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Crime figures, criminals, their accomplices and victims are limited when it comes to collecting Staffordshire figures, in which I include both pre-Victorian and Victorian examples. In recent times, this collecting genre has become increasingly desirable and difficult to locate and secure for one’s personal collection.

I could name a few pre-Victorian examples for those that are unfamiliar with what has been discovered so far. The ‘Red Barn’ figures associated with the murder by William Corder, his victim, Maria Marten. The ‘Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat’ by Charlotte Corday. We also have ‘Jack Sheppard’ who inspired that 20th century hit song Mack the Knife.

As for Victorian examples, we have a few more. ‘William Palmer’ the Rugeley poisoner and his ‘House’. ‘James B Rush’ who was tried mainly on the evidence of ‘Emily Sandford’. ‘Frederick Manning’ and his wife ‘Maria Manning’ for the murder of Patrick O’Conner. Then there are the criminals, ‘William Smith O’Brien’ and its pair, his devoted wife Lucy, ‘Mrs O’Brien’. We also have ‘John Brown’ the insurrectionist, and also the Decembrist Colonel Paul ‘Pestel’. Not forgetting a multitude of ‘Robin Hood’, ‘Tom King’ and ‘Dick Turpin’ figures, and of course the hotly debated ‘Smith and Collier’ groups! There are probably some others I have missed out, for which I apologise.

Most command high prices these days and are highly collectable by those among us with a taste for intrigue and the macabre! Few, if any new examples have come to light in the last fifty years with a positive attribution. It would appear they have all been found; to add another to the exclusive list above would be classed as a remarkable discovery, especially in the 21st century, one that I hope would be scrutinised rigorously by those serious Staffordshire figure scholars and collectors among us.

So, on this note I am going to stick my neck out and dare to put forward an old contender with a newly found attribution, one that I believe reveals indisputable and fresh evidence, new discovery material that, I hope, will add one more figure for the crime figure collectors to look out for. This attribution is based on evidence recently gathered and brought together by myself, parts of a jigsaw puzzle, the pieces of which have been discovered by several individuals over many years and finally pieced together by curiosity, the determination to know, a little bit of luck, plenty of serendipity, and most importantly, a lifelong love of Staffordshire figure collecting!

For those not familiar with it, figure 1 has long been the object of many discerning collector’s curiosity. An innocent young boy is seated on what looks to be a market crate. He is wearing a smart outfit, bowler type hat, shirt, necktie, waistcoat, jacket and trousers. On his lap he is cradling a caged rodent, is it a rat or is it a mouse? The mammal is curiously and very finely painted behind the bars of a cage, detailed meticulously by a skilful decorator, the likes of which I cannot recall seeing painted so well on any other Staffordshire figure. The potters have gone to great lengths and care to emphasise the importance of the caged animal by detailing it so; this leaves us in no doubt about its significance in the story they are trying to portray.

Some may doubt my dating of this well coloured and unsigned example, which I place to the early 1830’s. Please bear with me and read my findings before dismissing this at the first hurdle. One might associate the quality of this piece with the Lloyds of Shelton or more probably an early Dudson figure, perhaps?

But how could this sweet little innocent boy possibly fall into the ‘macabre’ category, I hear you ask?

I have seen four or five examples of this figure over the last 35 years. One appeared in Antique Collecting magazine, October 1989 edition, written by Delia Napier. The article focused mainly on John & Rebecca Lloyd of Shelton figures. The only other published illustration I have managed to find can be found in the book A Potted History (Henry Willett’s Ceramic Chronicle of Britain) by Stella Beddoe, page 311 and figure 1620. The figure is part of the wonderful Willett Collection on show at the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery here in the U.K. The collection was formed in the latter part of the 19th century, a must-see museum display for any serious lover of English pottery. Stella also dates this figure to c1830 and gives the illustration in her book the title ‘Italian?’ a name I assume which has been handed down with the figure since it was first acquired and added to the collection pre-c1900.

