For some weeks during the
winter of 1852-1853, the locals in Hanley and Longton in the
Potteries were treated to a number of visits from a Frenchman,
Monsieur Desarais (or Desaris), with his troop of highly trained dogs
and monkeys. His was one of many such travelling shows that trod the
boards of the town halls or theatres up and down the country during
the mid-nineteenth century. Often these shows were unsophisticated by
modern tastes, but in an age where opportunities for popular
entertainment were scarce, even the feeblest efforts were
appreciated.
Monsieur Desarais’ show
seems to have been better than most if reports of the time are
anything to go by. In one short piece a reporter described exactly
the performance he witnessed. After noting his astonishment at the
animals’ performances and the skill of Monsieur Desarais as an
animal trainer, the reporter continued.
‘This curious
quadrupedal company, educated to a high pitch of perfection in the
histrionic arts, and costumed to suit their respective characters
successfully perform many of the conventionalities of daily domestic
life. The supper scene, or monkey banquet, served by a monkey
gentleman-in-waiting, a brother monkey the presiding genius of the
table, with all the precision of fashionable conviviality, speech
excepted. This was a rare treat in itself. A variety of curious
evolutions followed, the dogs and monkeys habited as ladies and
gentlemen waltzing to music, playing at leap-frog. A dog ascending
and descending a double-ladder, with a monkey clinging to his back;
one poor fellow industriously performed the rare treat of trundling a
barrel up an inclined plane, wagging his tail to his master,
apparently highly pleased at his success. The balancing tricks, by
two dogs; and the performance of a solo by a “Jenny Lind” of the
canine species, to an accompaniment on the violin followed by a
hurdle race, in which the dogs were steeds and the monkeys, in full
costume, were riders, caused roars of merriment.’
Overall, Monsieur
Desarais’ sojourn in the Potteries was a great success, except,
that is, for one unfortunate little incident in Shelton on Christmas
Eve 1852. This was reported by the same paper, but far more glibly
under the title, ‘Novel Mode of Evading Toll’.
The report described how
Monsieur Desarais was passing through the Shelton toll gate in his
small close carriage, drawn by four of his favourite dogs, when Mr
Dixon, the gatekeeper came out of his house and demanded the toll.
Monsieur Desarais refused to pay and a heated discussion ensued as to
why the toll was necessary. Becoming angry and seeing that he was
getting nowhere with the irate Frenchman, Mr Dixon seized some of
Monsieur Desarais’ property in lieu of the toll, but this only made
matters worse. Monsieur Desarais seeing his property confiscated in
such an unceremonious manner yelled, “Then I’ll pay” and opened
his carriage door as if to get the cash. No sooner was the door open
than out leapt a large formidable-looking monkey, who as if
instinctively protecting his master looked as if he were about to
attack Mr Dixon. At that moment, though, the gatekeeper’s wife who
had been keeping her eye on the altercation rushed out carrying a
pistol. The sight of the gun so alarmed the monkey that he threw his
tail around his owner’s neck and with a ferocious grin of horror
shot back into the carriage. Whether the monkey’s actions had been
choreographed by Monsieur Desarais we will never know, but he did not
escape the toll keeper, for as the report concluded, ‘Monsieur,
with his dogs and monkeys, left the toll-gate keeper to his
reflections and his umbrella as a pledge.’
Reference: Staffordshire Potteries Telegraph, 1 January 1853
The report described how
Monsieur Desarais was passing through the Shelton toll gate in his
small close carriage, drawn by four of his favourite dogs, when Mr
Dixon, the gatekeeper came out of his house and demanded the toll.
Monsieur Desarais refused to pay and a heated discussion ensued as to
why the toll was necessary. Becoming angry and seeing that he was
getting nowhere with the irate Frenchman, Mr Dixon seized some of
Monsieur Desarais’ property in lieu of the toll, but this only made
matters worse. Monsieur Desarais seeing his property confiscated in
such an unceremonious manner yelled, “Then I’ll pay” and opened
his carriage door as if to get the cash. No sooner was the door open
than out leapt a large formidable-looking monkey, who as if
instinctively protecting his master looked as if he were about to
attack Mr Dixon. At that moment, though, the gatekeeper’s wife who
had been keeping her eye on the altercation rushed out carrying a
pistol. The sight of the gun so alarmed the monkey that he threw his
tail around his owner’s neck and with a ferocious grin of horror
shot back into the carriage. Whether the monkey’s actions had been
choreographed by Monsieur Desarais we will never know, but he did not
escape the toll keeper, for as the report concluded, ‘Monsieur,
with his dogs and monkeys, left the toll-gate keeper to his
reflections and his umbrella as a pledge.’
Reference: Staffordshire Potteries Telegraph, 1 January 1853