Ashton's Circus, Beechworth, 1858

Drawing of Ashton's Circus in Clermont, 1873. Courtesy of the John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

 The large advertisement run in the Ovens and Murray Advertiser  called  the circus "Ashton's British and American Circus".    As it seems not to be the case that the circus came from  Britain or America, perhaps there were a few American personnel amongst the troupe. Or perhaps it was a reference to the American Negro style of entertainment which was part of the program.

The origins of the circus are a little cloudy, but in 1849 in Hobart a man named Thomas Mollor, the licensee of the Bath Hotel in Murray Street, advertised some circus acts associated with the Hotel.  Ashton was performing feats of daredevil riding in that entertainment.  Whether Mollor had a long background in circuses is not certain.  It seems possible that he was the convict of that name who arrived by the Mangles.

In early 1850 Mollor announced that he was leaving the country.  A new company was formed to take over the equestrian horses and circus equipment.  Interestingly this included not only James Ashton, but Mrs Ashton, who also performed with the circus.   In the early 1850s the circus was touring in Queensland and New South Wales, and by 1855 had arrived in Bendigo.  They had probably found the goldfields to be a lucrative source of customers, and in 1858 they had arrived at Beechworth.

LATEST EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE. (1854, May 6). Illustrated Sydney News (NSW : 1853 - 1872), p. 5. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63614282

Evidently there was a core group of circus performers, and local musicians were employed to fill in for the musical entertainment.  In the large advertisement taken out in the Advertiser on 6 April 1858, many familiar names were mentioned - Mr Zeplin on the harp; Billy Barlow was to give his 'opinions'; Mr Griffiths (sic) on the violin.  In addition to the locals were: Mr Faulkner on the banjo; Mr Ashton on the flautina; Mr Sams on the tamborine; Troy Knight on the bones; and Fritz Bimes as Leader of the Military Band;

And Mr Griffiths  as the "Leader of the Nigger Band".

Oh dear.  One can only hope he wasn't wearing blackface to really disgrace the family.

Advertising. (1858, April 6). Ovens and Murray Advertiser (Beechworth, Vic. : 1857 - 1918), p. 3.  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article113237500

"Minstrel" entertainment was extraordinarily popular at this time, and continued to be so for many decades.

The "Boston Serenaders" who appeared on the bill, may have been Minstrels, and constituted the main claim to being an American Circus.

The Robert O'Hara Burke Memorial Museum has in its collection a glass slide of Ashton's Circus entering Beechworth via Camp Street.   The street is strangely empty apart from a horse and cart keeping to the opposite side of the road.  The horse looks rather alarmed, and has a rider on its back case it took it into its head to bolt.  This photo is included in a book by Peter M Shea, called Champagne from Six to Six:  a short social history of entertainments and recreations at the Beechworth and Ovens' goldfields Victoria 1852-1877. (Durham, CT: Eloquent Books, 2010.)

Grand High Mass, Beechworth 1858

St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Beechworth.  Rose Stereograph, circa 1920-1954.  Courtesy of the State Library of Victoria Collection, No H32492/7238

Advertising. (1858, March 17). Ovens and Murray Advertiser (Beechworth, Vic. : 1855 - 1866; 1914 -1918), p. 3. Retrieved May 10, 2014, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article113237131


An eight-piece orchestra played at a Grand High Mass at St Patrick's Church, Beechworth, on St Patrick's Day in 1858.

Mr G Griffiths (sic) as the First Violin was the orchestra leader, accompanied by Mr Weichman on Second Violin; J P Hurley on Flute; W Radford on Viola; Mr Barlow on Cornet; Mr Jenkins on Sax Tuba; Mr Wright on Violincello; and Herr Esther on Double Bass.

This performance reveals that George has the capacity to play complex sacred music,



Mr Weichmann was most likely Heinrick Weichmann who had arrived in the Colony of South Australia in 1855.  The Austral Harmony website lists several peccadilloes of Weichman in later years, but in 1857 he announced his presence in Beechworth with two advertisements for a Grand Ball at the Freemason's Arms Hotel, High St Beechworth - one in English, and the second in German, an indication of the large numbers of German-speakers on the goldfields.

J P Hurley was a violinist and flautist, active in Beechworth since 1855, according to Austral Harmony.  Later on the same day, J P Hurley was the conductor of a larger orchestra which played for a Grand Ball held in the Mackay, Miller and Mackay's Store in Ford St, Beechworth. 


Mr Radford is most likely William Radford, whom Austral Harmony says was a musician, violinist and composer, active in Melbourne from 1853, and later traced in Beechworth (1855) and Bendigo (1855 and 1858)

Mr Barlow of course we have met before.

The identity of Mr Jenkins, sax tuba player, for the time being is shrouded in mystery, as is Mr Wright who played the violincello.

The last member of the orchestra was Herr Esther, who can be identified on Austral Harmony as Carl Esther, a double-bass player who arrived in Melbourne in 1855 with a German band and was active in Beechworth in 1857.  According to a news article from 1914, he went into partnership with Charles Keirath and opened a green grocery business in Beechworth, also taking engagements as musicians.