No further details or explanation of the piece to my knowledge exists. It would be nice to think that at the time of its purchase by Mr Willet, he knew a little bit about who the chap was, for that name and date to have been added to the inventory and subsequently handed down. The intervening years appear to have eroded whatever other knowledge was known of it from the public domain. Nevertheless, this first clue is very intriguing and a good start, all that is required to fan the flames of my curiosity into finding out the identity of this beautiful little figure.

Italian immigrants have been travelling to parts of Great Britain and London for hundreds of years. One of the latest waves at the time this figure was manufactured, I am led to believe, came as a result of the hardships brought on after the Napoleonic Wars. Many ‘Italian Boys’ would do well earning a living on the streets because of their good looks and innocent faces, performing several entertaining pursuits as itinerant musicians, some with exotic animals such as monkeys doing tricks, displaying tortoises, and exhibiting trained mice. Others would be image sellers, touting plaster of Paris figures of popular celebrities and politicians aloft on trays as seen in illustration 1. Some may even have sold our very own Staffordshire figures that we collect today!

Illustration 1 – Could this be Staffordshire for sale?

My second stroke of good luck arrived about eight months ago. I was very fortunate to have acquired a similar example, figure 2, slightly different in a number of ways but obviously portraying the same person. The detail of the caged animal is not as refined, but he does wear the same clothes. However, the one main difference is that this figure sits quite clearly on some steps. This figurine I believe may be quite unique, I have never seen another.

Figure 2 – A similar recent find

Some reading this article may be aware of my abilities to find the rare and unusual for my stock at RTS Antiques. I am very lucky to be able to do this work for a living and count myself fortunate to enjoy immensely the processes involved; the constant searching and researching is in my opinion, true job satisfaction. I must point out it is not as easy as it seems as it takes many hours of dedicated looking to find these gems. Some, I sense, are not as fortunate as I to be able to dedicate so much time and be so vigilant (or unlike me, have far better things to do with their time!). As the old saying goes, ‘The early bird catches the worm’. Many though, I believe, are quite happy and content to let seasoned dedicated dealers do the hard work, trusting them to find the very best examples out there for their consideration. But forgive me, I seem to have gotten off my subject...

I bought the little beauty from a small obscure auction house here in the U.K. I find they can be one of the best places to buy from, if you are prepared to put in the hours of traveling and searching, that is. Found in a dirty old dusty box in the back of beyond, I was delighted to find along with the figure some other bits and bobs, one of which was a curious brown envelope (serendipity) containing a couple of letters and several printed pages showing illustrations from a book. The letters transpired to be the correspondence between the owner of the figure and a Bonhams auction house specialist, and they dated back to January 2007. I later learned that the two copied pages came from a book that was published back in 2004, the author, Sarah Wise, the book title, The Italian Boy, Murder & Grave Robbery in 1830’s London, see illustration 2. I found a copy online and waited for it to arrive in the post!

Illustration 2 – Cover of book, portrait of Carlo with caged mice by artist John Hayes, 1832

As I read the pages, a terrible tale began to emerge of the grisly early 19th century practice of grave robbing. This disgusting practice was performed for a handsome profit by those who had lowered themselves to carry out this illegal work. It was funded by numerous hospitals and medical institutions of the day, all willing to turn a blind eye, desperate for bodies to practice this emerging science on.

St Bartholomew's and Guys were just a few that took these cadavers in. Surgeons and medical students would then practise anatomy on the dead corpses. Impoverished London low lives and petty criminals capitalised on this unholy occupation earning upwards of 20 guineas a body, which in turn gained them the unwholesome job titles of ‘Resurrection Men’ and ‘Resurrectionists’ to name a couple!

The author Sarah Wise summarises:

In the 1830s, town planners condemned the City of London as a metropolitan abomination. Smithfield meat market was choked with animal fat and foam; Pissing Alley was ankle-deep in excrement. The sale of livestock in the city centre must have been an extraordinary sight for a newcomer. Carlo Ferrari, a teenage migrant from rural Italy, was an inhabitant of the area. He scraped a living by exhibiting caged white mice to Smithfield passers-by. By associating with card sharps and other chancers, he had exposed himself to danger. On the afternoon of 3 November 1831, the boy was killed by "resurrection men", or body-snatchers, who then sold his corpse to anatomists.

