Circus Joseph Ashton, formerly trading as Ashton's Circus, is the longest-surviving
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...
in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, pre-dating most others in the English-speaking world.
The circus was founded in
Hobart
Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...
,
Tasmania
Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
, in 1847
by Thomas Mollor, and acquired in February 1850 by
James Henry Ashton, a man schooled in the tradition of English circus and who had experienced the hard times of the nineteenth century. The circus operated as the Royal Amphitheatre or Royal Circus.
Ashton's at its height, had more than 180 personnel and 80 animals and thousands of dollars worth of equipment, and toured internationally in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea
When founder James Henry Ashton died in 1889, his son Fred, then aged 22, inherited the circus. The circus continued to be handed down throughout the family, and today it is run by the 6th generation of Ashtons, Michelle and Joseph and their sons, Jordan and Merrik. As Joseph had founded 'Circus Joseph Ashton' in 1998 prior to his grandfather's retirement in 2000, it was decided to apply this name to the family's main circus reflecting the current state of ownership and operations. The prior name of "Ashton's Circus" was therefore retired.
Circus Joseph Ashton travels mainly in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
and
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
.
The company employed
Tommy Hanlon Jr.
Tommy Hanlon Jr. (14 August 1923 – 11 October 2003) was an American-born actor, comedian, television host and circus ringmaster, notable for his career in Australia after emigrating there in 1959, where he became a Gold Logie-award-winni ...
, after his career in television
Other circuses and entertainment businesses run by other members of the Ashton family include Ashton Entertainment, Infamous the Show, Lorraine Ashton's Classic Circus,
and Circus Xsavia.
See also
*
List of circuses and circus owners
There have been many famous modern circuses since the first modern circus was staged by Philip Astley in London on January 9, 1768. Many are best known by the name of their principal owner. The following is a list of both circuses and their count ...
References
External links
*
*
*{{cite AV media , url=http://www.abc.net.au/dynasties/series3/ep03.htm , title=Ashtons Circus , publisher=
ABC TV , location=Australia , work=Dynasties , format=television broadcast , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013121443/http://abc.net.au/dynasties/series3/ep03.htm , archive-date=13 October 2007 , url-status=dead , df=dmy-all
The Penny Gaffwebsite on history of circus and travelling show people with a focus on Australia.
Ashton's Circus photographs State Library of Queensland
State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...
. Photographs of the August 1988 Ashton's Circus in
Brisbane, Queensland
Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
.
Australian companies established in 1847
Entertainment companies established in 1847
Australian circuses