Jean Pierre Ginnett ( Ginet; 6 August 1798 – January 1861) was a French-born circus proprietor working in Britain, who founded the Ginnett circus dynasty.

Biography

He was born in

Solaize Solaize (; frp, Celuése) is a Communes of France, commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in eastern France. See also *Communes of the Metropolis of Lyon References

Communes of Lyon Metro ...

, France. According to family tradition, he and other members of the family fought in the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

in 1815, and were captured. As

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

, they were shipped to England and later released. Ginnett remained in England, and set up a show with performing ponies and canaries at

Ludgate Circus Ludgate Circus is a road junction in the City of London where Farringdon Street/New Bridge Street (the A201) crosses Fleet Street/Ludgate Hill. (Ludgate Hill is a gentle rise to St Paul's Cathedral.) Fleet Street was the only direct road betwe ...

in London.Circus Ginnett: Our History, ''CircusGinnett.com''
Retrieved 11 January 2023Ginnett's Circus, ''Shakespeare Birthplace Trust''
Retrieved 11 January 2023 He also worked as a horse breeder, probably in association with equestrian performer

Andrew Ducrow Andrew Ducrow (1793–1842) was a British circus performer, often called "Colossus of equestrians". He was the originator of horsemanship acts and proprietor of Astley's Amphitheatre and remains one of the few giants of equestrian drama whose na ...

. In 1825, he married Ann Partridge of Leigh-on-Sea, in London. He founded Ginnett's Circus in Nottingham in 1841. By 1858, Ginnett's touring operation was billed as "a mammoth circus & matchless troupe of equestrians

ith a The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediat ...

stud of 70 blood horses and fairy ponies." The show included re-enactments of

Dick Turpin Richard Turpin (bapt. 21 September 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ear ...

's ride to York, and of the storming of Delhi, together with clowns. Jean Pierre Ginnett died in London in 1861 and is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.

Later developments

His son, John Frederick Ginnett (1825 in London – 1892) and three grandsons Claude (b.

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, 1857–1911), Frederick Emile (b. Sheffield, 1859–1924) and Albert (b. Southampton, 1864–1894) followed him in developing the circus. His daughter was the equestrian circus performer Marie Macarte and his granddaughters the high-wire and strongwoman act the Macarte Sisters. In 1876, the Ginnetts' first permanent circus building was opened at Park Crescent Place in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

; it later became the Gaiety Theatre before being demolished in about 1930. In the 1890s, the

Brighton Hippodrome Brighton Hippodrome is an entertainment venue in the ancient centre of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It has been empty and out of use since 2007, when its use as a Bingo (Commonwealth), bingo hall ceased. From its const ...

was built to commemorate the

golden jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...

of the founding of the circus. John Frederick Ginnett is buried in the family vault in Woodvale Cemetery and Crematorium in Brighton.Monument to John Frederick Ginnett (horse statue), ''Brighton Toy Museum''
Retrieved 11 January 2023 The circus itself operated until the 1930s, and was later revived by family members.

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20060616102509/http://users.nwon.com/pauline/Duffy.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20050911125933/http://users.nwon.com/pauline/1871.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Ginnett Circus owners Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery 1861 deaths Year of birth unknown French prisoners of war in the Napoleonic Wars French expatriates in England 1798 births 19th-century British businesspeople