154-638: Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890) was an English man known for his severe physical deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "The Elephant Man ", and then went to live at the London Hospital , in Whitechapel , after meeting Sir Frederick Treves , subsequently becoming well known in London society. Merrick was born in Leicester and began to develop abnormally before
308-561: A sideshow act), as have attention-getting physical performers such as fire-eating and sword-swallowing acts. Since at latest the medieval period , deformed people have often been treated as objects of interest and entertainment, and crowds have flocked to see them exhibited. A famous early modern example was the exhibition at the court of King Charles I of Lazarus and Joannes Baptista Colloredo , two conjoined brothers born in Genoa, Italy . While Lazarus appeared to be otherwise ordinary,
462-643: A "family of midgets " which in reality was composed of two men and a borrowed baby. He operated a number of shops in London and Nottingham , and exhibited travelling shows throughout the country. Most famously, in 1884, Norman came into contact with Joseph Merrick , sometimes called "the Elephant Man", a young man from Leicester with extreme deformities. Merrick arrived in London and into Norman's care. Norman, initially shocked by Merrick's appearance and reluctant to display him, nonetheless exhibited him at his penny gaff shop at 123 Whitechapel Road , directly across
616-437: A 12- to 14-hour day. Changing attitudes about physical differences led to the decline of the freak show as a form of entertainment towards the end of the 19th century. As previously mysterious anomalies were scientifically explained as genetic mutations or diseases , freaks became the objects of sympathy rather than fear or disdain. Laws were passed restricting freak shows for these reasons. For example, Michigan law forbids
770-413: A band that performed outside. Barnum's American Museum also offered multiple attractions that not only entertained but tried to educate and uplift its working-class visitors. Barnum offered one ticket that guaranteed admission to his lectures, theatrical performances, an animal menagerie, and a glimpse at curiosities both living and dead. One of Barnum's exhibits centered around Charles Sherwood Stratton,
924-426: A band. Bands typically were made up of Black musicians, blackface minstrel bands, and troupes of dancers dressed as Hawaiians . These entertainers were used to attract crowds and provide a festive atmosphere inside the show tent. By the 1920s, the circus was declining as a major form of amusement due to competition from amusement parks, movie houses and burlesque tours, and the rise of the radio. Circuses also saw
1078-469: A basket weaver to go to his rooms and teach him the craft. Other people of high society did visit him, however, bringing gifts of photographs and books. He reciprocated with letters and handmade gifts of card models and baskets. Merrick enjoyed these visits and became confident enough to converse with people who passed his windows. A young man, Charles Taylor, the son of the engineer responsible for modifying Merrick's rooms, spent time with him, sometimes playing
1232-437: A big part in the decline of the freak show, the rise of disability rights was a larger cause of decline. Many now viewed freak shows as wrong and profiting from others' misfortune. Though paid well, the freaks of the 19th century did not always enjoy quality of life. Frank Lentini , the three-legged man, was quoted saying, "My limb does not bother me as much as the curious, critical gaze." The exhibition of human oddities has
1386-414: A broken neck". Norman decorated the shop with posters that Hitchcock had produced, depicting a monstrous half-man, half-elephant. A pamphlet was created, titled "The Autobiography of Joseph Carey Merrick", giving an outline of Merrick's life to date. This brief biography, whether written by Merrick or not, provided a generally accurate account of his life. It did contain an incorrect date of birth, but Merrick
1540-593: A burial; instead, almost all sections of his body were preserved for study, both skeleton and soft tissue. Treves dissected the body and took plaster casts of Merrick's head and limbs. He took skin samples and mounted the skeleton; the skin samples were later lost during the Second World War , but the skeleton is included in the pathology collection of the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, which merged with
1694-568: A certificate, or using or possessing a false certificate. Certificates contain the seal of the General Register Office and show an abridged version of the Royal Coat of Arms. A project, called DoVE (Digitisation of Vital Events), to digitise the GRO's records of birth, marriage and death was initiated in 2005. Implementation of the project was outsourced to Siemens IT Solutions and Services in
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#17328548239401848-512: A clergy person detailing the marriages that had taken place, or else that no marriages had taken place, in the preceding three months, be submitted directly to the superintendent registrar. The Marriage Act 1836 ( 6 & 7 Will. 4 . c. 85) also permitted marriages by licence to take place in approved churches, chapels and nonconformist meeting houses, other than those of the Church of England. Marriages were only legally binding if they were notified to
2002-412: A close relationship with his mother. She was a Sunday school teacher, and his father worked as an engine driver at a cotton factory, as well as running a haberdashery business. Mary Jane Merrick died from bronchopneumonia on 29 May 1873, two and a half years after the death of her youngest son William. Joseph Rockley Merrick moved with his two surviving children to live with Mrs. Emma Wood Antill,
2156-506: A condition linked to intellectual disabilities and characterized by a very small, pointed head and small overall structure, were considered or characterized as "missing links" or as atavistic specimens of an extinct race. Hypopituitary dwarfs who tend to be well proportioned were advertised as lofty. Achondroplastic dwarfs, whose head and limbs tend to be out of proportion to their trunks, were characterized as exotic mode. Those who were armless, legless, or limbless were also characterized in
2310-512: A drunk who cruelly exploited Merrick. Norman counteracted these claims in a letter in the World's Fair newspaper that year, as well as his own autobiography. Norman's opinion was that he provided Merrick (and his other exhibits) a way of making a living and remaining independent, but that on entering the London Hospital, Merrick remained a freak on display, only with no control over how or when he
2464-412: A duty on the persons who were supposed to register the death to do so. No specific penalty was imposed if they failed to do so, but if the registrar became aware of any deaths that had not been registered within the past year, then the registrar had a duty, and was empowered, to summon the negligent parties to the register office to get it registered. If the death had occurred more than a year previously, it
2618-480: A ferry for Dover , but was refused passage. He travelled to Antwerp , and was able to board a ship bound for Harwich in Essex. From there, he travelled by train to London and arrived at Liverpool Street station . Merrick reached London on 24 June 1886, safely back in his own country but with nowhere to go. He was not eligible to enter a workhouse in London for more than one night, and the only place that would accept him
2772-542: A group of managers for his new charge: music hall proprietor J. Ellis, travelling showman George Hitchcock, and fair owner Sam Roper. On 3 August 1884, Merrick departed the workhouse to start his new career. The showmen named Merrick the Elephant Man and advertised him as "Half-a-Man and Half-an-Elephant". They showed him around the East Midlands , including in Leicester and Nottingham , before moving him on to London for
2926-498: A large decline in audience during the Depression , as economic hard times and union demands made the circus less and less affordable and valuable. Freak shows were viewed as a normal part of American culture in the late 19th to the early 20th centuries. The shows were viewed as a suitable amusement for the middle class and were profitable for the showmen, who exploited freak show performers' disabilities for profit. Ugly laws in
3080-516: A letter to The Times , printed on 4 December 1886, outlining Merrick's case and asking readers for suggestions. The public response—in letters and donations—was significant, and the situation was even covered by the British Medical Journal . With the financial backing of the many donors, Gomm was able to make a convincing case to the committee for keeping Merrick in the hospital. It was decided that he would be allowed to stay there for
