George Wombwell Elephant Letter, c. 1890

Jumbo and his Original Companion ‘Peto’

1. About the letter

This letter was apparently written by George Wombwell, the nephew of George Wombwell, the founder of the menagerie. It recounts the efforts of the younger George to source a new elephant from France on behalf of the late Mrs Wombwell in 1866. 

This late Mrs Wombwell may have been the older George’s partner-in-arms, Ann Morgan, though she retired from the business around this time, or the owner of Menagerie Number 2, Harriett Edmunds (nee Wombwell) who was active in the menagerie business until 1884, when she too retired.

The letter may have therefore been written some time after this. The younger George, it may be remembered, successfully bankrupted Menagerie Number 3, not so very long after inheriting it from his Uncle. 

2. About George Wombwell Junior 

George was born around 1822 in Lordship Road, Stoke Newington and was the son of George Wombwell’s younger brother, Zacharias Wombwell and Mary Webb. According to an 1897 Daily Mail profile and interview with the younger George, his uncle adopted him when he was around ten years old and took him on the road. After the collapse of Menagerie Number Three, George junior spent time as a hired hand in the other menageries (as the letter shows) but was finally reduced to playing his cornet in the bands, and trying to sell his old stories to the press. He died in highly reduced circumstances in 1909.

George married twice, first to Fanny Eliza Kienlen. Their daughter, Ann Fanny Wombwell was living with Ann Wombwell (Morgan) and Amelia Bramston in Hampstead on the day of the 1871 census. She subsequently married into the well-known family of naturalists, the Sowerbys, and went to do missionary work in China. George’s second marriage was to a girl half-his-age of much lower class origins.

3. The Stoke Newington Wombwells

Zachariah Wombwell and Mary Webb were basically dairy farmers and cow-keepers, but since George reported in his 1897 interview that his father had converted an elephant house into a living room – an unusual home conversion project by any standards – it is probably the case that for some time at least Lordship Road served as paddocks for the menagerie. Living next door were Richard Wombwell and Maria West, who were livery stable keepers, suggesting that they too were part of the Wombwell supply chain. Richard was probably a first cousin of the older George, and had lived in London since at least 1798.

4. Where the Letter came from

Richard’s daughter, Harriett Wombwell (1804-1870) married a Charles Robinson, and one of their children, Maria Robinson married a Henry Bradley. It is through the Bradley family that George’s letter was passed down through the generations to the current ‘owner’.

George Wombwell junior and the Bradleys clearly kept in touch, and when George fell on hard times, it is a fair guess that he was doing the rounds of his relatives. My own intuition about this letter is that it was probably not written by George but dictated by him to one of the Bradley daughters, and then whether by oversight or for some other reason left with them to be kept and stored as a keepsake and memory. They also kept a copy of the 1897 Daily Mail newspaper article, and George’s obituary from 1909.

The letter and transcript follow below:

Transcript of the Letter

Sir, Thinking it might be interesting I forward the following particulars regarding an old companion of “Jumbo”.

About the year 1866 while the collection was in North Wales, the late Mrs Wombwell lost her large elephant named “Tom”. In order to replace him, she arranged to purchase another from Paris.

At that time there were five elephants at the Jardin de Plants Paris - two of these were to be parted with -one the giant Indian elephant “Peto” – which was over ten feet high and weighed five tons – the other, the now celebrated African Elephant “Jumbo” then about four feet high was sent to the zoological gardens London in exchange for a rhinoceros.

The means of conveying large animals were not so easy then as at present as the following narrative will explain.

The Elephant “Peto” was bought by Mrs Wombwell. I went to Paris and brought him to London. “Peto” had a very bad temper and the authorities of Paris would not allow him to walk through the streets.

A contract was entered into with the owners of the steamer “Esther” trading between Paris and London. A cage was made with roller wheels for “Peto” but like “Jumbo”, he declined the polite invitation to enter and the steamer started without him. As a fortnight would elapse before the steamer would start again we used all sorts of stratagem and by depriving of food (except in the cage) to entice him to get used to the cage.

The night before the steamer was to start “Peto” had a food supper of cooked oats, bran and carrots, was got into the cage, and both ends were made fast. Twelve horses were engaged to drag him away and we started at 4 o’clock in the morning but a stop was soon put to our journey. Some time previously a tree had been taken up to widen the pathway – the off (side) front wheel sank into the hole where the tree had been and over went the cage, “Peto” and all. “Peto” soon smashed the cage, strong as it was, all to pieces, and made his way back to his old den.

A fresh cage was made but “Peto”, was very cautious and sagacious about entering it tho’ by keeping him without food we finally succeeded in trapping him. A fresh start was made for the steamer… but the steamer was reached in safety. On the cage being slung it was found there was not sufficient room on deck so one of the masts and a pump had to be removed – the Captain had to exercise great caution in passing under the numerous bridges down the river Seine.

On arriving at St. Brides Wharf, the Captain said the tide was too low to land “Peto” but during my absence of two hours, he tried to do so. (He) had got the cage about 8ft from the deck when the chain broke. The cage fell and broke through the deck and skylights. Nearly standing on end, “Peto” was standing as well as he could on his hind legs and partly kneeling on his front to try and make himself level. – A fresh chain was got which also broke – but by the aid if two other cranes – “Peto” was at last landed.

‘At night when all was quiet “Peto” was walked to Beth Street, Ratcliff Highway and lodged in a gateway – crowbars were driven into the ground and “Peto” was chained to them – he had a good bed of straw and plenty of food and was left to himself.

However about 4 o’clock in the morning there was a great cry of “Murder” and “Police” – on myself and keepers going to the scene we found that “Peto” had amused himself by tearing down the plaster ceiling over the gateway and knocking up the floorboards where a man, his wife and family were sleeping in happy ignorance of the elephant lodger below them and of course were much frightened. Arrangements were then made with Mr E T Smith and “Peto” was removed to Cremorne Gardens to await the arrival of the menagerie from the north of England.

After much difficulty he was got there – a strong den was made and he was secured – the French keeper however desired to return to Paris and left. From that time “Peto” fretted and began to shew his temper and would strike with his trunk at all who went near him – several keepers experienced with elephants tried to control him but failed and one, Edward Hendy, who thought he had mastered him was struck and had his ribs broken.

After some weeks finding that he was too vicious and dangerous for the menagerie it was decided to destroy him and he was sold to Mr C Rice the naturalist for his skin and bones.

Mr Rice was preparing to have him destroyed but Mr Smith would not allow it on his premises and bought it himself believing he could tame him by kindness – but to no purpose. I told Mr Smith that unless the den was kept constantly clean the animal would have fever in the feet and die – it so happened and this was the end of the Indian elephant “Peto”, the old companion of the now giant African elephant Jumbo.

Should you esteem this worthy of insertion I will occasionally forward you incidents of wild animals which have occurred in my experience.

Yours obediently;
George Wombwell,
Nephew of the late George Wombwell