Illustration 3 – A detailed etching (Image: Wellcombe Trust/Creative Commons)

Here we have a few contemporary illustrations published at the time of his murder, artist interpretations of Carlo Ferrari. The first etching, illustration 3, shows the Italian boy standing, holding one of his pets in both hands. The second, illustration 4, shows him seated at the top of some steps, clothed in cap, shirt, waistcoat, jacket and trousers. He has a cage of white mice on his lap, a sweet innocent smile on his face. Like many other ‘Italian Boys’ he was forced to emigrate because of hardships in his own country brought on after the Napoleonic Wars. He would have been one of many similar boys who hawked images, performed tricks with mice and other exotic animals or played street music for passers-by to be entertained, all in the hope of earning a few pennies. These illustrations are just a few of the many images of Carlo published as broadsheets (cheaply printed single news sheets sold on street corners by independent printers and journalists) at the time of the trial in 1831. Both illustration 4 and illustration 5, I believe, were the sources the potters used as the inspiration for the two figures so far recorded.

 Illustration 4 – Possible source image for Staffordshire potters

Illustration 5 – Another image for the Staffordshire potters to draw from

 Sarah Wise continues:

Over 200 body-snatchers were estimated to operate in London at this time. Anatomy was still in its infancy as a science and surgeons where eager to practise their skills. Smithfield's proximity to a hospital - St Bartholomew's - meant it was ideally situated for the traffic in human corpses. Most resurrectionists of course did not murder but instead disinterred fresh bodies from graveyards. Three men, Bishop, May and Williams, (illustration 6) however, stood accused of abducting and slaughtering Carlo, and their crime outraged all London.

Illustration 6 – The three men accused of the crime

The trial that resulted from this terrible crime gave detailed eyewitness accounts of sightings of Carlo Ferrari days before his disappearance. John Bishop and Thomas Williams were found guilty of murder and hanged in front of a crowd of 30,000 at Newgate on 5 December 1831. They became known as the ‘London Burkers’, as the crimes they committed mirrored the earlier convictions of William Burke and William Hare in Edinburgh Scotland 1828. Illustration 7 is a broadsheet of the trial, and illustration 8 is a close up of a page taken from a newspaper article about the trial that appeared in The Sunday Times of London, December 1831.

Illustration 7 – Broadsheet of the trial

Illustration 8 – From the Sunday Times of London, Dec. 1831

In a final twist, Sarah concludes:

Yet the truth behind their deed was muddied by newspapers and witnesses. From the trial documents it seems the trio had not snatched an Italian street boy at all but delivered to a hospital the body of a Lincolnshire drover who worked the cattle pens off Smithfield's Chick Lane. Why the elaboration? In London's febrile imagination, the slaying of a pretty, olive-cheeked Italian made for a more satisfyingly brutal story; nobody cared about a Lincolnshire boy.

So, there we have it, I believe based on this evidence the two figures of the seated boy holding the caged mouse on his lap should now be recognised as none other than portrait figures of the murdered Italian Boy, Carlo Ferrari, a story later found to have been sensationalized by the press during the trial in December 1831 and picked up on by our Staffordshire potters at the time, who then went on to create these two splendid examples. In reality the confessions given by Bishop and Williams the day before their execution revealed, in their own words, they had murdered not one but several unfortunate souls. They denied ever killing the Italian boy.................... but somebody did, he and his caged mice were never seen again!!

The Ups & Downs of the Extraordinary Mr Falahaa !!

Some Staffordshire figure collectors may be aware of an unusual lone standing figure illustration tucked into the back pages of the theatrical section of P.D. Gordon Pugh’s fine volume ’Staffordshire Portrait Figures and Allied Subjects of the Victorian Era'.

In my dog eared 1970’s volume, a first edition, it can be found on page E 478, Plate 143 and Figure 301. 

Pugh gives us a little information about its ownership history and, at the time of the publication of the book, it’s whereabouts.

It had once been in the collection of the late, Lady Lucy Wise, and it would appear the figure was bequeathed to the Laing Art Gallery and Museum, Newcastle upon Tyne, where, to my knowledge it has been located in there store ever since, at the moment, shut away and languishing in the museum’s store, hidden from public view.