3234-462: A long history: The entertainment appeal of the traditional "freak shows" is arguably echoed in numerous programmes made for television. Extraordinary People on the British television channel Five and BodyShock show the lives of severely disabled or deformed people, and can be seen as the modern equivalent of circus freak shows. To cater to current cultural expectations of disability narratives,
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#17328548239403388-590: A meeting of the Pathological Society of London in Bloomsbury . Merrick eventually told Norman that he no longer wanted to be examined at the hospital. According to Norman, he said he was "stripped naked and felt like an animal in a cattle market". During this period in Victorian Britain, tastes were changing in regard to freak show exhibitions like Norman's, which were becoming a cause for public concern on
3542-483: A new project, called the Digitisation and Indexing (D&I) Project, was initiated. The D&I Project was planned to: complete the digitisation of birth, marriage and death records; create an online index to those records; and improve the certificate ordering process. In September 2010 this project was suspended pending the outcome of the latest UK Government Comprehensive Spending Review . The IPS expected to reach
3696-640: A number of other records in its Overseas Section. These indexes can be searched online at pay-per-view family history websites and at the National Archives . They generally contain similar information to the main GRO indexes and registers. The Regimental Registers, Chaplains' Returns, Consular Returns, Army Births, Marriages and Deaths and the War Deaths are some of the most significant. The civil registration records that pertain to British people in India and countries in
3850-513: A pay-per-view basis on several family history websites. A free, searchable, index can be consulted online via the official General Register Office website after signing up or via the FreeBMD website. FreeBMD is an ongoing project to transcribe the whole GRO Index. Other parts of the United Kingdom have their own indexing system. In addition to the registers already mentioned, the GRO has charge of
4004-446: A quarterly basis. The number of volumes depends on the number of people registered in each quarter. Thus there might be 10 volumes for some quarters: Vol.1 A-B, Vol.2 C-D, Vol.3 E-G and so on. From their inception, the alphabetical indexes give the surname, the forenames if registered, the registration district and the volume and the page on which the entry may be found. These details enable the appropriate record to be located. Before 1866,
4158-488: A result, in 1836, legislation was passed that ordered the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales. This took effect from 1 July 1837. A General Register Office was set up in London and the office of Registrar General was established. England and Wales were divided into 619 registration districts (623 from 1851), each under the supervision of a superintendent registrar . The districts were based on
4312-591: A schedule that included 10 to 15 shows a day, and was shuttled back and forth week after week from one museum to another. When a popular freak show performer came to a dime museum in New York, they were overworked and exploited to make the museum money. For example, when Fedor Jeftichew (known as "Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Boy") appeared at the Globe Museum in New York, his manager arranged to have him perform 23 shows during
4466-552: A shift in US-American culture that influenced people to see leisure activities as a necessary and beneficial equivalent to working, thus leading to the popularity of the freak show. The showmen and promoters exhibited all types of freaks. People who appeared non-white or who had a disability were often exhibited as unknown races and cultures. These "unknown" races and disabled whites were advertised as being undiscovered humans to attract viewers. For example, those with microcephaly ,
4620-424: A source by family historians to trace ancestry as well as being used for official purposes like applying for a passport. Birth certificates issued by the GRO are printed on a red form and contain the following information: Marriage certificates issued by the GRO are printed on a green form and give the following information: Death certificates issues by the GRO are printed on a black and purple form and give
4774-430: A standard form of entry for marriages, which had to be signed by both parties to the marriage and by witnesses. Additionally, except in the case of Jews and Quakers, legal marriages had to be carried out according to the rites of the Church of England. Sir George Rose 's Parochial Registers Act 1812 ( 52 Geo. 3 . c. 146) laid down that all events had to be entered on standard entries in bound volumes. It also declared that
Joseph Merrick - Misplaced Pages Continue
4928-452: A successful novelty. Nevertheless, he exhibited Merrick in the back of an empty shop on Whitechapel Road . Merrick slept on an iron bed with a curtain drawn around to afford him some privacy. Observing Merrick asleep one morning, Norman learnt that he always slept sitting up, with his legs drawn up and his head resting on his knees. His enlarged head was too heavy to allow him to sleep lying down and, as Merrick put it, he would risk "waking with
5082-400: A system (called EAGLE, for "Electronic Access to GRO Legacy Events") which is used within the GRO to fulfil requests for certificates from the general public. A different system, known as MAGPIE ("MultiAccess to GRO Public Index of Events"), was intended to make the indexes available to the public via a website, but this will not now be implemented. Instead, following a lengthy review of options,
5236-540: A three-year contract which expired at the end of July 2008. The process of scanning , digitising and indexing suffered severe delays, with only (roughly) half the records delivered by the end of the contract period. By mutual agreement between the IPS and Siemens, the contract was not extended. Digitisation of birth records up to 1934 and death records up to 1957 had been completed when the contract ended. The records that have been digitised – over 130 million of them – form part of
5390-411: A tour of the hospital, the royal party went to his rooms for an introduction. Princess Alexandra shook Merrick's hand and sat with him, an experience that left him overjoyed. She gave him a signed photograph of herself, which became a prized possession, and she sent him a Christmas card each year. On at least one occasion, Merrick was able to fulfill a long-held desire to visit the theatre. Treves, with
5544-510: A week, making more money than lecture-room variety performers. Freaks were seen to have profitable traits, with an opportunity to become celebrities obtaining fame and fortune. At the height of freak shows' popularity, they were one of the few jobs for dwarfs . Many scholars have argued that freak show performers were exploited by the showmen and managers for profit because of their disabilities. Many freaks were paid generously, but had to deal with museum managers who were often insensitive about
5698-553: A week. His wealth became so staggering that the New York Times wrote, "He wears very handsome diamond rings and other jewelry, valued altogether at about $ 3,000 [$ 94,699 in 2024 dollars] and usually goes armed to protect himself from persons who might attempt to rob him." Though Costentenus was fortunate, other freaks were not. Upon his death in 1891, he donated about half of his life earnings to other freaks who did not make as much money as he did. One of Barnum's most famous hoaxes
5852-422: A widow with children of her own. They married on 3 December 1874. I was taunted and sneered at so that I would not go home to my meals, and used to stay in the streets with a hungry belly rather than return for anything to eat, what few half-meals I did have, I was taunted with the remark—"That's more than you have earned." — The Autobiography of Joseph Carey Merrick Merrick left school aged 13, which
6006-409: A woman and it would help him feel normal. The doctor arranged for a friend of his named Mrs. Leila Maturin, "a young and pretty widow", to visit Merrick. She agreed and with fair warning about his appearance, she went to his rooms for an introduction. The meeting was short, as Merrick quickly became overcome with emotion. He later told Treves that Maturin had been the first woman ever to smile at him, and
6160-566: A year later, while travelling with Sam Roper's Fair. If that were the case, Treves was remembering the clothing from a later meeting with Merrick. On examining Merrick at the hospital, Treves observed that he was "shy, confused, not a little frightened, and evidently much cowed". At this point, Treves assumed him to be an " imbecile ". He measured Merrick's head circumference at the enlarged size of 36 inches (91 cm), his right wrist at 12 inches (30 cm) and one of his fingers at 5 inches (13 cm) in circumference. He noted that Merrick's skin
