Tom Norman
Encyclopedia
Thomas Noakes, later known as Tom Norman, (7 May 1860–24 August 1930) was an English businessman and showman
. He started his working life as a butcher in Sussex and at 17 moved to London. After viewing an exhibition of an "Electric Lady" next door to his place of work, he went into business with the lady's manager and began his career as a showman of human oddities. He quickly became successful, for his patter
as much as his exhibits, and was called the 'Silver King' by American showman P. T. Barnum
.
In 1884, he took over management of Joseph Merrick
, otherwise known as the 'Elephant Man' and exhibited him for a few weeks until police closed down the show. Merrick later went to live at the London Hospital under the care of Sir Frederick Treves
. In Treves' 1923 memoirs, he portrayed Norman as a cruel drunk who ruthlessly exploited his acts. Norman refuted this characterisation and said that he provided Merrick (and his other "freaks") with a means of making money independently. Norman continued a successful career as a showman and later became an auctioneer of novelty shows and circuses. He had ten children, five of whom followed in his professional footsteps, and he died in Croydon
in 1930.
, Sussex
to Thomas Noakes, a butcher and a farmer, and his wife Eliza (née Haiselden). At an early age, he was taken into his father's trade, but left school at age 12 and then home at 14 to find work as a butcher. At 17, he moved to London and became a successful butcher's assistant, but left his job at 18 to gamble on the horses at Ascot Racecourse
in Berkshire
. He returned to London broke and on foot. He unknowingly asked directions from The Prince of Wales
on the way, only to be told of his royal encounter by someone further down the road. In London, he again found work in his trade.
next to his place of employment in Islington
. There, Mlle Electra, "The Only Electric Lady — A Lady Born Full of Electricity" gave audience members an electrical shock via her handshake. Noakes was impressed with the exhibition, realised its lucrative potential, and left his job to enter into business with Mlle Electra's manager. He quickly discovered Electra was a fake connected to a supply of electricity.
When Mlle Electra was exhibited at Kingston Fair, Noakes realised he would be better off working alone, and successfully staged his own "Electric Lady" in Hammersmith
. He learned that his skills as an entertainer were as important to his success as the novelties he exhibited. At some point, Noakes began using the name Tom Norman, and renounced his inheritance. According to Joseph Merrick
's biographers Michael Howell and Peter Ford, Noakes may have changed his name to avoid shaming his family by his "distasteful" connections to circuses and fairgrounds.
Over the next few years, Norman's travelling 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, dwarves and retired white seamen, painted black and speaking in an invented language, billed "savage Zulus". He displayed a "family of midget
s" 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. In 1882, Norman gave a show at Islington's Royal Agricultural Hall. Unknown to Norman, the show was attended by American showman P. T. Barnum
. Norman falsely claimed to his audience, as he had often done in the past, that his show had been booked to appear at Barnum's 'Greatest Show on Earth'. Barnum was much amused and afterwards, seeing Norman's silver necklace and noting his gift for oratory, dubbed him the 'Silver King'. With 13 shops in London alone, Norman ran into a shortage of curiosities and travelled the country looking for new acts. He enticed human novelties into his employ with promises of generous salaries.
, a young man from Leicester who suffered from extreme deformities. Unable to find work due to his physical appearance, Merrick had ended up in the Leicester workhouse for four years. In 1884 he left the workhouse and put himself in the charge of music hall
proprietors Sam Torr and J. Ellis, and travelling showman 'Little George' Hitchcock. They presented Merrick as 'The Elephant Man, Half-a-Man and Half-an-Elephant'. They soon realised that they would not be able to show Merrick for too long in one place, for fear of the novelty wearing off, and towards the end of 1884, Hitchcock contacted Tom Norman, an acquaintance of his, and transferred management of the Elephant Man to him.
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 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. According to Norman's autobiography, Merrick went to the hospital "two or three" times, but then refused to go any more, feeling "like an animal in a cattle market".
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 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 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 was viewed.
and the 'World's Ugliest Woman'. In 1893, he announced that he was leaving for Chicago and advertised his goods for sale, but in the end, he never went. He became involved with the temperance movement
and was the vice-president of the Van Dwellers Protection Association (which later became the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain
). He became a showman's auctioneer, auctioning novelty shows and circuses and according to the World's Fair, presided over more such sales than any other auctioneer in the country at that time. In 1905 he sold showman "Lord" George Sanger
's zoo, and then all of Sanger's circus effects, an achievement Norman called "the crowning point in my life as regards the auctioneering business".
, and Norman went into semi-retirement, selling off some of his shops. He made his comeback in 1919 with the exhibition of 'Phoebe the Strange Girl' in Birmingham
and Margate
.
