From the elephant data base--Sam Lockhart 1896 Ringling Bros. route book
The Circus "NO SPIN ZONE": Sam Lockhart
Samuel Lockhart (1851-1933) was a famous Victorian elephant trainer and the second child of the famous Lockhart circus family. His work with elephants took him all over the UK, including Royal command performances in front of Queen Victoria, Europe (where he ran his own circus France) and in the USA, where he worked for the famous Ringling Brothers Circus from 1896 to 1901. He has appeared in several historical books on the circus, including one children's book completely dedicated to him (Elephants at Royal Leamington Spa by Janet Storrie, 1990), and the English town of Leamington Spa has several areas named after his most famous group of elephants "The Three Graces". Early career
Sam Lockhart was the second son of Sam and Hannah Locker (nee Pinder). His father was a stilt-walking clown and his mother was the sister of the founders of the famous French circus, Pinder. The family name was changed to Lockhart on the advice of his mother (source: The Legend of Salt and Sauce, Pre-publicaiton Jamie Clubb, Aardvark Publishing circ. 2008). Sam and his elder brother, George William Lockhart worked as bareback riders, clowns and acrobats. According to Janet Storrie's children's book "Elephants at Royal Leamington Spa", Sam performed the incredible feat of being shot from a cannon onto a trapeze. He was reported to be of small stature, standing only 5 foot tall. According to "The Victorian Arena" by John Turner the two were featured on Ginnett's Circus working the parallel bars. In 1875 George Lockhart fell from his horse and broke his hip (source, Les Histories de Cirque, Jaques Garnier, 1978), which brought their act to an end. Sam returned home, but got work in Sri Lanka on a tea plantation. There he learnt how to train elephants. He also acquired a lot of money and was able to buy elephants. He formed an elephant act.
am Lockhart's Elephants
Sam Lockhart had tremendous success with his elephant acts. His most famous group were known as "The Three Graces": Wilhelmina and two younger elephants, Trilby and Haddie. Haddie (or Hattie) was also the nickname for his wife, Harriet Alice (who died In 1897). He also had two bull elephants called Romeo and Charley. His other famous elephants were Jock and Jenny, who were worked in front of Queen Victoria. He worked in the USA for the famous Ringlings Circus from 1896 to 1901, as well as doing the Vaudeville circuit.
am Lockahrt Landmarks in Leamington Spa
Plaques for Leamington "Old Town" feature elephants in honour of Sam Lockhart's elephants. A monument was erected in 2006 of Sam Lockhart's "3 Graces" that was vandalized the same year. A recent luxury flat development by A C Lloyd that was built after demolishing Sam Lockhart's home at 1, Warwick Road named Wilhelmina Close after one of the "3 Graces". Elephant Walk is a nickname given to a sloping walkway to the River Leam, where the elephants regularly bathed.
Books featuring Sam Lockhart
* Grey Titan, The. Book of Elephants, George Lockhart Jnr and W. G. Bosworth, 1938.
* Elephants in Royal Leamington Spa, Janet Storrie, Weir Books, 1990. - entire children's book on Sam Lockhart and his elephants.
* The Victorian Arena: The Performers Volumes 1 and 2, John Turner, Lingdale’s Press 1995 and 2000 respectively.
* 20th Century Arena: The Performers, John Turner (unpublished to date).
* The Legend of Salt and Sauce, Jamie Clubb, Aardvark Publishing 2008
Any folks interested in Lockhart family history and would like to contact Paul Lockhart, please email me at wadeburck@yahoo.com and I will pass on the contact information.
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1 comment:
Dear Wade,
I would be delighted to hear more about this as I have several questions. For starters, the 1897 Ringling Route Book shows a picture of the elephant dept. with GEORGE Lockhart seated between Pearl Souder and Jean Marchand.
The five elephants that came to America and went to the Ringling Bros. were called Nellie Lockhart, Jenny Lockhart, Charley Lockhart, Tommy Lockhart and Harry Lockhart. All five were sold to the Ringling Bros. at the end of the 1900 season as reported in Billboard on Nov. 3, 1900.
Samuel Lockhart came to America in 1900 with the 3 Graces and baby Tom. An ad was in the New York Clipper on April 21, 1900 on page 186 stating their first arrival in America.
As you can now see by these few documents, George is on Ringling and Sam is now in America in 1900.
As for the elephants on Ringling, Harry Lockhart's existance becomes very vague after 1902, but Buckles is sure that he is dead by 1907. Charlie Lockhart was sold to George Hall in 1902. It also appears that Tommy Lockhart did last much more than a few more years. Nellie and Jenny both had longer careers with Jenny passing away in 1928 and Nellie in 1922.
The Professor Lockhart elephants are found in vaudeville theaters and summer parks in old newspaper clippings from 1902 to 1905. Baby Tom, died on April 27th, 1902 in Kansas City at the Convention Hall. I never found any records of the other elephants after 1905. On March 20, 1906, The Daily Northwestern newspaper in Oshkosh, WI. carried an ad featuring Professor Lockhart and his performing elephant TODDLES.
Then to totally confuse all of this is a report in the Feb. 11, 1905 issue of Billboard that "Harry" Lockhart, the famous animal trainer, had died in the town of Mexico while performing his elephants on the Orrin bros. Circus.
As you can now see, I have many questions that I would love to hear the rest of the stories about. Feel free to contact the Lockhart family for me.
Many Thanks,
Bob Cline
fivetiger@shtc.net
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