1870 adoptions?

Grizel said:
Could it be Performing Dogs?
They seem to feature in many of the newspaper adverts.
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Now that you say that, it is clearly ‘dogs’ when you look properly.
I found a bit about him last night, have no idea where, that he had two performing dogs that would perform up and down ramps and such. He could also walk a ball up and down a ramp. Another I found is that he was a simian performer, imitating the movements of monkeys.
 
It certainly could be "Dogs". The problem I've got with this is that there are no dogs in the picture. It's not a dog picture. Why label a non-dog picture "Dogs"? In fact, at that time it would have been almost impossible to take a photo of a dog because the exposure times were so long. They are alert and move around. But I agree in terms of letters that look like those blurry images then yes, "Dogs" would fit. This looks like a very carefully lit and exposed studio shot to me. It's quite big too by modern snap-shot standards, taken for friends maybe? or for his own personal records?

For what it's worth there are 3 references to performing dog acts in the book "The Acrobat : Arthur Barnes and the Victorian Circus" -
1)...and Mr. A. Henry will introduce his performing dogs” (Glasgow Herald, April 2nd, 1859)...
2)...Mr. William Tanner and his performing dogs...
3)...Mons. Rochez and his performing dogs... (Mons = Monsieur)
 
More evidence in the book "The Acrobat : Arthur Barnes and the Victorian Circus" that Edward Barnes Crichton had connections of some kind with circus people and also Arthur Barnes, the worlds greates vaulter. The book quotes a report from the Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle 26/10/1861 about a new music hall in Portsmouth which was planning to present on 28/10/1861 Mr Arthur Barnes "late of the Emperor of Russia’s Circus, St Petersburg". As Sis kindly pointed out Edward's third child Amy was born in St Petersburg in Jan 1860, Alexander having been born there earlier in 1857.

The book says that Arthur Barns used the stage name Barnes, note the extra 'e', very confusing, and this undermines the idea that there might have been a family connection with Edward. The book mentions that "Arthur Barnes" (note the 'e') and "Edward Barnes Crichton" were both trustees in Harry Connor's first will, later removed. Connor was a somersaulter.

Later in the book some international circuses are named when Arthur is described as "late of the Emperor of Russia’s Cirque, St. Petersburg" and of "Cirque Napoleon, Paris". Paris is where Edward's child Harriett was born. There seem to be A LOT of coincidences involving Edward, circus people and established international circuses.

It's possible that Edward's son, Alexander, was named after the Russian emperor, Alexander II, who reigned from 02/03/1855 to 13/03/1881
 
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Edward's father John Edward Creighton eating house keeper of 62 Bath St City Rd, formerly of Brick Lane was in the Debtors Prison for London and Middlesex waiting to go before the courts for insolvency in 1842. I don't know what happened to him but it must have been a difficult time for all the family.

I also noticed that Arthur Barnes described himself as an artist and retired artist on travel and census details. Was Edward a similar sort of artist at the time of marriage as described on his cert? Circus and theatre was so popular then and I can imagine young men joining them the way they join rock bands today.

Another thought. I wonder if Edward added the Barnes to his name to create a new persona for himself? Seems no sign of it in his father's name. Maybe to avoid the stigma of bankruptcy? Or maybe a stage name?
 
burt said:
He is married (to Sarah Elizabeth Farmery) in 1822 May 26...
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That certificate is in fantastic condition. Assuming John Creighton was being accurate when he gave his age as 35 in the 1841 census then he would have been born in 1806 making him 16 at the time he married Sarah Elizabeth, who would have been 21.
 
eric kingsley said:
That certificate is in fantastic condition. Assuming John Creighton was being accurate when he gave his age as 35 in the 1841 census then he would have been born in 1806 making him 16 at the time he married Sarah Elizabeth, who would have been 21.
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Remember - ages were rounded down to the nearest 5 years in the 1841 census, so he could have been born any time between 1802 and 1806. ;)
 
Grizel said:
...Was Edward a similar sort of artist at the time of marriage as described on his cert?...
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He describes himself as a "wine merchant" in the 1875 Free Mason membership record, but he is 48 by then. My barber's cousin (the source of the original story!) believed the Harlequin photo was of Edward and that he was a contortionist of international repute. That was all he had though. Nothing else, just the photo. I'm resisting this until I can find some evidence of him being a performer. I think he was involved in some more peripheral way with the circus industry rather than being "the talent". A lot of food and drink gets consumed at the circus, I'm guessing it was the same in the 1850/60s, maybe he was involved with that. I could be completely wrong of course.
 
Brancaster, Norfolk
1801 Feb 13 CRYTON John Edward s John & Elizabeth late Barnes spinster
born Feb 3 [all the entries are written with the wife as late maiden name
spinster!]

Finsbury St Luke
1799 Sep 25 John CRICHTON wid otp & Elizabeth BARNES X spin otp banns
witnesses, one difficult to read, another (Tracy?) Anne or Anna Barnes &
Anne Bardwell
 
I'm trying to figure out what Edward was doing before he took over the Prince George in Parkholme Road. Pubwiki has him as landlord first in 1874 (age 47). In the 1871 census he's living at 94 Shrubland Grove (been renamed), with no recorded occupation. I found Shrubland Grove on a map from 1868 here
Code: 
http://london1868.com/weller21b.htm
It's just south of Richmond Road and west of London Fields. This would have been a very nice area, it's still fairly middle class. Shrubland Grove is now called Mapledene Road. The houses round here are large and quite elegant. It's very close to Parkholme Road and the Prince George. On the old map Parkholme Road is called Park Road. This was interesting but it didn't get me very far.

He doesn't appear on the 1861 census probably because he is still in mainland Europe. Agnes Crichton had Amy in St Petersburg in 1860, then Harriett in Paris in 1862, then (little) Agnes in Hackney in 1864. So, he's home by 1864. Maybe he's just living on his savings or investments but it's 10 years before he takes over as landlord at the Prince George. I'll check the book to see what Arthur Barnes was doing in 1864 to 1874.
 
After some thought, I don’t think the word after ‘performing’ is dogs. I think it’s the gymnastic move he is performing. It looks to start with ‘z’ but so far I haven’t found anything. Any gymnasts out there?
 
In 1911 son Alexander Crichton, as Crickton is an Admiral, married but at the time with his mother Agnes, independent and sister Harriet who is described as ‘domesticated’ :D
 
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