6314-499: A year. Barnum's American Museum was one of the most popular museums in New York City to exhibit freaks. In 1841 Barnum purchased The American Museum, which made freaks the major attraction, following mainstream America in the mid-19th century. Barnum was known to advertise aggressively and make up outlandish stories about his exhibits. The façade of the museum was decorated with bright banners showcasing his attractions and included
Joseph Merrick - Misplaced Pages Continue
6468-542: Is buried with his mother, aunts and uncles in Welford Road Cemetery in Leicester; Marion is buried with her father in Belgrave Cemetery in Leicester. Mary Jane's gravestone wrongly indicates that she had four children. It was originally understood that John Thomas Merrick (born 21 April 1864)—who died of smallpox on 24 July of the same year—was the fourth child of Joseph and Mary Jane Merrick, but
6622-521: The East Midlands , Merrick travelled to London to be exhibited in a penny gaff shop rented by showman Tom Norman . The shop was visited by surgeon Frederick Treves, who invited Merrick to be physically examined. Merrick was displayed by Treves at a meeting of the Pathological Society of London in 1884, after which Norman's shop was closed by the police. Merrick then joined Sam Roper's circus and then toured in Europe by an unknown manager. In Belgium, Merrick
6776-594: The GRO birth records indicate that he was in fact not related to them. A pamphlet titled "The Autobiography of Joseph Carey Merrick", produced c. 1884 to accompany his exhibition, states that he began to display anatomical signs at approximately five years of age, with "thick lumpy skin ... like that of an elephant, and almost the same colour". According to a 1930 article in the Illustrated Leicester Chronicle , he began to develop swellings on his lips at
6930-502: The civil registration of births (including stillbirths ), adoptions, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths in England and Wales and for those same events outside the UK if they involve a UK citizen and qualify to be registered in various miscellaneous registers. With a small number of historic exceptions involving military personnel, it does not deal with records of such events occurring within
7084-410: The "exhibition [of] any deformed human being or human monstrosity, except as used for scientific purposes". At the start of the 20th century, movies and television began to satisfy audiences' thirst for entertainment. People could see similar types of acts and abnormalities from the comfort of their own homes or a nice theater, and no longer needed to pay to see freaks. Though movies and television played
7238-486: The 1820s or 1830s, and his third wife Sarah Rockley. Mary Jane Potterton ( c. 1837 –1873), born at Evington in Leicestershire, was the daughter of William Potterton, who was described as an agricultural labourer in the 1851 census of Thurmaston, Leicestershire. As a young woman, worked as a domestic servant in Leicester before marrying Joseph Rockley Merrick, who at the time was a warehouseman, in 1861. Merrick
7392-487: The 1870s it was common to see freak shows at most circuses, eventually making the circus a hub for the display of human oddities. Most of the museums and sideshows that had traveled with major circuses were owned during most of 1876. By 1880 human phenomena were now combined with a variety of entertainment acts from the sideshows. By 1890 tent size and the number of sideshow attractions began to increase, with most sideshows in large circuses with twelve to fifteen exhibits plus
7546-438: The 1870s, dimes grew and grew, peaking in the 1880s and 1890s, available for all from coast to coast. With more dime museums than any place in the world, New York City was the dime museum capital, with an entertainment district that included German beer gardens , theaters, vendors, photography, studios, and a variety of other amusement institutions. Freak shows were the main attraction of most dime museums during 1870–1900, with
7700-539: The 19th century, although he was never its head, was William Farr . The GRO supplies copies of birth, marriage, civil partnership certificates and death certificates, either online or from one of the local register offices that act on behalf of the GRO. Prior to the creation of the General Register Office (GRO) in 1837, there was no national system of civil registration in England and Wales. Baptisms, marriages and burials were recorded in parish registers maintained by Church of England (Anglican) clergy. However, with
7854-617: The Births and Deaths Registration Act 1836 and the Marriage Act 1836 ( 6 & 7 Will. 4 . c. 85). In addition, the government wanted to survey matters such as infant mortality, fertility and literacy to bring about improvements in health and social welfare. The medical establishment advocated this because a rapidly growing population in the northern industrial towns – caused by the Industrial Revolution – had created severe overcrowding, and
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#17328548239408008-572: The British Government in 2004 and the GRO records these ceremonies through its civil registration system. A death was to be registered by someone who had been present at the death or during the final illness. If that was not possible, it could be registered by the owner of the building where the person died, or if the dead person was the owner, by some other occupier of the building. There were more complicated arrangements for eventualities such as unidentified bodies being found, and cases where there
8162-521: The British Government, which included relinquishing the registration role. In 2013, IPS was renamed HM Passport Office , while remaining an agency of the Home Office. From its beginnings in 1836, the General Register Office was based within the North Wing of Somerset House in London. There it remained until 1970 when it moved within London to St Catherine's House on Kingsway . For a short time after
8316-751: The Far East, formerly part of the British Empire , are found in the Oriental and India Office Collections of the British Library . Using the information obtained from the GRO Index it is possible to obtain a certificate online from the certificate ordering service. The GRO currently charge £12.50 for each certificate of birth, marriage or death, although a more expensive premium service is available for those who need copies of documents quickly. GRO certificates are used as
8470-549: The First World War the GRO was responsible for co-ordinating National Registration, which underpinned recruitment to the armed forces, the movement of workers into the munitions industries, and rationing. National Registration was not, however, continued after the war and the GRO was absorbed into the Ministry of Health in 1919. In 1970 the GRO became part of the newly created Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS), with
8624-462: The GRO death index specifies an age of death and from 1911 the birth index also specifies the maiden name of a child's mother. The GRO indexes are a major tool for persons tracing their family history, as well as those needing duplicate copies of their own birth or marriage certificates. The indexes can be viewed on microfiche at the National Archives , major libraries, county record officers, and LDS Family History Centres , and can also be searched on
8778-618: The Leicester Union Workhouse. One of 1,180 residents in the workhouse , Merrick was given a classification to determine his place of accommodation. The class system specified the department or ward in which a resident would reside, as well as the amounts of food received. Merrick was classified as Class One for able-bodied people. On 22 March 1880, only 12 weeks after entering the workhouse, Merrick signed himself out and spent two days looking for work. With no more success than before, he found himself with no option but to return to
8932-578: The Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital in 1995 to form the School of Medicine and Dentistry at London's Queen Mary University . Merrick's mounted skeleton is not on public display. His remains are kept in a glass case in a private room at the university, and can be viewed by medical students and professionals by appointment "[to] allow medical students to view and understand the physical deformities resulting from Joseph Merrick's condition." Although
9086-556: The Registrar General in overall charge. Until then it had had several statistical functions, including the conduct of population censuses and the production of annual population estimates; all these were moved elsewhere within the new organisation. The GRO then became a division within OPCS, headed by a Deputy Registrar General. Then in 1996 the OPCS, and therefore the GRO, became part of the newly created Office for National Statistics , and