In fact, to my knowledge, no other example has ever been recorded. I think we can safely say, if it wasn’t for Mr Pugh’s illustration, none of us would ever have known it exists....

The black and white illustration has always intrigued and fascinated me, as to my eyes, it displays a number of the characteristics I would usually associate with the figures I have chosen to collect over the last 30 years, some may know already, but for those that do not know me, I collect mainly ‘Alpha’ factory/type figures.

The indented gilt capital letters to the base, those typical black pupils on a white ground with the perfectly arched eyebrows, and of course those cupid bow lips, all stand out to me as a candidate for an Alpha attribution. Now with these recently taken colour photographs (Peg leg Illustration 1a & Name Illustration 1b), I am convinced it is an Alpha figure.

Pugh gives us a good description of the figure which is clearly animated and dancing a ‘Highland Fling’. The animation and drama of the figure can almost act as a distraction from the rest of the figure details, which at first glance appears to be just another Scottish dancer adorned in Highland attire including a jacket, kilt, sporran, and tartan scarf. But if you look a little closer you will notice that this dancer has some unusual additions to his costume and demeanour that are important pointers, put there intentionally to emphasise the character the potters wish to portray, a gold medal or pocket watch on his left side is one and most importantly, he is wearing a wooden peg leg with a tartan sock on it!!

(Illustration 1a)

The observations in the book go on to detail some vague possible candidates as to whom this figure might portray, sadly, they are all guesses, an unconvincing attempt to identify this curious character from a bygone era.

For 50 more years there has been no further published attempt at his identity or clear and firm evidence found to identify him, no discoveries to point us in the right direction, nothing proved once and for all that determines whether a ‘Mr Falahaa’ was a real person or not, nothing to let us know for sure if he ever existed at all.

All we have is this one, curious, splendid, sole and lonely example.

One thing I have learned about our Staffordshire potters over the years of collecting, they were a frugal bunch in manufacture, they would not have wasted time and effort to make just one figure, it just wouldn’t sit right.  Why would they go to all that production expense for just one example?

This character must have made a huge impression on the potters and public at large, one that inspired our potters so much so that they thought him especially worthy to be immortalised in clay over 170 years ago.

But why have no others ever been found?

I had set myself a challenge!! I had to try harder, turn over every leaf, use every new resource available, dig a little deeper and find out if he was real or not, I had to know who he was and what had happened to halt the mass production run of this figure!!

Well, folks, I have some good news to report!!

I have put in the hours searching, (lockdown weeks have had their advantages) and it’s paid off.

I have a story you might like to hear!!...............

Come a little closer and let me tell you the tale about ’The Ups and Downs of the extraordinary Mr Falahaa!!

(Illustration 1b)

(Illustration 2) Cider House Passage, off Broad Street, Bristol c1820)

The first public appearance of Mr Falahaa was at the Doughty’s Concert Room in Bristol (Illustration 2) on Saturday 18 September 1848. A popular but small concert room attached to and affiliated with a popular Tavern on the Cider-House-Passage just off Broad Street, Bristol. A venue that between 1842 and 1852, put on a variety of concerts and stage acts. These tended to feature a range of singers (comic singers, balladists, sentimental vocalists, etc), along with the occasional dancer, ventriloquist act or tableaux vivant troupe.

An advertisement in, ’The Bristol Mercury and Western Counties Advertiser, for Saturday, September 16, 1848, gave me the first real documented evidence of Mr Falahaa’s actual existence.

The column describes in the line up of that following Monday evening's entertainment (Illustration 3), and for the first time, gives us a record of a certain; [Mr Falahaa, the only Wooden Leg Dancer in England], was to make his first public stage performance ........Admission Free!

(Illustration (3) 

I was beside myself, I’d found an account of him at last!!

He must have been an instant hit with the public, as just a few weeks later he appeared again, at the same venue (Illustration 4), Saturday 30 September 1848, only this time he is advertised in the Bristol Mercury; [Mr Falahaa being an old soldier, and having lost his leg in defence of his country, is allowed to be the most astonishing Dancer in England].

