• Source: William Cooke (performer)

William Cooke (1808 — May 6, 1886) was a British circus performer, animal trainer, circus proprietor, and former lessee of Astley's Amphitheatre in London.




Early life


William Cooke was born in England during the early 19th century. He came from a renowned circus family from Scotland, his father being Thomas Taplin Cooke of Cooke's Royal Circus.




Circus life


In 1834, he established his own circus company, gradually shifting from performer to director of equestrian dramas and trainer of ring animals.




= Astley's Amphitheatre

=
During the 1850s, William Cooke took over the lease and management of Astley's Amphitheatre from William Batty, maintaining control of the venue until 1860. At Astley's on January 19, 1854, he introduced a triple attraction with a pantomime, an equestrian arena, and a zoological act that included the Wise Elephants of the East, a performance of trained elephants. In March 1854, Cooke presented The Woodman's Horse and The False Knight, training his pet steed "Beauty" as the Woodman's horse himself. The Royal Equestrian Programme would later take the stage with their performance. Cooke would also do the equestrian introductions and arrangements. His first Annual Complimentary Benefit took place on April 3, 1854.
The enterprising manager welcomed a National military demonstration of the Battle of the Alma to Astley's Royal Amphitheatre in January 1855.
Cooke staged equestrian adaptations of four Shakespeare plays in the 1850s, including Richard III, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, and Henry IV, with Richard III debuting at Astley's on August 4, 1856.
In 1857, a tour poster for the Royal Amphitheatre described the show as William Cooke's Colossal Equestrian Establishment. In December 1858, a horse he was training unexpectedly collapsed on him, causing a break in his leg.
When the proprietor's lease ended, William Batty sought to increase the rent or sell the property; unwilling to pay more, Cooke decided to leave Astley's.




= Niblo's Garden

=
Cooke, then serving as the equestrian director of London's Astley's Royal Amphitheatre, was engaged by James M. Nixon in 1859, during Nixon's European trip to recruit artists for New York City. On January 16, 1860, Niblo's Garden under Nixon's management was opened for its first show with a mixture of American and British acts including the Hanlon-Lees, performing under Cooke's Royal Amphitheatre. Nixon brought elements of Cooke's Royal Circus from Astley's Amphitheatre to Niblo's Garden, later merging it with P.T. Barnum's Old Grizzly Adams' California Menagerie for a New England tour. The company made its first trip to Boston from March 5 to April 6, 1860, showcasing equestrian acts from Astley's alongside Ella Zoyara. Opening as Cooke's Royal Amphitheatre, the circus eventually rebranded to Nixon's Troupe of Equestrians from Astley's Royal Amphitheatre by the end of the five-week run. Unhappy with management, Cooke departed and returned home, causing his name to be removed from the bill.




Death


William Cooke died on May 6, 1886, in Brixton, England.




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