Bear-ly believable: in 1890s London, performing bears were a common sight on London’s streets, and in its courtrooms, too
SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: The closest we get to performing bears in Croydon these days is seeing Paddington on the big screen. DAVID MORGAN goes back more than 130 years to the weekend when a bear was in the dock, and would pay with its life
It was July 1892, and even by Croydon standards, the town’s magistrates had a more unusual defendant appearing in court before them: Frenchman Jean Baptiste and his bear.
Punched out: how the Croydon bear was featured in weekly magazine Punch
In the 1890s, there were many bears performing in the towns and cities across the country. Handlers often brought them over from the continent. It wasn’t until 1911 that the repulsive practice was prohibited. The RSPCA, founded in London in 1824, lobbied MPs for years until the new law was passed.
In Croydon on that summer Saturday 133 years ago, there was little space left in the dock in the Magistrates’ Court because as well as Jean Baptiste, his large bear was in there, too. Charged with cruelly treating and torturing a she-bear, Inspector Ormonde from the RSPCA outlined the case against Baptiste.
Ormonde told the court that a group of men with two bears were seen by him in Selhurst the previous day, July 8. One of the men was Baptiste, who had tried to get his bear to perform by jigging it with a chain attached to a ring in its upper lip.
Witnesses said that the bear screamed out in pain.
Hold the front page: the bear’s court appearance made the newspapers
Inspector Ormonde’s evidence was graphic. Blood was observed where the ring was attached. There was a scar, too, under the bear’s nose where the ring had previously been attached.
Ormonde told the court that when the ring was removed from the bear’s lip, the animal was so relieved that it immediately turned a somersault.
Baptiste had little defence against the accusation. He told the court that he was only looking after the bear for a friend. It turned out that the friend was in prison, serving a sentence for ill-treating the same bear. Baptiste argued that in order to get some money to pay for the bear’s keep, he was obliged to make it perform.
Croydon’s magistrates found Baptiste guilty of gross cruelty. He was sentenced to 14 days in prison, with hard labour. The bear was sent to the veterinary yard of Mr Thrale, in George Street, where stray dogs were usually placed.
One newspaper report said that at Thrale’s yard, the bear was placed in a very strongly constructed loose box with bars across the window. Thrale’s staff found it almost impossible to manage the creature. The window of the box was soon smashed. Nobody could placate the bear. It was, the workmen said, “In a state of madness.”
Centre court: bears and their handlers were often in the dock, as this illustration of an appearance at Wandsworth magistrates illustrates
It was decided that in the interest of public safety, the bear would have to be put down.
In a shocking turn of events, Thrale’s staff tried to kill the bear by giving it doses of prussic acid – cyanide – administered through a syringe aimed towards the bear’s mouth. These attempts failed and Thrale was called. He produced a gun and shot the bear dead.
Appearing in court the following week, Ormonde sought approval for his actions. Describing the bear as troublesome and very dangerous, the magistrates said they could not see how Inspector Ormonde could have acted any differently. His actions were endorsed.
Punch magazine covered the story the following week under the headline, “An Infuriated Bear Shot in Croydon.”
A second court case involving performing bears in Croydon took place in Bow Street in June 1903. A man, a foreigner who gave his name as John Morris, was charged with causing an obstruction in Ridgmount Gardens in Bloomsbury because of a performing bear which frightened several horses.
The bear, described as a huge animal, was heavily muzzled when Morris and his charge arrived at court. The bear would not be separated from its owner and so the two of them waited in a yard outside. After eating 10 loaves of bread which Morris had procured for it, the bear seemed much more settled. Other prisoners, surprised to see the animal, shouted out to it: “Oi! What are you in for?!”
The bear pawed anyone who came too close. A man who was appearing in court accused of cruelty to a horse tried to pat the bear but received rather a strong stroke in return.
When it was Morris’s turn to go before the magistrate, the assistant jailer had to come into the court and explain that the bear would not be parted from its master. The magistrate gave direction that the bear could accompany Morris into the dock.
Released with a caution: not all bear cases ended as sadly as the 1892 Croydon case
Once settled, the bear looked about the courtroom and began to lick Morris’s hand. The constable who was giving evidence explained that a crowd of about a hundred had gathered in Ridgmount Gardens, off Gower Street, causing a considerable obstruction. The constable said that he had asked Morris to move on with his bear, but he had refused. After he was arrested, Morris, in halting English, told the policeman that it was the first time that he had visited London.
Mr Fenwick, the magistrate, told Morris that he could not have a performing bear on the streets of London. Morris replied that he had already performed on the streets of Croydon, and nothing had happened to him there.
Fenwick reiterated that Morris could not have a performing bear in London. He told the defendant that if he promised never to perform again in London, then he would release him from custody. Morris promised and was allowed to leave the court with a caution. The bear shuffled out after him, probably looking forward to its next meal.
Surprising as these episodes might appear, there is a record of many court appearances by bears and their handlers in London towards the end of the 19th Century: at West Ham in 1889; Dalston 1890; Wandsworth 1890; Woolwich 1894; South West London 1897; and West Ham again in 1899.
In every one of these court appearances the bear was accompanied into the dock by various Frenchmen who had difficulty following the language of the court proceedings.
Sometimes they were sentenced, like Baptiste, to a short sharp punishment. On other occasions just a caution was issued.
Perhaps more of a question is why it took so long to ban such a cruel activity. This was no way for an animal to live.
With the current popularity of Paddington, perhaps the adjective ursine might just creep back into more common usage. Bears and humans have had a complex relationship down the years. Let’s hope that we can maintain the natural environments needed for the many species of bear to survive and thrive, and not just for those bears from Peru.
- David Morgan is a former Croydon headteacher, now the volunteer education officer at Croydon Minster who offers tours or illustrated talks on the history around the Minster for local community groups
If you would like a group tour of Croydon Minster or want to book a school visit, then ring the Minster Office on 020 688 8104 or go to the website on www.croydonminster.org and use the contact page
Some previous articles by David Morgan:
- Croydon’s man of adventure who founded New Zealand town
- Veteran of Albuera and New Orleans who policed the Cape
- Enter the Almshouses and travel back in time four centuries
- The church fire that consumed a thousand years of history
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Joy! Quote of the year – “Morris replied that he had already performed on the streets of Croydon, and nothing had happened to him there.” Bearfaced cheek!