Dan Cruickshank showed it a couple of years ago.

regards
Shaun