(Illustration (4)

A picture of a life lived was beginning to emerge, I had a couple of clues, but needed more!!

Our Mr Falahaa was finally real, a self-confessed war hero, battle-scarred and maimed in the defence of the Empire, who through his newfound dancing exploits (and state of the art prosthetic wooden leg!) starts to become a popular act, a new celebrity to the delight of the British public.

A countrywide tour begins, popping up next in the West Country (Illustration 5), a small theatre, possibly on Union Street, Plymouth. This time we have a small but glowing published theatre revue of his performance in; The West of England Conservative, Wednesday, December 13, 1848 [On the evening Mr Falahaa, the wooden leg dancer, who had previously gratified the audiences by his “Highland Fling,” and other dances, took his benefit].

(Illustration 5)

Here he is in full colour for the first time (Illustration 5a), just about to perform his ‘Highland Fling’. (with special thanks to Sarah Richardson, curator of Art, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, for supplying the colour photographs)

(Illustration 5a Mr Falahaa in colour)

From Plymouth his popularity begins to snowball, we can follow his movements across the south of the country before heading North to Birmingham later in the year, (from this next advertisement I uncovered ); Aris’s Birmingham Gazette, Monday 28 May 1849. See illustration (6), it shows that Mr Falahaa travelled across to London, where he joined the celebrities and entertainers of the day by performing at the now world-famous ‘Astley's Royal Amphitheatre, Westminster Bridge Road, Lambeth. I surmise he stayed here performing for six months (unfortunately, I have been unable to find any Astley's advertising posters of this period that he is named on). [Mr FALAHAA the celebrated WOODEN-LEGGED DANCER, from Astley’s Royal Amphitheatre, who is engaged for a few nights, will make his first Appearance To-morrow (Tuesday.)]

(Illustration 6)

It is whilst in London that he probably first came to the attention of the renowned and respected black entertainer and circus owner, Pablo Fanque (Illustration 6a) who not only attended Astley's himself to perform but was also very successful in his own capacity, operating several other parallel circus shows in the North West, one in Sheffield, the others in Rochdale and Liverpool, (Incidentally, for those who like popular music, John Lennon of 'The Beatles' fame, immortalised Mr Fanque in his song, ‘Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite’, on their best selling album 'Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band’).

Here is a copy of the lyrics to the song:

For the benefit of Mr. Kite

There will be a show tonight on trampoline

The Hendersons will all be there

Late of Pablo Fanques Fair, what a scene

Over men and horses, hoops and garters

Lastly through a hogshead of real fire

In this way Mr. K. will challenge the world

The celebrated Mr. K.

Performs his feat on Saturday at Bishops Gate

The Hendersons will dance and sing

As Mr. Kite flies through the ring, don't be late

Messrs. K and H. assure the public

Their production will be second to none

And of course Henry The Horse dances the waltz

The band begins at ten to six

When Mr. K. performs his tricks without a sound

And Mr. H. will demonstrate

Ten summer sets he'll undertake on solid ground

Having been some days in preparation

A splendid time is guaranteed for all

And tonight Mr. Kite is topping the bill.

An original Victorian Broadside that John Lennon had bought from a local antique shop, close to where he was living at the time, became the inspiration for the song!! (See Illustration 6b).

(Illustration 6a Pablo Fanque)

(Illustration 6b John Lennon’s inspirational Broadside)

Having moved up the country during late May, and now being located in Birmingham, his first appearance at the Theatre Royal as advertised on Monday 28 May 1849, [Mr Falahaa the celebrated WOODEN-LEGGED-DANCER, from Astley’s Royal Amphitheatre, who is engaged for a few nights, will make his first Appearance To-morrow (Tuesday)].

A few days later, on 4 June 1849 (Illustration 7), [‘For the Benefit of Mr FALAHAA, the celebrated Wooden-leg Dancer, and his last appearance, [At the Theatre Royal, Birmingham] being under the immediate patronage of the Hon. J. Y. Scarlet and the Officers of the Fifth Dragoon Guards].

