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Renowned mainly as a lion trainer, Bostock is credited with discovering that lions react oddly to chairs (due to their legs) and therefore a chair can be used to control a lion. In 1908 he introduced the "big cage" into circus acts. His escapades included capturing an escaped lion in the sewers of
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Wombwell's
Menagerie had been bought by a Mrs Edmond on or before Wombwell's death in 1850. Bostock was born into this travelling show and his father detached himself from Mrs Edmonds in 1867 and set up "Bostock & Wombwell" (embracing his wife's surname and revitalising the well known name of
27:(1866–1912) was an English entrepreneur and animal trainer, who represented the touring section of the Bostock and Wombwell Menagerie. He toured Europe and America and in the latter he was known as "The Animal King". At death he was called "England's Greatest Showman".
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and was among the first to bring this type of show to
Britain. In 1910 he was owner of the Sheffield Skating Rink and when the craze faded that year he converted the rink to house his Jungle show.
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as "owner" of a travelling menagerie in the 1891 census. In 1893 he made his first trip to
America, partnered with the Ferari Brothers, beginning with a semi-permanent show at
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in 1832 when his father remarried and James had joined
Wombwell's Travelling Menagerie as a wagoner and animal handler in 1838. He then became the menagerie's agent, obtaining
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gives a satirical account of a marriage ceremony conducted in the lions' cage at Boston & Wombwell's
Menagerie while it was based in New City Road,
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Bostock was born on 10 September 1866, the seventh child of James
William Bostock (1814-1878) and his wife Emma Wombwell (1834-1904, granddaughter of
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on 14 October. A unique tombstone featuring a sculpture of reclining lion was added the following year. The tomb echo the design of
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Wombwell). When James died in 1878, Emma continued as manager and owner of the show. Bostock's older brother,
316:"Frank Bostock's Biography - Projects - National Fairground and Circus Archive - the University of Sheffield"
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168:. At the time of Bostock's death he owned over 1000 animals and owned amusement parks in Europe, America,
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Munro, Neil, "A Menagerie
Marriage", in Osborne, Brian D. & Armstrong, Ronald (eds.) (2002),
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In 1887, Bostock married
Susannah Ethel Bailey (1864-1929). They had six daughters and one son.
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in 1847 and 1854. His parents had married in 1852 when James was 38 and Emma was 18.
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346:"The menagerist's memorial: The story behind Abney Park's marble lion"
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On 12 April 1901, Bostock was seriously injured by Rajah, his
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The grave of Frank C. Bostock, Abney Park
Cemetery, London
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78:Bostock set up his own show in 1889 and appears in
137:. In America he had encountered the new craze of
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385:"When a lion prowled the streets of Birmingham"
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133:. He toured the show in 1908, presented it in
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226:(1927); memoir by Edward Henry Bostock
367:"Frank Charles Bostock (1866 - 1912)"
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412:"The Animals of Highgate Cemetery"
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224:Menageries, Circuses and Theatres
188:In literature and popular culture
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266:"James Bostock (1814 - 1878)"
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127:Bostock's Arena and Jungle
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202:Glasgow Evening News
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350:Flickeringlamps.com
154:Abney Park Cemetery
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487:Burials in England
111:Theodore Roosevelt
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472:1912 deaths
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371:Bostock.net
300:1891 Census
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270:Bostock.net
146:Earls Court
131:Earls Court
461:Categories
422:2021-10-12
243:References
193:Neil Munro
123:Birmingham
174:Australia
135:Sheffield
389:BBC News
231:See also
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220:(1903)
180:Family
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
