Pablo Fanque

Pablo Fanque
Born
William Darby

(1810-03-30)30 March 1810
Norwich, England, United Kingdom
Died4 May 1871(1871-05-04) (aged 61)
Stockport, England
Occupation(s)Circus proprietor; equestrian performer
Years active1821−1869
Spouses
  • Susannah Marlaw
    ​
    (died 1848)​
  • Elizabeth Corker
    ​
    (m. 1848)​

Pablo Fanque (born William Darby; 30 March 1810 – 4 May 1871) was a British equestrian performer and circus proprietor, becoming the first recorded Black circus owner in Britain. His circus was popular in Victorian Britain for 30 years,[1][2][3] a period that is regarded as the golden age of the circus.[4]

Since the 1960s, Pablo Fanque has been best known for being mentioned in The Beatles song "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" on their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

  1. ^ "The essays in Black Victorians/Black Victoriana... - curate". Curate.tumblr.com. 22 February 2010. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  2. ^ "Picture Peep behind the scenes". Fairsarefun.net. 6 January 1990. Archived from the original on 21 August 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  3. ^ "The Hendersons Were Not There (and neither was Mr Kite)- Sheffield 1848". Chrishobbs.com. 28 March 1914. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  4. ^ "19th century Circus Peep behind the scenes". Fairsarefun.net. 6 January 1990. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2011.