9240-595: The United States, starting in the 1860s, banned those who were "diseased, maimed, mutilated, or in any way deformed" from public view—making it hard for such people to support themselves. Exhibitions, however, were specifically excepted. Although freak shows were viewed as a place for entertainment, they were also a place of employment for those who could advertise, manage, and perform in the attractions. In an era before social safety nets or worker's compensation , severely disabled people often found that exhibiting themselves
9394-438: The afternoon and would leave his rooms to walk in the small adjacent courtyard, after dark. As a result of Carr Gomm's letters to The Times , Merrick's case attracted the notice of London's high society. One person who took a keen interest was actress Madge Kendal . Although she probably never met him in person, she was responsible for raising funds and public sympathy for Merrick. She sent him photographs of herself and employed
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#17328548239409548-447: The age of 21 months, followed by a bony lump on his forehead and a loosening and roughening of the skin. As he grew, a noticeable difference between the size of his left and right arms appeared, and both his feet became significantly enlarged. The Merrick family explained his symptoms as the result of Mary Jane being knocked over and frightened by a fairground elephant while she was pregnant with him. The concept of maternal impression —that
9702-515: The age of five. His mother died when he was eleven, and his father soon remarried. Rejected by his father and stepmother, he left home and went to live with his uncle, Charles Merrick. In 1879, 17-year-old Merrick entered the Leicester Union Workhouse . In 1884, he contacted a showman named Sam Torr and proposed that he might be exhibited. Torr arranged for a group of men to manage Merrick, whom they named "the Elephant Man". After touring
9856-400: The assembled crowd into the shop, explaining that the Elephant Man was "not here to frighten you but to enlighten you". Pulling the curtain to one side, he allowed the onlookers—often visibly horrified—to observe Merrick up close, while describing the circumstances that had led to his present condition, including his mother's alleged incident with a fairground elephant. The Elephant Man exhibit
10010-586: The authorities there would be more lenient. His management was assumed by an unknown man (possibly named Ferrari) and they left for the continent. Merrick was no more successful in continental Europe than he had been in Britain, and similar action was taken by the authorities to move him out of their jurisdictions. In Brussels , Merrick was deserted by his new manager, who stole his £50 (equivalent to about £6,900 in 2023) savings. Abandoned and penniless, Merrick made his way by train to Ostend , where he attempted to board
10164-401: The birth certificate, if not married to the mother, without being physically present to sign the register. Clergy of the established Church of England are registrars for marriage. In each parish church two identical registers of marriages are kept and when they are complete, one is sent to the superintendent registrar. In the meantime, every three months it is required that a return certified by
10318-469: The church registers of Nonconformists were not admissible in court as evidence of births, marriages and deaths. Only those maintained by the clergy of the Church of England could be presented in court as legal documents, and this caused considerable hardship for Nonconformists. A number of proposals were presented to Parliament to set up centralised registries for recording vital events in the 1820s but none came to fruition. Eventually, increasing concern that
10472-458: The circus. The largest sideshow was attached to the most prestigious circus, Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey , known as the "big one". It was a symbol of the peak of the practice and its acceptance in American society. In the early 1800s, single human oddities started joining traveling circuses , but these shows were not organized into anything like typical sideshows until the midcentury. During
10626-403: The curio halls. Visitors were directed from platform to platform by a lecturer, whose role was to be the master of ceremonies. During his performance, the lecturer, also known as the "Professor", held the audience's attention by describing the freaks displayed on the various stages. The lecturer needed to have both charisma and persuasiveness in addition to a loud voice. His rhetorical style usually
10780-406: The dampening of public enthusiasm for freak shows and human oddities continued, the police and magistrates became increasingly vigilant in closing down shows. Merrick remained a horrifying spectacle for his viewers, but Roper grew nervous about the negative attention he was drawing from local authorities. Merrick's group of managers decided he should go on tour in continental Europe, with the hope that
10934-409: The days walking in the estate's woods, collecting wild flowers. He befriended a young farm labourer who later recalled Merrick as an interesting and well-educated man. Treves called this "the one supreme holiday of [Merrick's] life", although in fact there were three such trips. Merrick's condition gradually deteriorated during his four years at the London Hospital. He required a great deal of care from
11088-547: The death had been certified by a doctor or not. From 1875 the cause of death had to be certified by a doctor before the certificate could be issued. A death would normally be registered in the district in which it occurred. Once a death had been registered, the registrar would normally issue a Certificate for Burial or Cremation, unless the death were being investigated by the coroner or there were an inquest. The Births and Deaths Registration Act 1874 ( 37 & 38 Vict. c. 38) tried to ensure all deaths were registered, by placing
11242-533: The disabilities being created through makeup or effects. However, an article in The Guardian criticized the show, saying it perpetuated the term "freak" and the negative view of disability associated with it. General Register Office for England and Wales The General Register Office for England and Wales (GRO) is the section of the United Kingdom HM Passport Office responsible for
11396-493: The door to him, and they not only stared at him, but followed him out of curiosity. Merrick failed to make enough money as a hawker to support himself. On returning home one day in 1877, he was severely beaten by his father and he left home for good. Merrick was now homeless on the streets of Leicester. His uncle, a barber named Charles Merrick, on hearing of his nephew's situation, sought him out and offered him accommodation in his home. Merrick continued to hawk around Leicester for
11550-411: The dwarf billed as " General Tom Thumb " who was then 4 years of age but was stated to be 11. Charles had stopped growing after the first 6 months of his life, at which point he was 25 inches (64 cm) tall and weighed 15 pounds (6.8 kg). With heavy coaching and natural talent, the boy was taught to imitate people from Hercules to Napoleon . By 5, he was drinking wine, and by 7 smoking cigars for
11704-483: The emotional experiences of pregnant women could have lasting physical effects on their unborn children—was still common in 19th-century Britain. Merrick held this belief about the cause of his disability throughout his life. In addition to his deformities, Merrick fell and damaged his left hip at some point during his childhood. The injury site became infected and left him permanently disabled. Although limited by his physical deformities, Merrick attended school and enjoyed
11858-547: The entertainment. However, it was common for Barnum's acts to be schemes and not altogether true. Barnum was fully aware of the improper ethics behind his business as he said, "I don't believe in duping the public, but I believe in first attracting and then pleasing them." During the 1840s Barnum began his museum, which had a constantly rotating acts schedule, which included obese people, "living skeletons" (men who appear emaciated), little people , giants , and other people deemed to be freaks. The museum drew in about 400,000 visitors
12012-495: The exotic mode as animal-people, such as "The Snake-Man", and "The Seal Man". There were four ways freak shows were produced and marketed. The first was the oral spiel or lecture. This featured a showman or professor who managed the presentation of the people or "freaks". The second was a printed advertisement, usually using long pamphlets and broadside or newspaper advertisement of the freak show. The third step included costuming, choreography , performance, and space used to display
