The Showman's Guild?

I was disappointed with what I discovered when I began researching the Showman’s Guild. I very quickly found an organization with that exact name. It was all so easy, too easy... so mundane and plain. No secret symbols, no secret knowledge just a regular trade organization. 

In the National Fairground archives I got a good insight into the nature of the Showman’s Guild’s and it’s history.

The formation of ‘the United Kingdom showman and Van Dwellers' Protection Association’ in 1889 was and still is the decisive and important event in the history of travelling showpeople as a community.

In 1917 the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain, as it became known, was recognised as the trade association of the travelling funfair business and acquired the right to stand as representatives for the business at both local and national levels; a position it still occupies to this day.

Although claims for earlier organisations can be found in the pages of the World's Fair and other publications, these were usually temperance or charitable foundations more concerned with the moral and spiritual salvation of the showpeople than their everyday business and way of life! The incentive for the start of the van dwellers association was the proposed legislation by George Smith, a self styled expert and evangelist from Coalsville. He believed that his mission was to reform and educate all members of the itinerant community in the United Kingdom, whom he referred to as:

“Dregs of society, that will one day put a stop to the work of civilisation, and bring to an end the advance in arts, science, law and commerce that have been making such rapid strides in the country.”

This no doubt had been an important organization, but it was far from what I had hoped to find. As I perused the available information I didn't want it to be true. I was after was a secret brotherhood of showmen which sat on powerful knowledge about the showman’s craft. Not an organization which lobbies politicians, and contests and gets showmen exempt from regulations. I had hoped to find a secret society that would have the key to make my performance as meaningful as I had found uncle Certini’s shows. This was when I was about 17 or 18, still in school and at that point I felt silly for having believed the ramblings of a mad old magician. I was disappointed and through that I realize how much I wished for it to be true. It turned out I had found a trade organization when I wanted a secret society. At that point I thought I gave up.  But little did I know, it would all come back to haunt me when I least expected it.

Whispers of the Showman’s Guild

The first time I heard about the Showman’s Guild was from my Dad’s uncle Certini. He was a Norwegian magician and the one who got my father into doing magic. As often happens the Apprentice became a very different magician to his Master. 

Certini was a manipulator. He made cards, coins, thimbles, and lots of cigarettes, appear and disappear at his finger tips. Dad was always more interested in the shows as events and happenings than in the practice of slight of hand. Dad worked miracles with mechanical marvels and electro engeneering from his own workshop rather than producing endless streams of coins. But the main difference seemed to be more of a feeling. As you watched Dad you got pure escapism, perfect entertainment, whilst with uncle Certini there was a different intent. Although he did standard gentleman magic, by his presence, poise and intense presentations each coin that materialized in his empty hands seemed symbolic. Like it was one thing but meant something much more significant.

On rare occasions when I visited uncle Certini he talked about a secret brotherhood of showmen, called the Showman’s Guild. He talked about how the Illuminated Showmen had a different mindset, and different goals to most magicians. This kind of talk didn’t seem so strange to me since I was also part of a secret brotherhood of magicians. I mean the Magic Circle of Norway wasn’t a secret society as such, but it certainly was a society with and about secrets. What made the Guild different was partly my father’s reaction to uncle Certini talking about it. Dad always tried to end the conversation and get onto more practical matters.

Life Death

Uncle Certini had bad nerves I was told. He sometimes had to travel to rest them at a sanatorium in the Fjordlands. Dad later told me that he believed there was a connection between uncle Certini needing to rest his nerves and his preoccupation with the Showmans Guild. I was never so certain.

A product of mental instabilities or over active imagination, this all piqued an interest and a life long research project into first of all trying to establish the reality of this obscure organization, which proves to be most difficult, then puzzle together the tenants of their teachings which they called the Way of the Showman.

Through snippets found, quotations interpreted, reviews found in old news papers and most of all the hand written notes from uncle Certini’s inheritance I’ve got a fair outline of the societiy’s secret history and the goings on in this most singular initiatory Guild.

The Showman's Guild

One of the Showman's Guilds' symbols,
recreated by Hamish McCormick. 

I can be silent no longer.
All the lessons and thoughts that appear on this blog has been inspired by a long term research and creative project of mine. My search for an elusive secret society called the Showman's Guild and their secret teachings known as the Way of the Showman. The fraternity has gone almost undetected throughout history, but through fastidious research particularly over the last four years I have piece by piece assembled an outline of this esoteric history of circus.

I intend to publish snippets of this research right here on the Illuminated Showman. For the Showman's Guild is the shadow, always behind the Illuminated Showman. It's time the shroud of mystery is lifted.