1870 adoptions?

I have found Arthur Barns/Barnes on 1871, 1891 and 1901. 1871 he is owner of houses with wife Alexine born Denmark. 1891, retired artist with wife Catherine, no occupation on FS, 1901 retired artist with wife Catherine. All have a daughter Annie or Ann and son Arthur, daughter Alexine on both 1891 and 1901.
 
burt said:
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!]
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for a short time in Norfolk a more detailed recording of baptisms was followed including the mother's maiden name. It isn't saying that the parents were unmarried though it might look that way. An even more detailed form of recording baptisms was followed in County Durham, which included the mother's father, and the number of the child e.g. 6th child of x and y
 
eric kingsley said:
...I'll check the book...
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Right, Arthur Barnes (born 1828) retired in 1866 (aged 38) and became a landlord in Birmingham. Edward Barnes Crichton appears to have stopped travelling and returned to the UK in 1864. Harry Connor, who named Edward as a trustee in his will (for a while) was born in Dublin in 1821, worked most of his life in England and died in Essex in 1887 aged 66. I think it's safe to assume that Connor retired a few years befor Barnes because he was older, but I don't know.

Barnes and Connor were both champion somersaulters and were variously professional partners and friends over the years. It's clear from the book that there was no need at all for Edward to travel overseas if his livelihood (whatever it was) relied on circuses/performers. There was a LOT of circus/pantomime activity in England throughout the 1850/60s and it was very popular. Celebrities like Barnes & Connor did travel abroad a but there was money to be made here so I think their attitude might have been "Why bother?" although there was some kudos to be earned by association with international circuses. Barnes had been all over Europe and the US.

I'm discounting the idea that Edward was a contortionist (at the moment) because nobody can find a reference to it and I think the photo was of someone else who Edward might have known. Maybe he just got to know the English circus people in foreign parts as compatriots, because he went to the circus, while he was doing his job (whatever it was). Connor obviously knew him and trusted him.

The book mentions another book, "A History Of The Circus" by George Speaight which seems to be THE book about err.. the history of the circus. Very interesting if you're interested in that sort of thing. I'll see if I can access it but I'm doubtful that Edward Barnes Crichton's name will appear.
 
Archie's Mum said:
Is Edward, Arthur Barnes? :sceptical: :nailbiting: After all, he does describe himself as an artist. Performers are artists.
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I think Barnes identity as Arthur Barns (no 'e') is well established, however, after people were identifying the name Edwin Edwards on the photo mount AnnB found some quotes concerning the clown Edwin Edwards. Wild idea, what about if Edward B Crichton was a performer whose stage name was Edwin Edwards, and that's why Edward retained the photo and why it has his name on it. Just a thought. One of the references AnnB found in the Morning Post mentioned that Edwin Edwards had spent 12 years on the Continent.

If they left immediately after his marriage in Jan 1852 and they returned to the UK just before the performance AnnB located in Dec 1863 then that's 11 years, only 1 year out. How does this sound? Nuts?
 
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No. Not a wild idea at all. It did pass my mind when I mentioned that Arthur was Edward but Edwin Edwards actually was Edward Crichton makes sense.
Particularly as Edward Crichton describes himself as a artist and we can find no proof of that under that name. The name Edwin Edwards sounds a bit like a stage name.
 
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Certainly possible! Edwin Edwards is a bit of an enigma. Appears regularly in newspaper theatre adverts and reviews from 1851 until early 1853. Then reappears performing in Spain (from Paris) in 1863 then back in England late 1863. Mentioned in early1864 then a one off performance in 1866.
Then he disappears, no death or personal details mentioned in the papers that I have seen. Ann may be able to find further mentions! No biography online either (so far).
It could be worth looking carefully at the marriage cert (where his occupation is artist) for other clues - witnesses, address etc
Also daughter Agnes's 1864 birth cert should give an occupation.
 
Grizel said:
...Then he disappears, no death or personal details mentioned in the papers that I have seen...
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I suppose that would be consistent with him not being an actual person. There should be no birth, marriage, census records or death. Sadly that wouldn't prove that the stage persona was Edward B Crichton's stage persona but it is suggestive and given that the Morning Post article says he was on "the Continent" for roughly the same period that Edward seems to have been out of the UK it's looking like a definite possibility.
 
MollyMay said:
If you have access to the newspapers on FMP...
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Sadly not, but I'll have to re-subscribe if I'm going to pursue this hobby. It seems to be invaluable.

I've asked the Richard Avedon Foundation if someone is prepared to go and get the photo out of the vaults and tell me what the text is on the bottom left. I'll be AMAZED if I get a positive reply, but you never know. They might have auctioned them all off. They're not actually "his work". I suppose they'd be classed as his possessions. I'll report back if anything turns up.

I certainly can't find any obvious references to an Edwin Edwards on Ancestry that might have been a circus performer. The ones who are around seem to have had very practical occupations. It's an annoyingly common name, there are plenty of them.
 
To clarify my thinking - there are many Edwin Edwards bmd records which could of course be him, but no mention in newspapers etc of the death of Edwin Edwards the clown.
 
If Edwin is actually Edward Crichton then it’s more than a possibilty that he was related to Arthur Barnes, taking into consideration they share the Barnes name and their art.
 
Archie's Mum said:
If Edwin is actually Edward Crichton then it’s more than a possibilty that he was related to Arthur Barnes, taking into consideration they share the Barnes name and their art.
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It's tempting to think this but the book, "The Acrobat : Arthur Barnes and the Victorian Circus", tends to rule this out. The author says that "Barnes" was Arthur's stage name and "Barns" was his real name. He says that Arthur thought that seeing his name "BARNS" in huge letters was off-putting. Maybe it made him think of farm buildings. Anyway, he changed it by adding an 'e'. So if Edward was named after his family he would have been Edward Barns Crichton, if you see what I mean. That's not to say that they couldn't have been related though. Maybe they were.
 
Grizel said:
...Also daughter Agnes's 1864 birth cert should give an occupation...
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That's a very good idea. He described himself as an "Artist" on the marriage certificate in 1852, if he uses the term again in 1864, 12 years later, then I think it indicates that he meant performing artist rather than visual artist. There's no indication at all that he produced visual art, at least nothing that can be found, and he certainly had associations with circus people. I can leave this as an option for my barber to pursue if he wants to confirm the idea.

It's a shame that there doesn't seem to be a UK article that makes it clear that Edwin Edwards was Edward B Crichton. I've still got to have another look round his pub when it's quiet. I'm grateful for people's suggestions, I don't think I'd have got anywhere much without them, I'll leave this investigation at this point and report back to my barber. Finding direct traces of someone living & working in other non-English speaking countries and under a stage name is quite a puzzle, if there's a newspaper archive in St Petersburg I bet Edwin Edwards is in it somewhere. Since the thread will stay open I can always add a note if the Richard Avedon Foundation ever replies. Edward could have been in Russia in 1861 when Tsar Alexander II abolished serfdom, very historic! Dasvidaniya!!
 
I have tried everything I can think of to try and find something in a newspaper which would make any sort of link between Edwin Edwards and Edward Barnes Crichton, but have had no luck whatsover :(
 
This is such an interesting thread :)

Edwin Edwards worked a lot in Astley's theatre in London - I have just spent a while reading up about it, some facinating details out there (doesn't get us any further forward on Edwin Edwards though:()
 
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