Astley

Astley, Philip, the well-known equestrian, was born at Newcastle-under-Lyne in 1742. He served with credit in the army, and in 1763 opened a booth for the display of horsemanship in Lambeth. where he built in 1773 the first of his nineteen theatres. He entered the ranks again for a short time in 1794, when the theatre was burnt down, and afterwards, in conjunction with Franconi, established the Cirque Olympique in Paris. He died in 1814.