Randolph Osborne Douglas (31 March 1895 – 5 December 1956) was a British

silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exactly synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product may vary great ...

, artist and amateur

escapologist Escapology is the practice of escaping from restraints or other traps. Escapologists (also classified as escape artists) escape from handcuffs, straitjackets, cages, coffins, steel boxes, barrels, bags, burning buildings, fish-tanks, and ot ...

, who worked under the stage name 'The Great Randini'. Douglas is said to have devised tricks for

Harry Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

. He later created a museum of curios in Castleton in Derbyshire.

Biography

Douglas was born in 1895 and raised in Endcliffe near

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

. He purchased locks and a

straitjacket A straitjacket is a garment shaped like a jacket with long sleeves that surpass the tips of the wearer's fingers. Its most typical use is restraining people who may cause harm to themselves or others. Once the wearer slides their arms into the ...

as a boy to emulate Houdini's work. Douglas had first seen the escapologist and magician at the Sheffield Empire Theatre and they first met whilst Douglas was still a teenager. Letters from their frequent correspondence via The Magic Circle in London kept among Douglas's belongings at the Buxton Museum, show that Douglas had many ideas for new illusions and novel stage designs. Houdini's biographer William Kalush wrote in 2006 that Douglas' upside-down escape idea ''changed the course of magic's history''. The novel escape strategy might involve building on Houdini's well-known escape from a straitjacket. A sizable crowd gathered to watch this performance outside. The idea was born on one of Houdini's visits to the Douglas family home when he was playing The Empire Theatre in

. According to Douglas's stepmother, Douglas demonstrated the idea of being suspended upside down in locks, chains and a straitjacket. Douglas, who had been an amateur locksmith, showed how to free oneself from the restraints. His stepmother said "Due to ill health, made worse by soldier training during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Randolph's escapologist dreams were cut short. He was discharged from the army unfit for duty and began concentrating on making amazing miniature models and locks, including a padlock made from bullet cases and his army cap badge." Douglas collected mineral specimens, native spears and locksmith paraphernalia and then moved south to the Derbyshire village of Castleton. Here he turned half of a cottage into a home for himself and his wife Hetty (Harriet, née Bown, whom he had married in 1926). The remaining half of the cottage was a showcase for his collection. ''The Douglas Museum - House of Wonders'' opened at Easter 1926 and visitors were shown around by torchlight for a small fee. Randolph also created tiny models which were on display there. These included the

Lord's prayer The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...

written on thread that would pass through the eye of a needle, a working motor that would fit under a thimble, and a greenhouse, complete with potted plants, that would fit on a thumbnail. Other items on show were his locks, some locks given to Randolph by Houdini, and also a photograph of himself and Houdini standing side by side outside the Empire Theatre in Sheffield in 1920. After Randolph's death in 1956, the museum was run by Hetty until her own death in 1978. The collection is now looked after by

Buxton Museum and Art Gallery __NOTOC__ Buxton Museum and Art Gallery focuses its collection on history, geology and archaeology primarily from the Peak District and Derbyshire. The museum is located at Terrace Road, Buxton, England. The museum opens Tuesday to Saturday al ...

, in Derbyshire, and is often brought out for display. The Randolph collection of locks and keys have been selected by Buxton Museum as their contribution to the BBC's

A History of the World in 100 Objects ''A History of the World in 100 Objects'' was a joint project of BBC Radio 4 and the British Museum, consisting of a 100-part radio series written and presented by British Museum director Neil MacGregor. In 15-minute presentations broadcast on ...

.Douglas's locks
bbc.co.uk. accessed January 2011

References

External links

*http://www.thestar.co.uk/offtheshelf/Randini-Sheffield-man-behind-escapologist.5721977.jp *http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/features/The-poet-who-helped-a.4376172.jp *https://web.archive.org/web/20120315142707/http://www.forteantimes.com/reviews/books/4051/randini_the_man_who_helped_houdini.html *http://douglashistory.co.uk/history/randolphdouglas.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Randolph Osborne Escapologists 1895 births 1956 deaths People from Sheffield People from Castleton, Derbyshire