Norman died on 24 August 1930 at Croydon Hospital, aged 70. Five of his children followed him into circus careers: George and Arthur Norman became circus clowns while Tom and Jim Norman worked in fairgrounds. Ralph Van Norman (known professionally as Hal Denver) became a travelling Wild West
performer, appearing throughout Europe and the United States.
Showman
Showman can have a variety of meanings, usually by context and depending on the country.- Australia :Travelling showmen are people who run amusement and side show equipment at regional shows, state capital shows, events and festivals throughout Australia...
. He started his working life as a butcher in Sussex and at 17 moved to London. After viewing an exhibition of an "Electric Lady" next door to his place of work, he went into business with the lady's manager and began his career as a showman of human oddities. He quickly became successful, for his patter
Patter
Patter is a prepared and practiced speech, that is designed to produce a desired response from its audience. Examples of occupations with a patter might include the: auctioneer, salesperson, dance caller, or comedian....
as much as his exhibits, and was called the 'Silver King' by American showman P. T. Barnum
P. T. Barnum
Phineas Taylor Barnum was an American showman, businessman, scam artist and entertainer, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and for founding the circus that became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus....
.
In 1884, he took over management of Joseph Merrick
Joseph Merrick
Joseph Carey Merrick , sometimes incorrectly referred to as John Merrick, was an English man with severe deformities who was exhibited as a human curiosity named the Elephant Man. He became well known in London society after he went to live at the London Hospital...
, otherwise known as the 'Elephant Man' and exhibited him for a few weeks until police closed down the show. Merrick later went to live at the London Hospital under the care of Sir Frederick Treves
Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet
Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet, GCVO, CH, CB was a prominent British surgeon of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, now most famous for his friendship with Joseph Merrick, "the Elephant Man".-Eminent surgeon:...
. In Treves' 1923 memoirs, he portrayed Norman as a cruel drunk who ruthlessly exploited his acts. Norman refuted this characterisation and said that he provided Merrick (and his other "freaks") with a means of making money independently. Norman continued a successful career as a showman and later became an auctioneer of novelty shows and circuses. He had ten children, five of whom followed in his professional footsteps, and he died in Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
in 1930.
Early life
Thomas Noakes was born the eldest of 17 children on 7 May 1860 in DallingtonDallington, East Sussex
Dallington is a village and civil parish in the Rother District of East Sussex, England. It is located eight miles west of Battle and five miles east of Hailsham.-Governance:...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
to Thomas Noakes, a butcher and a farmer, and his wife Eliza (née Haiselden). At an early age, he was taken into his father's trade, but left school at age 12 and then home at 14 to find work as a butcher. At 17, he moved to London and became a successful butcher's assistant, but left his job at 18 to gamble on the horses at Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse is a famous English racecourse, located in the small town of Ascot, Berkshire, used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK's 32 annual Group 1 races...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. He returned to London broke and on foot. He unknowingly asked directions from The Prince of Wales
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
on the way, only to be told of his royal encounter by someone further down the road. In London, he again found work in his trade.
Novelties
After his unsuccessful venture in Berkshire, Noakes returned to his trade, and, one day, viewed the "novelties" at a penny gaffPenny gaff
A penny gaff was a popular entertainment for the lower classes in 19th century England. It consisted of short, theatrical entertainments which could be staged wherever space permitted, such as the back room of a public house or small hall. Unsophisticated, the props and scenery rarely consisted of...
next to his place of employment in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
. There, Mlle Electra, "The Only Electric Lady — A Lady Born Full of Electricity" gave audience members an electrical shock via her handshake. Noakes was impressed with the exhibition, realised its lucrative potential, and left his job to enter into business with Mlle Electra's manager. He quickly discovered Electra was a fake connected to a supply of electricity.
When Mlle Electra was exhibited at Kingston Fair, Noakes realised he would be better off working alone, and successfully staged his own "Electric Lady" in Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
. He learned that his skills as an entertainer were as important to his success as the novelties he exhibited. At some point, Noakes began using the name Tom Norman, and renounced his inheritance. According to Joseph Merrick
Joseph Merrick
Joseph Carey Merrick , sometimes incorrectly referred to as John Merrick, was an English man with severe deformities who was exhibited as a human curiosity named the Elephant Man. He became well known in London society after he went to live at the London Hospital...
's biographers Michael Howell and Peter Ford, Noakes may have changed his name to avoid shaming his family by his "distasteful" connections to circuses and fairgrounds.
