Gilbert Eldred

From the list of elephant persons Family: Eldred

Gilbert Eldred
Profession	circus director
Personal details
Born	1813 in United States
Dead	1885-09-07 Sunderland in United Kingdom
Country	United States

Locations
Title	owner 1845-1856
Location	at Robinson and Eldred Circus in United States

Biography details

Gilbert Eldred , circus director in United States

Born 1813 in United States dead 1885-09-07 in United Kingdom .

Records about Gilbert Eldred from the Circus Historical Society
(1813-September 7, 1885) General performer—rider, clown, acrobat and horse trainer. Brother of Edward S. Eldred and Hiram Eldred.

Gilbert N. Eldred had broken into circus life as a clown in 1834, working for his brother, Edward S. Eldred, who was a proprietor from 1832 to 1836. By 1848 Gilbert had become an accomplished comic rider with all that implies in pratfalls and near-catastrophes. He began doing the ceiling walk that Richard Sands had pioneered in 1853 and was advertised in such an act through 1857. He may have purchased Sands’ equipment; there is no doubt that he used Sands’ advertising cuts.

Clown, Ludlow & Smith, 1841; Robinson & Foster, 1842-44. Partner of old John Robinson, beginning 1845. Eldred was a member of Robinson’s original circus, Robinson & Foster, from 1842 to 1845. In 1846 the two men framed the Robinson & Eldred combination.

Partnership came to an end in Richmond, VA, June 28, 1856, after 11 years together. The ultimately split caused ill feelings.

According to Gil Robinson, John’s second son, Eldred told Robinson at the time of their parting that in five years he (Eldred) would be the richest showman in the world and that Robinson wouldn’t have a cent. As it happened, Robinson went on to make a fortune, while Eldred lost his show. [Stuart Thayer: He “made up in willingness what he lacked in talent.”]

Between 1853-57, engaged in ceiling walking. Took out G. N. Eldred’s Great Rotunda Southern Circus and Menagerie, the proprietors or partial owners being Sands, Nathans & Co., 1858. This Group foreclosed on Eldred because he was unable to continue payment on menagerie animals Robinson & Eldred had leased in 1852. That year the show became one of the first American circuses to visit Mexico. Went to Europe, 1861, where he stayed for the remainder of his life, exhibiting trained horses, both in England and on the Continent until at least 1867.

Died in Sunderland, England, age 72, a poor man.

Reference list

References

Koehl, Dan, (2024). director Gilbert Eldred in United States. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 20 April 2024 at https://www.elephant.se/person.php?id=1703. (archived at the Wayback machine)

Sources used for this article is among others:

http://www.classic.circushistory.org/Olympians/OlympiansE.htm

Selected publications

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