For info - I got access to "The Victorian Clown", the book
that Grizel found. It makes 3 references to Edward Edwards as she said. The book is built around the memoirs of James Frowde (1831-99) and the gagbook of Thomas Lawrence, who worked in the 1860s/70s. The references to Edwards are all in the Frowde memoirs.
Frowde refers to the clown only as "Edwards" and never uses a first name. The first reference is from April 1851, Halifax. We have ECB still in the UK at this time. Frowde simply says that the clown "Edwards" made "a name at the Olympic" (Astley's Olympic Theatre, London) and that he had "some very clever performing dogs". A footnote from the authors names the clown as "Edward Edwards" and gives a further reference to "JT VA2". This is John Turner's "Victorian Arena: The Performers. A Dictionary of British Circus Biography - Part 2. My conclusion is that the authors looked up likely clowns called "Edwards" in JT VA2 and decided that "Edward Edwards" was a the performer in question. Why not Edwin Edwards? I have no idea.
The second reference to "Edwards" is from 1855, Cheltenham. Frowde says "Edwards and the tumbling clowns, became stereotyped." Assuming there is no earlier usage of "stereotyped" I think he means "they got boring". A footnote mentions the "Cheltenham Looker-On" (CL-O, a local paper). From the BNA the CL-O does indeed mention Hengler's Circus in Dec 1855 and Jan 1856 working locally. This could fit with our narrative for ECB because as MollyMay noted ECB had returned to the UK, probably because his brother George was dying, and to get baptised, at the end of 1855.
The third reference is again to Xmas 1855 and a pantomime which "...the popular Olympic clown had superintended...". A footnote expands on this. It refers again to reports in the CL-O which names the panto as "Bold Robin Hood". The authors say "The popular Olympic clown is Mons. Edouard, of the advertisements, Edward Edwards, who joined them at Halifax in 1851 and rejoined in Cheltenham, December 1856...".
The December 1856 date makes another hole in the period of time we thought EBC spent on the Continent.
I searched the BNA for signs of Mons Edouard or Edward Edwards in 1855 and 1856. I think the December 1856 date is a typo as there are no reports of the circus in Cheltenham at that time. Following are the search results (NB. ...playing the violin whilst performing somersaults on the tight rope...!!!)
Saturday 08 December 1855
"...Hengler's Cirque Cheltenham. THE GRAND GALA OF THE SEASON! MONDAY, DECMBER the 10TH, First Night of the great Shakesperian Spectacle, THE BATTLE OF BOSWORTH FIELD. KING RICHARD III., MR JOHN MILTON HENGLER. FIRST APPEARANCE OF MONS. EDOUARD, MR. HENGLER'S OVERTURE on the VIOLIN whilst performing Somersaults on the Tight Rope. BEING FOR THE BENEFIT OF JOHN MILTON HENGLER. No discharge of Firearms on the above evening. Stalls, 3s ; etc etc ..."
Saturday 29 December 1855
"...Hengler's Cirque Cheltenham. The Last Three Nights!!! Monday evening for the benefit of Herr Hengler, the King of Rope Dancers. On this occasion, JOHN M. HENGLER will appear, in conjunction with his Brother, on the Tight Rope, concluding with BOLD ROBIN HOOD AND THE FAIRY PRINCESS OF SHERWOOD FOREST, FOR THIS NIGHT ONLY, THE LADIES OF THE STAG HUNT WILL APPEAR. A HOST OF TALENT!! Stalls, 3s ; etc etc..."
Saturday 05 January 1856
"...Hengler's Circus has been crowded every evening during the past week by parties anxious to see the Pantomime of Bold Robin Hood, which, as a whole has been very creditably performed. The Harlequin, Columbine, and Clown were personified by Mr. Samwell, Mrs Beacham and Mons. Edouard, all of whom played the parts allotted to them exceedingly well, especially the latter...etc etc..."
These references raised more questions about EBC's stage names. It would be worth looking through John Turner's "Victorian Arena" dictionary, but that would require visiting the University of Sheffield, National Fairground and Circus Archive which holds John Turner's works. The dictionary seems to be long out of print. If Edward Edwards was EBC then the authors certainly think that Edward was also Mons. Edouard. Yet another stage name.