Over the next few years, Norman's travelling 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, dwarves and retired white seamen, painted black and speaking in an invented language, billed "savage Zulus". He displayed a "family of midget
Midget
A midget is a short person with relatively average bodily proportions in comparison with other human beings. The term is often improperly used to describe a person with the medical condition dwarfism. The two terms are often used synonymously because both terms originate as words defining small...
s" which in reality was composed of two men and a borrowed baby. He operated a number of shops in London and Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, and exhibited travelling shows throughout the country. In 1882, Norman gave a show at Islington's Royal Agricultural Hall. Unknown to Norman, the show was attended by American showman P. T. Barnum
P. T. Barnum
Phineas Taylor Barnum was an American showman, businessman, scam artist and entertainer, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and for founding the circus that became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus....
. Norman falsely claimed to his audience, as he had often done in the past, that his show had been booked to appear at Barnum's 'Greatest Show on Earth'. Barnum was much amused and afterwards, seeing Norman's silver necklace and noting his gift for oratory, dubbed him the 'Silver King'. With 13 shops in London alone, Norman ran into a shortage of curiosities and travelled the country looking for new acts. He enticed human novelties into his employ with promises of generous salaries.
Elephant Man
In 1884, Norman came into contact with Joseph MerrickJoseph Merrick
Joseph Carey Merrick , sometimes incorrectly referred to as John Merrick, was an English man with severe deformities who was exhibited as a human curiosity named the Elephant Man. He became well known in London society after he went to live at the London Hospital...
, a young man from Leicester who suffered from extreme deformities. Unable to find work due to his physical appearance, Merrick had ended up in the Leicester workhouse for four years. In 1884 he left the workhouse and put himself in the charge of music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
proprietors Sam Torr and J. Ellis, and travelling showman 'Little George' Hitchcock. They presented Merrick as 'The Elephant Man, Half-a-Man and Half-an-Elephant'. They soon realised that they would not be able to show Merrick for too long in one place, for fear of the novelty wearing off, and towards the end of 1884, Hitchcock contacted Tom Norman, an acquaintance of his, and transferred management of the Elephant Man to him.
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
Whitechapel Road
Whitechapel Road is a major arterial road in the East End of London, England. It connects Whitechapel High Street to the west with Mile End Road to the east and forms part of the A11 road. It is a main shopping street in the Whitechapel area of Tower Hamlets and has a street market...
, directly across 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
Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet
Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet, GCVO, CH, CB was a prominent British surgeon of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, now most famous for his friendship with Joseph Merrick, "the Elephant Man".-Eminent surgeon:...
who arranged to have Merrick brought to the hospital to be examined. According to Norman's autobiography, Merrick went to the hospital "two or three" times, but then refused to go any more, feeling "like an animal in a cattle market".
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 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 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 was viewed.
Later life
Norman remained a travelling showman for another 10 years following his encounter with Joseph Merrick, and exhibited, among others, a troupe of midgets, a 'Man in a Trance', an armless manArmless wonder
An Armless Wonder was a person without arms who was exhibited, usually at a circus sideshow. Typically a woman, she would perform various tricks using her feet and toes, such as smoking a cigarette or writing...
and the 'World's Ugliest Woman'. In 1893, he announced that he was leaving for Chicago and advertised his goods for sale, but in the end, he never went. He became involved with the temperance movement
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
and was the vice-president of the Van Dwellers Protection Association (which later became the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain
Showmen's Guild of Great Britain
The Showmen's Guild of Great Britain exists to protect the interests of travelling showmen at funfairs in Great Britain.The Showmen's Guild was originally founded as the United Kingdom Van Dwellers Protection Association in 1889 in Salford...
). He became a showman's auctioneer, auctioning novelty shows and circuses and according to the World's Fair, presided over more such sales than any other auctioneer in the country at that time. In 1905 he sold showman "Lord" George Sanger
Lord George Sanger
"Lord" George Sanger was an English showman and circus proprietor. Born to a showman father, he grew up working in travelling peep shows. He successfully ran shows and circuses throughout much of the nineteenth century with his brother John...
's zoo, and then all of Sanger's circus effects, an achievement Norman called "the crowning point in my life as regards the auctioneering business".
Personal life
Norman married theatre performer Amy Rayner in 1896, and they had six sons and four daughters. The family moved to CroydonCroydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, and Norman went into semi-retirement, selling off some of his shops. He made his comeback in 1919 with the exhibition of 'Phoebe the Strange Girl' in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
.
Norman died on 24 August 1930 at Croydon Hospital, aged 70. Five of his children followed him into circus careers: George and Arthur Norman became circus clowns while Tom and Jim Norman worked in fairgrounds. Ralph Van Norman (known professionally as Hal Denver) became a travelling Wild West
Wild West Shows
Wild West Shows were traveling vaudeville performances in the United States and Europe. The first and prototypical wild west show was Buffalo Bill's, formed in 1883 and lasting until 1913...
performer, appearing throughout Europe and the United States.