12166-399: The exploitation for profit was seen as an accepted part of US-American culture. The attractiveness of freak shows led to the spread of the shows that were commonly seen at amusement parks , circuses , dime museums and vaudeville . The amusement park industry flourished in the United States by the expanding middle class who benefited from short work weeks and a larger income. There was also
12320-488: The first to shake his hand. She kept in contact with him and a letter written by Merrick to her, thanking her for the gift of a book and a brace of grouse , is the only surviving letter written by Merrick. This first experience of meeting a woman, though brief, instilled in Merrick a new sense of self-confidence. He met other women during his life at the hospital, and appeared taken with them all. Treves believed that Merrick's hope
12474-741: The floor rather than a tear in their eye". Freak shows are a common subject in Southern Gothic literature, including stories such as Flannery O'Connor 's Temple Of The Holy Ghost , Eudora Welty 's Petrified Man and Keela the Outcast Indian Maiden , Truman Capote 's Tree of Night , and Carson McCullers 's The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter . The musical Side Show centers around Daisy and Violet Hilton and their lives as conjoined twins on exhibition. American Horror Story: Freak Show also focuses on freak shows. Some of its characters are played by disabled people, rather than all of
12628-401: The following information: Certificates issued in other parts of the United Kingdom contain different or additional information and have a different format. Certificates issued by the GRO clearly state that they are certified copies of the register entries, that they are not evidence of a person's identity, and that there are criminal offences relating the unlawful amendment or falsification of
12782-605: The giantess Anna Swan and Commodore Nutt , a new Tom Thumb, with whom Barnum visited President Abraham Lincoln at the White House . During the Civil War , Barnum's museum drew large audiences seeking diversion from the conflict. Barnum's most popular and highest grossing act was the Tattooed Man, George Costentenus . He claimed to be a Greek-Albanian prince raised in a Turkish harem . He had 338 tattoos covering his body. Each one
12936-576: The great increase in nonconformity and the gradual relaxation of the laws against Catholics and other dissenters from the late 17th century, more and more baptisms, marriages and burials were going unrecorded in the registers of the Anglican Church. The increasingly poor state of English parish registration led to numerous attempts to shore up the system in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The Clandestine Marriages Act 1753 ( 26 Geo. 2 . c. 33) attempted to prevent "clandestine" marriages by imposing
13090-500: The grounds of decency and because of the disruption caused by crowds gathering outside them. Shortly after Merrick's last examination with Treves, the police closed down Norman's shop on Whitechapel Road, and Merrick's Leicester managers withdrew him from Norman's charge. In 1885, Merrick went on the road with Sam Roper's travelling fair. He befriended two other performers, known as "Roper's Midgets"—Bertram Dooley and Harry Bramley—who occasionally defended Merrick from public harassment. As
13244-574: The help of Madge Kendal, arranged for him to attend the Christmas pantomime at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane . Merrick sat with some nurses, concealed in Lady Burdett-Coutts ' private box. According to Treves, Merrick was "awed" and "enthralled", and "[the] spectacle left him speechless, so that if he were spoken to he took no heed." Merrick talked about the pantomime for weeks afterwards, reliving
13398-613: The human oddity as the king of museum entertainment. There were four types of human abnormalities on display in dime museums: natural freaks, those born with physical or mental abnormalities, such as dwarfs and "pinheads"; self-made freaks who cultivated freakdom, for example tattooed people; novelty artists who were considered freaks for their "freakish" performances, such as snake charmers , mesmerists, hypnotists , and fire-eaters; non-Western freaks who were promoted as exotic curiosities, for example savages and cannibals , usually promoted as being from Africa. Most dime museums had no seats in
13552-482: The indexes can be used to order birth, marriage and death certificates. With the exception of some extra details recorded on death certificates since 1969, the information given on certificates of birth, marriage and death has not changed since 1837, but the amount of information given in the index volumes has increased from time to time. Until 1983, the copies received by the Registrar General were bound into volumes, and three separate alphabetical indexes were prepared on
13706-467: The indexes were written by hand on heavy parchment, though some have been replaced by printed copies. From 1984, the indexes are in annual instead of quarterly volumes. The indexes from 1984 give the month of registration as the first and second digits in the document reference number, and the next two digits give the year. Thus the reference number 0485 9 2128 refers to an event registered in April 1985. From 1860
13860-541: The job. Now unemployed, he spent his days wandering the streets, looking for work and avoiding his stepmother's taunts. As Merrick was becoming a greater financial burden on his family, his father eventually secured him a hawker 's licence enabling him to earn money selling items from the haberdashery shop, door to door. This endeavour was unsuccessful because Merrick's facial deformities rendered his speech increasingly unintelligible, and prospective customers reacted with horror to his physical appearance. People refused to open
14014-461: The lameness in his hip, Treves concluded that Merrick appeared to be in good general health. Norman later recalled that Merrick had visited the hospital "two or three" times, and that Treves had given Merrick his calling card during one of those visits. Treves had some photographs taken on one occasion, and provided Merrick with a set of copies which were later added to his autobiographical pamphlet. On 2 December 1884, Treves presented Merrick at
14168-502: The land or territorial waters of Scotland , Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland ; those entities' registration systems have always been separate from England and Wales. The GRO was founded in 1836 by the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1836 , and civil registration commenced in 1837. Its head is the Registrar General. Probably the most distinguished person associated with the GRO in
14322-453: The links between poor living conditions and short life expectancy were now known. The answer was the establishment of a civil registration system. It was hoped that improved registration of vital events would protect property rights through the more accurate recording of lines of descent. Civil registration would also remove the need for Nonconformists to rely upon the Church of England for registration, and provide medical data for research. As
14476-495: The move the death records were stored at Alexandra House (on the opposite side of Kingsway), until room was found for all the records at St Catherine's House. In 1997 the GRO staff were moved to Southport , Merseyside while public access to the records and indexes was made available at a new Family Records Centre (FRC) in Clerkenwell . This facility was jointly operated by the National Archives so that public access to census returns
14630-485: The museum, including an albino family, The Living Aztecs, three dwarfs, a Black mother with two albino children, The Swiss Bearded Lady , The Highland Fat Boys, and What Is It? (Henry Johnson, an intellectually disabled Black man). Barnum introduced the "man-monkey" William Henry Johnson , a microcephalic Black dwarf who spoke a mysterious language created by Barnum and was known as Zip the Pinhead . In 1862, he discovered
14784-431: The name of any father of a bastard child". From 1850, instructions to registrars were clarified to state that, "No putative father is allowed to sign an entry in the character of 'Father'." However, the law was changed again in 1875 to allow a father of an illegitimate child to record his name on his child's birth certificate if he attended the register office with the mother. In 1953 a child's father could also be recorded on
14938-479: The next two years but his efforts to earn a living met with little more success than before. Eventually, his disfigurement drew such negative attention from members of the public that the Commissioners for Hackney Carriages withdrew his licence when it came up for renewal. With young children to provide for, Charles could no longer afford to support his nephew. In late December 1879, now 17 years old, Merrick entered
