Toronto's Firemen And Clown Brothel Riot

A riot in 1855 that got way out of hand

Toronto in 1855 was a pretty important place. It had served as the capital of the Province of Canada from 1849 to 1852, and would again from 1856 to 1858.

It was also a bustling city of 40,000 people as new immigrants were arriving at a steady pace, nearly daily.

Into the city on July 12 of that year arrived the Star Troupe Menagerie and Circus. With the circus were big cats, acrobats, elephants, horse riders and, of course, clowns.

After giving a sold out show one night, the clowns decided they needed to blow off some steam and for that they visited a brothel nearby.

The brothel, located at King and Jarvis, was also very popular among the local firemen, who happened to be there at that time. These firemen were from the Hook and Ladder Firefighting Company. This wasn’t the firefighters of today. Back then, fire brigades were independent companies who raced to fires, some of which they may have started, to fight the fire and get paid for it.

Sometimes instead of fighting the flames, firefighters from different brigades fought each other while the building burned.

So, when the clowns arrived at the brothel, they were met with a group of firefighters who were waiting for their turn in the establishment. It is not known how the riot started. Some sources say that a clown cut in line, while other sources say that a firefighters hat was knocked off his head by a clown.

No matter how it started, we know how it ended. The clowns absolutely wrecked the firefighters, two of whom were seriously injured in the fight.

With the firefighters out of the brothel, the clowns took over the establishment and began to party.

Unfortunately, the firefighters were part of the Orange Order, a powerful group of Protestants that included many important politicians in Toronto and throughout Canada West. Most of the police in the city belonged to the Orange Order as well.

You can see where this is going.

The day after the riot at the brothel, the clowns were preparing for another sold-out show at the circus when suddenly a large group of police and Orangemen arrived. They began to set fire to the tents, tear down circus buildings and throw rocks at performers. The firefighters, using axes and pikes, trashed everything they could find in the circus.

The clowns were outmatched heavily, and suffered a severe beating at the hands of the firefighters and their Orange Order buddies.

The police, mostly Orangemen, did nothing to stop the riot except prevent the torching of the animal cages.

There was no show that night, as the circus quickly packed up and left town in a hurry.

Today, the entire incident is known as the Circus Riot of 1855.