Thomas Ord 1779-1859
Thomas Ord, equestrian, circus proprietor, entrepreneur, Biggar homeowner and, at the last buried, alongside his second wife Clara Jane, in the churchyard of Biggar Kirk. As far as we know he was born to the wife of a church pastor in 1779 in Berwickshire; ‘ran away’ from home rather than study medicine and joined a cavalry regiment from which he was cashiered out by an uncle. It is reported that a variety of farm employments were followed by an intensive equestrian apprenticeship and declining the offer of permanent work, he set out on his own with only a performing donkey in tow. Whatever the facts it is clear that Ord was a restless young man, determined that a conventional life was not for him and in effect he did ‘run away to the circus’ not only to perform, but also to become a star equestrian and proprietor.
According to his grand daughter, Jane Shand, soon after finishing his apprenticeship he purchased a horse, and engaged a few other artistes. “He was a host in himself. Besidesbeing a rider, he was a good tumbler and somersault thrower, and about as good a dancer as could be imagined. He was an actor, too, of no mean order. He had a fine voice, and could play the violin most acceptably.”. With these he extended the circuit of the other other travelling troupes of the time which would have varied between the larger Cooke’s Circus and much smaller outfits. His circus travelled widely, via horse and wagon, to small towns and villages in Scotland and the north of England and Thomas Ord soon became a by-word for circus in the North and a much respected and admired man.
It is hard now to imagine the excitement and importance of the visiting circus. To a poor and rural populace these fantastic and magical spectacles would have provided an experience for which people would travel many miles: relishing a chance to dress up, mingle and let their imaginations play. No doubt the local inn did a roaring trade. A ring was dug on a patch of land near the town and the turfs provided a surrounding seating area for the audience. These were known as Ord Rings and would likely remain in place until the next circus visit. The show was in the open air and attendance was free with all profits being made through the sale of lottery tickets for prizes as varied as a sheep to a bolt of cloth. There would be fireworks and no doubt burning torches to light the scene. The performers would be dressed in colourful costumes with frequent changes in keeping with the acts. Jugglers, acrobats, dogs jumping through burning hoops and, of course, horses on which the rider would perform acrobatic feats or act out stories based on famous, or sometimes local, characters. Audience members with special skills might be urged to contribute and perhaps a particularly skilful one might travel with the circus to the next venue. The festive atmosphere would be supplemented by local and travelling hawkers and no doubt many a saved up coin would be spent. At this time exotic animals were not part of circus acts though there are reports of single bears or an elephant and even a zebra being displayed alongside a travelling circus. No doubt children would be much in evidence trying to re-enact performances. All in all a noisy, chaotic, colourful and likely very muddy scene.
At this time the city based circus industry was developing apace. In London Philip Astley, the oft considered father of modern circus had built his Royal Amphitheatre which had a stage in addition to the circus ring which could, if needed, be connected by ramps. The illustration below indicates the sophistication of circus provision not only in London, but also in major cities, at the same time as young Thomas Ord was travelling the rural areas of Scotland and the north of England. Ord was very much a part of a fast developing industry. Although the large establishments were much grander in terms of numbers and equipment, many of the acts were in essence similar to their smaller cousins: enactments of daring deeds from history or the contemporary news; tableaux depicting well known battles and scenes from history and Empire; skilful juggling and acrobatics and, at the heart, the extraordinary mastery of the famous equestrians of the time: Thomas Cooke, Philip Astley and Andrew Ducrow. Ord himself was widely considered to have skills equal to these circus stars and there is an oft quoted story of him challenging anyone, for the sum of five hundred guineas, to out trick-ride himself. To supplement his income and enhance his reputation he frequently lent his skills to other circuses.
For Ord there followed years of travel between cities as far apart as Aberdeen and Dublin but with the focus very much on Scotland. His circus increased in size and in some cities he was able to build his own elaborate, temporary amphitheatres. Twice he lost most of his money, once to a bank crash and once, when it appears he was defrauded, during an extended tour of Wales.
Following this last foray his Biggar connection begins. In 1841 he returned to Scotland with only three horses, but by 1843 he was able to purchase a house in Biggar and, encouraged by an enthusiastic local reception, construct a small wooden amphitheatre. Unfortunately local interest waned and the circus building survived only a few months before being demolished. The house was to remain in Ord’s family for many years and was eventually demolished in the 20th century.
From that time forward Ord’s career went full circle as he largely constrained himself, to small travelling performances throughout Scotland and resumed charging by lottery ticket purchase. As the Scottish rail network was expanding rapidly during these years the use of Biggar station must have eased his access to many smaller areas. Despite his advancing years he continued to provide such equestrian skills as he could manage until ill health drove him back to his home in Biggar where he died in 1859.He was entombed alongside his second wife, Clara Jane in Biggar Kirk churchyard. The memorial that can now be seen over his tomb was erected by his daughter Selina in 1875. Note that his age of death is given as seventy five though it is now known, from his death certificate, that he was eighty.
What of Thomas Ord’s character?. No illustrations of either himself or his performances have been found and he told his family very little about his past. Through reading accounts of the time we know that he was a tall and dignified man who retained good standards of agility and eyesight into old age. He is known to have had three wives, of whom the first drowned, the second died of typhus and the third outlived him. He moved between states of relative poverty and affluence and was respected and admired throughout Scotland. His equestrian skills were famed. He was also a Freemason and regular church goer, who had strict rules about behaviour amongst his troupe and was a philanthropist who regularly gave performance benefits for causes or individuals. What is clear from looking back at his long career, is his determination to keep providing circus entertainment throughout Scotland. Extraordinary levels of energy and discipline must have been essential when overcoming the difficulties of circus organisation whilst intermittently having to cope with financial and personal setbacks. Thomas Ord must have been a very special person.
Much of the information for this piece was taken from Stuart McMillan’s book. Thomas Ord: Circus Proprietor …, Jane Shand’s booklet A Sketch of the Life of Thomas Ord, the Equestrian and various newspaper reports of the time. Copies of the McMillan and Shand books can be found in the Biggar Museum Archive. An introduction and illustrations prepared for a museum exhibition are also available in the Archive.