Could one suggest that this was the regiment Mr Falahaa had once been associated with in his war years?

Strangely, no military records exist for a Mr Falahaa, he simply can’t be found!

One must assume he may have used a stage name or perhaps a darker element loomed!!

He was possibly not quite as honest an entertainer as one would have hoped, he may well have been a bare-faced lier and fraud, exaggerating the truth about his past exploits for personal gain and furtherance of his career!!

Illustration (7)

It was on this journey north he would have passed right through the potteries, stopping along the way, perhaps a few nights entertainment at a Potteries theatre venue? Could one of his performances have been watched by a talented and gifted Staffordshire modeller? Had news travelled to the area already about his extraordinary dance performance? A published account of his visit is still to be found, the sole figure being the only evidence of that Staffordshire connection and possible Potteries performance.

It was clear that Mr Falahaa had hit the big time!! (Illustration 8)

(Illustration 8 full front)

During the first week of July 1849 Mr Falahaa moved out of Birmingham and headed North to a venue in Rochdale (Illustration 9), a revue in ‘The Era’s theatrical column reveals; [Mr Falahaa, a wooden-legged dancer has been engaged for seven nights, and draws crowded houses; he seems to please very well.]

(Illustration 9)

It would be nice to think, that around this time Mr Falahaa would have performed in my home city of Liverpool, Mr Pablo Fanque having a regular performance show there.

At this point, the trail grows quiet for nearly twelve months. He must have enjoyed his stay in the North West and felt comfortable with Liverpudlian company and banter!!

A best part of a year passes before we hear about him again, and when we do, he's not to be found in Great Britain!

It looks like the whole of Pablo Fanque’s circus group took a ship to Ireland, a regular crossing at the time, direct from Liverpool. According to ‘The Dublin Warder’ and ‘The Dublin Weekly Nation’ he next appeared on Saturday, May 4th, 1850, at a new venue, across the Irish Sea. He was booked to perform in ‘The Music Hall’, Lower Abbey Street, Dublin, Ireland.(Illustration 9a)

Pablo Fanque was clearly expanding his entertainment empire;

[Mr Falahaa, The Extraordinary WOODEN-LEG DANCER, Whose performances must be seen to be believed]

(Illustration 9a)

And then, suddenly, just like that, over the course of the next few days, it would appear that Mr Falahaa’s run of popularity was coming dramatically and suddenly to an end.

Perhaps his true nature and character had finally been revealed, according to the next advertisement I discovered, a footnote notice at the bottom of ‘Pablo Fanque’s Circus’ advertisement for Friday, May 17, 1850, it says!! (Illustration 10)

’NOTICE’

INFORMATION having been given to Mr PABLO FANQUE that a person of the name of Falahaa, who was engaged in the Circus for a few evenings, has without authority, been issuing Tickets, purporting to be for his Benefit this evening, Mr Pablo Fanque takes this the earliest opportunity of apprising the Public that such tickets cannot possibly be admitted, Mr Falahaa having been discharged from the establishment.

(Illustration 10)

It looks like his luck had run out, he had been found out, nothing seemed to add up, no military record, no real medals and no war hero, just a dishonest fraud!

But what a dancer!!

Sadly, his last recorded performance was seven years later on the 18th May 1857, still in Dublin, ‘Prince Patrick’s Theatre, Fishamble Street. The notice in the ‘Saunders News Letter & Daily Advertiser’  tells us he had joined up with twelve juvenile clog dancers! (Illustration 11)

(Illustration 11)

Was it this published account of an apparent dishonest nature that resulted in a lack of bookings and fall in popularity? It's difficult to say, did it put a stop to the production of the figures? Perhaps, we will never really know.

As for many celebrities in today's modern world, the story is far too familiar, the press build them up with one hand and then chop them down with the other!

I suspect he would have been proud to have known that the potters at least created this single figure of him and that he is still remembered and talked about 170 years later.

Had he been more honest, the production run may have gone ahead, and I for one would have an example of him on my shelf (Illustration 12), a figure I would personally have liked to give a big round of applause for!!

(Illustration 12 Mr Falahaa just about to take a bow)