15092-427: The nursing staff and spent much of his time in bed, or sitting in his quarters, with diminishing energy. His facial deformities continued to grow and his head became more enlarged. He died on 11 April 1890, while sleeping, at the age of 27. At around 3:00 p.m. Treves's house surgeon visited Merrick and found him lying dead across the bed. His body was formally identified by his uncle, Charles Merrick. An inquest
15246-758: The office of Registrar General was merged with that of Head of the Government Statistical Service . On 1 April 2008, the General Register Office for England and Wales (GRO) became a subsidiary of the Identity and Passport Service (IPS), then an executive agency of the Home Office . The decision to make the transfer of GRO to IPS was finalised following the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review in 2007. The move followed changes to make Office for National Statistics (ONS) more independent of
15400-480: The onus was on parents to inform the registrar when they had a child, and penalties were imposed on those who failed to register. Births had to be registered within 42 days at the district or sub-district office, usually by the mother or father, or for a fee the registrar could visit the home. Until 1926, there were no registrations at all of stillborn children. For illegitimate children, the original 1836 legislation provided that "it shall not be necessary to register
15554-575: The performers fairly handsome sums of money. Some of the acts made the equivalent of what some sports stars make today. Barnum's English counterpart was Tom Norman , a renowned Victorian showman , whose traveling exhibitions featured Eliza Jenkins, the "Skeleton Woman", a "Balloon Headed Baby" and a woman who bit off the heads of live rats —the "most gruesome" act Norman claimed to have seen. Other acts included fleas, fat ladies, giants, dwarfs and retired white seamen, painted black and speaking in an invented language, billed "savage Zulus ". He displayed
15708-416: The performers' schedules, working them long hours just to make a profit. This was particularly hard for top performers, since more frequent shows sold more tickets. Many entertainers were abused by small-time museum operators, kept to grueling schedules, and given only a small percentage of their total earnings. Individual exhibits were hired for about one to six weeks by dime museums. The average performer had
15862-413: The poor registration of baptisms, marriages and burials undermined property rights by making it difficult to establish lines of descent, coupled with the complaints of Nonconformists, led to the establishment in 1833 of a parliamentary select committee on parochial registration. This took evidence on the state of the parochial system of registration, and made proposals that were eventually incorporated into
16016-427: The previous two years and that he had become impaired by his deformities. Treves also suspected that Merrick had a heart condition and had only a few years left to live. Merrick's general health improved over the next five months under the care of the hospital staff. Although some nurses were initially upset by his appearance, they were able to overcome this and take care of him. The problem of Merrick's unpleasant odour
16170-416: The proceedings. Freak show culture normalized a specific way of thinking about gender, race, sexual aberrance, ethnicity, and disability. During the first decade of the 20th century, the popularity of the freak show was starting to dwindle. In their prime, freak shows had been the main attraction of the midway, but by 1940 they were starting to lose their audience, with credible people turning their backs on
16324-474: The public's amusement. During 1844–45, Barnum toured with Tom Thumb in Europe and met Queen Victoria , who was amused and saddened by the little man, and the event was a publicity coup. Barnum paid Stratton handsomely – about $ 150.00 a week. When Stratton retired, he lived in the most esteemed neighborhood of New York, owned a yacht, and dressed in the nicest clothing he could buy. In 1860, The American Museum had listed and archived thirteen human curiosities in
16478-493: The recently introduced poor law unions . The registration districts were further divided into sub-districts (there could be two or more), each under the charge of registrars who were appointed locally. Although the GRO was not specifically established to undertake statistical research, the early Registrars General, Thomas Henry Lister (1836–42) and George Graham (1842–79), built up a Statistical Department to compile medical, public health and actuarial statistics. Much of this work
16632-462: The remainder of his life. He was moved from the attic to the basement, where he could occupy two rooms adjacent to a small courtyard. The rooms were adapted and furnished to suit Merrick, with a specially constructed bed and—at Treves's instruction—no mirrors. Merrick settled into his new life at the London Hospital. Treves visited him daily and spent a couple of hours with him every Sunday. Now that Merrick had found someone who understood his speech, he
16786-422: The request. To allow him to travel the short distance without drawing undue attention, Merrick wore a disguise consisting of an oversized black cloak and a brown cap with a hessian sack covering his face, and he rode in a cab hired by Treves. Although Treves stated that Merrick's outfit on this occasion included the black cloak and brown cap, there is evidence to suggest that Merrick acquired that particular costume
16940-485: The road from the London Hospital . Because of its proximity to the hospital, the shop received medical students and doctors as visitors. One of these was a young surgeon named Frederick Treves , who arranged to have Merrick brought to the hospital to be examined. The exhibition of the Elephant Man was reasonably successful, particularly with the added income from a printed pamphlet about Merrick's life and condition. At this time, however, public opinion about freak shows
17094-407: The role of notifying official, if so appointed, and on the condition that their premises were licensed for the solemnising of marriage. The civil authorities, i.e. the local registrar, could also perform marriage by certificate in a register office. Changes in marriage laws since 1836 have also affected how marriages are registered, for example, civil partnerships for same-sex couples were introduced by
17248-426: The service provided they notified the registrar themselves within seven days. If they failed to do so they were liable for a £10 fine. This was inadequate to guarantee all deaths were registered, since in principle a body could be buried without a religious service, and those who had not been baptised (mostly young children) did not qualify for Christian burial. Between 1858 and 1874, a certificate should state whether
17402-542: The show, designed to emphasize the things that were considered abnormal about each performer. The final stage was a collectable drawing or photograph that portrayed the group of freaks on stage for viewers to take home. The collectable printed souvenirs were accompanied by recordings of the showman's pitch, the lecturer's yarn, and the professor's exaggerated accounts of what was witnessed at the show. Exhibits were authenticated by doctors who used medical terms that many could not comprehend but which added an air of authenticity to
17556-428: The show. In the 19th century, science supported and legitimized the growth of freak shows, but by the 20th century, the medicalization of human abnormalities contributed to the end of the exhibits' mystery and appeal. P. T. Barnum was considered the father of modern-day advertising, and one of the most famous showmen and managers of the freak show industry. In the United States he was a major figure in popularizing
17710-415: The story as if it had been real. On three occasions, Merrick left the hospital to go on holiday, spending a few weeks at a time in the countryside. By means of elaborate arrangements that allowed him to board a train unseen and have an entire carriage to himself, Merrick travelled to Northamptonshire to stay at Fawsley Hall , the estate of Lady Knightley . He stayed at the gamekeeper 's cottage and spent
17864-417: The subjects are usually portrayed as heroic and attention is given to their family and friends and the way they help them overcome their disabilities. In The Guardian , Chris Shaw, however, comments that "one man's freak show is another man's portrayal of heroic triumph over medical adversity" and carries on with "call me prejudiced but I suspect your typical twentysomething watched this show with their jaw on
