Draft:Patty Astley
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Patty Astley (born Martha Mary Polly Jones; 1741 in Flintshire)[1] was an English equestrian, circus performer,[1] and wife to Philip Astley regarded as 'the father of modern circus'.[2]
Patty and her husband put on their first public show on Easter Monday, 4 April 1768.[3] Patty's act included military riding manoeuvres, standing astride two horses, and performing handstands on a moving horse, as well as the unique and unusual act of riding with "a swarm of bees [...] on her arm, imitating a Lady's Muff".[4][5] She was advertised as "the only one of her sex"[6] and her husband Phillip Astley is quoted, at the time, as introducing her as the conclusion or finale of one particular show: "When you have seen all my bill exprest, My Wife, to conclude, performs the rest".[7]
Scholar Vanessa Toulmin states that Patty Astley is an important figure to be "deliberately reintroduced into the text as part of a reshaping of the originating narrative of circus".[7]
In 2026, grade II listed Victorian Longton Market building received government grant for £800,000 for refurbishment and redevelopment.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Toulmin, Vanessa (2018-07-03). "'My wife to conclude performs the rest' – Patty Astley the first lady of circus". Early Popular Visual Culture. 16 (3): 290–300. doi:10.1080/17460654.2019.1569866. ISSN 1746-0654.
- ^ "The circus comes to the Circus". 2003-04-08. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
- ^ Kwint, Marius (2004-09-23). "Astley, Philip (1742–1814), equestrian performer and circus proprietor". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 1 (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/821. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Kellem, Betsy Golden (12 June 2026). Jumping Through Hoops: Performing Gender in the 19th Century Circus. The Feminist Press at CUNY.
- ^ "Advertisement", Public Advertiser, August 19, 1772
- ^ Jando, Philip Astley & The Horsemen, 36
- ^ a b Vanessa Toulmin, " 'My Wife To Conclude Performs The Rest' – Patty Astley the First Lady of Circus", Early Popular Visual Culture 16, no. 3 (July 3, 2018):290-300
- ^ "Longton Market to be refurbished with £800k grant". BBC News. 2026-03-05. Retrieved 2026-03-05.