The Life of John North, Travelling Showman

A Quiet Passing in 1916

John North
Danygraig Cemetery
credit - findagrave

South Wales Daily Post

St. Valentine’s Day 1916 marked the quiet passing of John North, who was laid to rest at Danygraig Cemetery. The South Wales Daily Post carried a notice the following day reporting his death, a brief announcement. This prompts the question: who was John North?

John North

Early Life in Leicestershire

John North was born in 1856 in Loughborough, Leicestershire, the son of Charles North, a confectioner, and Mary Ann Wall.

1861 Census

At the time of the 1861 Census, the family were living at 62 Baxter Gate, Loughborough, where Charles, then fifty, continued his trade as a confectioner. Mary Ann, aged forty‑six, managed the household, while their children—Edward, fourteen; Henry, twelve; Harriot, nine; and John, five—were all recorded as attending school.

1871 Census

By the 1871 Census, the family had reduced in number and had moved to 21 South Street, Ashby‑de‑la‑Zouch. Charles, now fifty‑five, remained a confectioner, and Mary Ann was fifty‑four. Their only child still at home was fifteen‑year‑old John, who was still in education.

Marriage and a New Direction

John North and Emma Leavers marriage certificate St. Peter's Church, Derby

In 1876, at St Peter’s Church, Derby, John North married Emma Leavers. His occupation at the time was recorded as Confectioner, following the trade of his father. Within a few years, however, John’s life took a different direction.

Arrival in Swansea and the Fairground Life

1881 Census

By the 1881 Census, John and Emma had moved to Swansea and were living in caravans, marking the beginning of their life as travelling showpeople. John, aged twenty‑six, was described as the Travelling Proprietor of Swinging Boats (with swings). Emma, Derbyshire‑born and twenty‑three, was recorded as Emily. Their young family consisted of William, aged two, and eight‑month‑old John.

Swinging Boats in British Fairground History

Swing Boats

The history of Swinging Boats, the very attraction that defined John North’s early career, reaches back into the Victorian fairground tradition. Known variously as swing boats, boat swings, or shove‑ha’penny boats, they emerged in Britain during the early nineteenth century and quickly became a staple of travelling fairs. Their appeal lay in their simplicity: a wooden boat suspended within a sturdy frame, set in motion by the riders themselves who pulled ropes or pumped their bodies to gain height. Long before steam‑powered roundabouts or electrically driven amusements, swing boats offered a rare sense of personal control and exhilaration, allowing riders to generate their own momentum and compete with neighbouring boats for the highest arc.

By the mid‑Victorian period, swing boats had become one of the most recognisable features of the British fairground. They were inexpensive to operate, required little mechanical maintenance, and could be erected quickly on open ground — qualities that made them ideal for travelling showmen moving from town to town. Their popularity was such that they appeared at both small parish feasts and major regional fairs, from Nottingham Goose Fair to the great gatherings at Hull, Bristol, and Cardiff. Children and adults alike flocked to them, and their rhythmic motion, creaking timbers, and bright paintwork became part of the sensory landscape of the fair.

The addition of “with swings” in census descriptions such as John North’s reflects a particular variation in which the proprietor operated not only the traditional boat swings but also smaller children’s swings or side attractions built into the same travelling set. These combined outfits were common among showmen who specialised in family‑friendly amusements, enabling them to offer a compact but profitable range of rides. The equipment was typically transported in caravans or wagons, erected on arrival, and dismantled swiftly for the next journey — a rhythm of life that shaped generations of travelling families.

By the late nineteenth century, swing boats were often elaborately decorated, with painted panels, carved finials, and brightly coloured canopies. They remained entirely human‑powered, a contrast to the steam‑driven gallopers and switchbacks that were beginning to dominate the larger fairs. Yet their charm endured. For many communities, especially in South Wales, swing boats were among the first fairground rides children experienced, and they remained a fixture well into the twentieth century. It was within this long and lively tradition that John North established himself, bringing his swing boats to Swansea, Neath, Aberavon, and the surrounding districts.

Growing Family and Expanding Enterprise

1891 Census

A decade later, at the 1891 Census, the North family were living at Corporation Field, Caravan, Neath. John, now thirty‑seven, continued as a Travelling Proprietor of Swinging Boats, and Emma, thirty‑five, managed a growing household. Their children were William, twelve; Charles, eight; Maud A., six; John, four; Elizabeth, two; and baby Alfred, eight months old. The scale of their enterprise was reflected in the presence of five servants: Edith Griffiths, fifteen; Julia Baker, nineteen; Thomas Sheen, twenty; Charles E. North, twenty; and James Evans, nineteen.

Life at Fair Field, Aberavon

1901 Census

By the 1901 Census, the family had moved again, this time to Fair Field, Aberavon. John, forty‑seven, was recorded simply as a Travelling Showman, and Emma was forty‑six. Their children still at home were William, twenty‑two; Charles, eighteen; Annie, sixteen; and John, fourteen. A servant, Charlotte Batts, aged nineteen, was also present.

Cambria Daily Leader

A Mishap on the Road: The 1904 Accident

In 1904, the Cambria Daily Leader published an article titled “Showman’s Experiences”, recounting an incident involving both Mr and Mrs North while travelling from Llanelly to Swansea. As their van made its way near Cwmbwrla, it toppled over due to the slippery nature of the road, throwing their journey into sudden danger. Though shaken, the couple escaped serious injury, and the episode served as a reminder of the hazards faced by travelling showpeople whose livelihoods depended on constant movement, unpredictable weather, and the condition of the roads that linked one fairground to the next.

South Wales Daily Post

A Generous Showman: The 1908 Newspaper Tribute

In 1908, the South Wales Daily Post published an article accompanied by a photograph of John North, highlighting not his business, but his quiet acts of generosity. For a number of years, John had without fail sent a parcel of tobacco and snuff to the inmates of the Swansea Workhouse, a gesture that brought comfort to men who had little. At the same time, he ensured that every child at the Cottage Homes who attended the Strand Winter Garden New Year’s Fête received a cocoanut, a small but memorable delight in the bleak midwinter. These annual gifts, given without publicity or expectation, revealed a compassionate side to John North that was well known within the community long before it appeared in print.

The Final Census

The 1911 Census, the last John would complete, shows the North family still settled at Fair Field, Aberavon, with their household divided across three entries.

1911 Census

The first lists John, fifty‑six, Showman, and Emma, fifty‑six.

1911 Census

The second records their sons Charles, twenty‑seven, and Henry Asther, eighteen, both assisting in the family business.

1911 Census

The third entry lists two servants, Jo Preast, thirty‑six, and Jance Woods, forty‑two, reflecting the continued scale of their travelling enterprise.

Legacy of a Travelling Showman

John North’s life traced the arc of a Victorian confectioner’s son who became a prominent travelling showman, raising a large family and sustaining a business that moved across counties and decades. His death in 1916 brought an end to a life lived on the road, but his story—preserved in census pages, newspaper notices, and the memory of the fairground world—remains rooted in the communities he passed through, and finally in the soil of Danygraig Cemetery.