18018-489: The superintendent registrar by the officiating minister so in effect, this required the presence of a local registration officer as the authorising person. When a nonconformist minister or other religious official, such as a rabbi, performed the ceremony it was necessary for the local registrar or his assistant to be present so that the marriage was legal. This legislation was not repealed until 1898, after which date, nonconformist ministers and other religious leaders could take on
18172-471: The system, it was up to each local registrar to find out what births had taken place in his sub-district, often employing help to do so. Mark Herber gives an estimate that in some parts of England up to 15% of births between 1837 and 1875 were not registered, although some perceived omissions were due to missing indexes, wrongly indexed entries and spelling errors. As a result of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1874 ( 37 & 38 Vict. c. 38), from 1875
18326-528: The underdeveloped body of his brother dangled from his chest. When Lazarus was not exhibiting himself, he covered his brother with his cloak to avoid unnecessary attention. As well as exhibitions, freak shows were popular in the taverns and fairgrounds, where the freaks were often combined with talent displays. For example, in the 18th century, Matthias Buchinger , born without arms or lower legs, entertained crowds with astonishing displays of magic and musical ability, both in England and later, Ireland . It
18480-853: The university intends to keep his skeleton at its medical school, some contend that, as Merrick was a devout Christian, he should be given a Christian burial in his home city of Leicester. On 5 May 2019, author Jo Vigor-Mungovin discovered that Merrick's soft tissue was buried in the City of London Cemetery . Freak show A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as " freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans , such as those uncommonly large or small, those with intersex variations , those with extraordinary diseases and conditions, and others with performances expected to be shocking to viewers. Heavily tattooed or pierced people have sometimes been seen in freak shows (more common in modern times as
18634-470: The violin. Occasionally, Merrick grew bold enough to leave his small living quarters and explore the hospital. When discovered, he was always hurried back to his quarters by the nurses, who feared he might frighten the patients. On 21 May 1887, two new buildings were completed at the hospital and the Prince and Princess of Wales came to open them officially. The princess wished to meet the Elephant Man, so after
18788-551: The winter season. Hitchcock contacted an acquaintance, showman Tom Norman , who ran penny gaff shops in the East End of London exhibiting human curiosities. Without the need for a meeting, Norman agreed to take over Merrick's management, and Merrick travelled with Hitchcock to London in November 1884. When Norman first encountered Merrick, he was dismayed by the extent of his deformities, fearing his appearance might be too horrific to be
18942-405: The workhouse might be through the world of human novelty exhibitions . He wrote a speculative letter to Sam Torr , a Leicester music hall comedian and proprietor that he knew. Torr came to visit Merrick at the workhouse and decided he could make money exhibiting him; although, to retain Merrick's novelty value, he would need to be put on display as a travelling exhibit. To this end, Torr organised
19096-497: The workhouse. This time, he stayed for four years. Around 1882, Merrick underwent surgery on his face. The protrusion from his mouth had grown to 20–22 centimetres, severely inhibiting his speech and making it difficult to eat. The operation was performed in the Workhouse Infirmary under the direction of Dr Clement Frederick Bryan, during which a large part of the mass was removed. Merrick concluded that his only escape from
19250-481: Was asphyxia , Treves, who performed the postmortem , concluded that Merrick had died of a dislocated neck. The exact cause of Merrick's deformities is unclear, but in 1986 it was conjectured that he had Proteus syndrome . In a 2003 study, DNA tests on his hair and bones were inconclusive because his skeleton had been bleached numerous times before going on display at the Royal London Hospital. Merrick's life
19404-429: Was "the most disgusting specimen of humanity that I had ever seen [...] at no time had I met with such a degraded or perverted version of a human being as this lone figure displayed." The viewing lasted no more than 15 minutes, after which Treves returned to work. Later the same day, he sent Tuckett back to the shop to ask if Merrick might be willing to go to the hospital for an examination. Norman and Merrick both agreed to
19558-455: Was Treves's card. The police contacted Treves, who went to the train station and, on recognising Merrick, took him in a hansom cab to the London Hospital. Merrick was admitted for bronchitis , washed, fed and then put to bed in a small isolation room in the hospital's attic. With Merrick admitted into the hospital, Treves now had time to conduct a more thorough examination. He discovered that Merrick's physical condition had deteriorated over
19712-447: Was a coroner's inquest. A death was supposed to be registered within eight days. Since there was not necessarily a unique person clearly responsible for registering a death, in order to make sure deaths were registered, clergymen were made responsible for checking the death certificate before performing any funeral or burial service. However, they were given some leeway in case the death had not yet been registered, and could go ahead with
19866-399: Was a shift in popularity of the dime museum and it began its downward turn. Audiences could now choose from a wide variety of popular entertainments. Circuses, street fairs, world's fairs, carnivals , and urban amusement parks, all of which exhibited freaks, began to take business away from the dime museums. In the circus world, freak shows, also called sideshows , were an essential part of
20020-402: Was a young house surgeon named Reginald Tuckett, who, like his colleagues, was intrigued by the Elephant Man's deformities. Tuckett suggested that his senior colleague Frederick Treves should pay Merrick a visit. Treves first met Merrick that November, at a private viewing that took place before Norman opened the shop for the day. Treves later recalled in his 1923 Reminiscences that Merrick
20174-587: Was also available at the same location. The FRC was closed in 2008, in response to steadily decreasing visitor numbers caused by the increased online availability of the records. The GRO is now located at Smedley Hydro in Southport, a former hydropathic hotel that has been converted into offices for the GRO and the NHS Information Centre, formerly the NHS Central Register. In the early days of
20328-467: Was always vague about when exactly he was born. Ladies and gentlemen ... I would like to introduce Mr Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man. Before doing so I ask you please to prepare yourselves—Brace yourselves up to witness one who is probably the most remarkable human being ever to draw the breath of life. — Tom Norman Norman gathered an audience by standing outside the shop and attracting passers-by with his showman's patter . He would then lead
20482-582: Was apparently healthy at birth, and he had no outward anatomical signs or symptoms of any disorder for the first few years of his life. Named after his father, he was given the middle name Carey by his mother, a Baptist , after the preacher William Carey . The Merricks had two other children: William Arthur, born January 1866, who died of scarlet fever on 21 December 1870 aged four and was buried on Christmas Day 1870; and Marion Eliza, born 28 September 1867, who had physical disabilities and died of myelitis and "seizures" on 19 March 1891, aged 23. William
20636-559: Was covered in papillomata ( warty growths), the largest of which exuded an unpleasant smell. The subcutaneous tissue appeared to be weakened, causing a loosening of the skin which, in some areas, hung away from the body. There were bone deformities in the right arm, both legs, and, most conspicuously, in the large skull. Despite having had corrective surgery to his mouth in 1882, Merrick's speech remained barely intelligible. His left arm and hand were neither enlarged nor deformed. His penis and scrotum were normal. Apart from his deformities and
20790-540: Was delighted to carry on long conversations with the doctor. Treves and Merrick built a friendly relationship, although Merrick never completely confided in him. He told Treves that he was an only child, and Treves had the impression that his mother, whose picture Merrick always carried with him, had abandoned him as a baby. Merrick was also reluctant to talk about his exhibition days, although he expressed gratitude towards his former managers. It did not take Treves long to realise that, contrary to his initial impressions, Merrick
20944-420: Was depicted in a 1977 play by Bernard Pomerance and in a 1980 film by David Lynch , both titled The Elephant Man . Joseph Carey Merrick was born on 5 August 1862, at 50 Lee Street in Leicester , to Joseph Rockley Merrick and his wife Mary Jane (née Potterton). Joseph Rockley Merrick ( c. 1838 –1897) was the son of London-born weaver Barnabas Merrick (1791–1856) who moved to Leicester during
21098-411: Was early in his career. He hired a blind and paralyzed former slave for $ 1,000. He claimed this woman was 160 years old, but she was actually only 80. This lie helped Barnum make a weekly profit of nearly $ 1,000. This hoax was one of the first, but one of the more convincing. Barnum retired in 1865 when his museum burnt to the ground. Though Barnum was and still is criticized for exploitation, he paid
21252-532: Was held on 27 April by Wynne Edwin Baxter , who had gained notoriety conducting inquests for the Whitechapel murders of 1888. He often said to me that he wished he could lie down to sleep 'like other people' ... he must, with some determination, have made the experiment ... Thus it came about that his death was due to the desire that had dominated his life—the pathetic but hopeless desire to be 'like other people'. — Frederick Treves Merrick's death
21406-505: Was in the 19th century, both in the United States and Europe , where freak shows finally reached maturity as successful commercially run enterprises. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, freak shows were at their height of popularity; the period 1840s through to the 1940s saw the organized for-profit exhibition of people with physical, mental , or behavioral rarities. Although not all abnormalities were real, some being alleged,
21560-568: Was mitigated through frequent bathing, and Treves gradually developed an understanding of his speech. A new set of photographs was taken. Francis Carr Gomm, the chairman of the hospital committee, had supported Treves in his decision to admit Merrick, but it was clear by November that long-term care plans were needed. The London Hospital was not equipped or staffed to provide care for the incurable, which Merrick clearly was. Carr Gomm contacted other institutions and hospitals more suited to caring for chronic cases, but none would accept Merrick. Gomm wrote
21714-401: Was moderately successful, and made money primarily from the sales of the autobiographical pamphlet. Merrick was able to put his share of the profits aside, in the hope of earning enough money to one day buy a home of his own. The shop on Whitechapel Road was directly opposite the London Hospital , ideally situated for medical students and doctors to visit, curious to see Merrick. One such visitor
21868-525: Was not intellectually impaired. Treves observed that Merrick was very sensitive and showed his emotions easily. At times, Merrick was bored and lonely, and demonstrated signs of depression. He had spent his entire adult life segregated from women, first in the workhouse and then as an exhibit. The women he met were either disgusted or frightened by his appearance. His opinions about women were derived from his memories of his mother and what he read in books. Treves decided that Merrick would like to be introduced to
22022-498: Was not to be registered late without special permission. A different registration system operates in other parts of the United Kingdom. Every three months, at the end of March, June, September and December, the superintendent registrars send a copy of each entry of birth, marriage and death registered by their office in that quarter, to the Registrar General in London. From these returns the General Register Office produces indexes to its records, which are open to public inspection, and
22176-479: Was ornate and told a story. His story was that he was on a military expedition but was captured by native people, who gave him the choice of either being chopped up into little pieces or receive full body tattoos. This process supposedly took three months and Costentenus was the only hostage who survived. He produced a 23-page book, which detailed every aspect of his experience and drew a large crowd. When Costentenus partnered with Barnum, he began to earn more than $ 1,000
22330-466: Was robbed by his road manager and abandoned in Brussels . He eventually made his way back to the London Hospital, where he was allowed to stay for the rest of his life. Treves visited him daily, and the pair developed a close friendship. Merrick also received visits from some of the wealthy ladies and gentlemen of London society, including Alexandra, Princess of Wales . Although the official cause of his death
22484-474: Was ruled accidental and the certified cause of death was asphyxia , resulting from the weight of his head as he lay down. After performing an autopsy, Treves determined that Merrick had died of a dislocated neck, which likely severed his vertebral arteries . Knowing that Merrick had always slept sitting upright out of necessity, Treves concluded that Merrick must have "made the experiment", attempting to sleep lying down "like other people". Merrick did not receive
22638-411: Was starting to change and the display of human novelties was beginning to be viewed as distasteful. After only a few weeks with Norman, the Elephant Man exhibition was shut down by the police, and Norman and Merrick parted ways. Treves later arranged for Merrick to live at the London Hospital until his death in 1890. In Treves' 1923 memoir, The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences made Norman infamous as
22792-402: Was styled after the traditional distorted spiel of carnival barkers, filled with classical and biblical suggestions. Dime museum freak shows also provided audiences with medical testimonials provided by "doctors", psychologists and other behavioral "experts" who were there to help the audience understand a particular problem and to validate a show's subject. At the end of the 19th century, there
22946-441: Was the Leicester Union Workhouse (where he was to become a permanent resident), but Leicester was 98 miles (158 km) away. He approached strangers for help, but his speech was unintelligible and his appearance repugnant. After drawing a crowd of curious onlookers, Merrick was helped by a policeman into an empty waiting room, where he huddled in a corner, exhausted. Unable to make himself understood, his only identifying possession
23100-490: Was their only opportunity to make a living. In the 19th century performing in an organized freak show was perceived as a "viable" way to earn a living, as opposed to begging. Many freak show performers were lucky and gifted enough to earn a livelihood and have a good life through exhibitions, some becoming celebrities, commanding high salaries and earning far more than acrobats, novelty performers, and actors. The salaries of dime museum freaks usually varied from 25 to 500 dollars
23254-562: Was to one day live at an institution for the blind, where he might meet a woman who could not see his deformities. Merrick wanted to know about the "real world", and questioned Treves on a number of topics. On one occasion, he expressed a desire to see inside what he considered a "real" house and Treves obliged, taking him to visit his Wimpole Street townhouse and meet his wife. At the hospital, Merrick spent his days reading and constructing models of buildings out of card. He entertained visits from Treves and his house surgeons. He rose each day in
23408-520: Was undertaken in the early to mid-Victorian period by William Farr , the GRO's Superintendent of Statistics. Under these men the Annual reports of the Registrar General became a vehicle for administrative and social reform. In 1840 the GRO also took over responsibility for the decennial census of England and Wales . In 1871, the GRO came under the supervision of the Local Government Board . During
23562-401: Was usual for the time. His home life was now "a perfect misery", and neither his father nor his stepmother demonstrated affection toward him. He ran away "two or three" times, but was taken back by his father each time. At 13, he found work rolling cigars in a factory, but after three years, the deformity of his right hand had worsened to the extent that he no longer had the dexterity required for
23716-469: Was viewed. A different way to display a freak show was in a dime museum . In a dime museum, freak show performers were exhibited as an educational display of people with different disabilities. For a cheap admission viewers were awed with its dioramas , panoramas , georamas, cosmoramas , paintings, relics, freaks, stuffed animals, menageries, waxworks, and theatrical performances. No other type of entertainment appealed to such diverse audiences before. In
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