Margaret Yelding was a circus artiste born and bred to the travelling world, and one of the longest serving trapeze artistes in the world.

She was born Margaret Fossett in 1915, into one of the oldest circus families in the world. She was one of the four children of John Fossett, the original clown Comical Jacko, who was one of eleven children of the original circus proprietor “Sir” Robert Fossett. John Fossett’s mother Maria was one of the twelve children of George and Annie Proctor, from a family of circus and fairground folk.

Margaret, along with siblings Emmie, Louise and John (known as the clown Jacko who died in 2004), was a first cousin to Robert, Mary and Bailey Fossett who ran Sir Robert Fossett’s in postwar years, and Bobby and Tommy Roberts who ran the Robert Brothers’ Circus. They were also first cousins to the Irish branch of the Fossett circus family and to a number of other distinguished circus artistes from this family. Steve Fossett, the daredevil American adventurer who disappeared on a flight in America last year, was one of her relatives.

Emmie Fossett married John Manders, descended from a famous family which ran travelling menageries in Victorian days, and later went into cinemas. Louise Fossett married the clown Frank Breen, who became famous as “Whimsical Walker” the 2nd. Brother John married a Variety artiste, Connie Reid, and made a formidable name for himself in his later years as a clown who emulated the fame of the original “Comical Jacko”, with circuses like Bertram Mills, Blackpool Tower and continental shows of the quality of Cirkus Benneweis in Denmark, Cirkus Schumann, and the German Circus Krone. Margaret Fossett married into another renowned British circus family, the Yeldings, almost as famous and prolific as the Fossetts themselves. Her husband was Claude Yelding, a performer of impeccable pedigree, a rider, aerialist, ringmaster and all-round performer, like herself.

Margaret, along with her siblings, had ridden bareback horses in Sir Robert Fossett’s Circus and other shows from early childhood, and with sisters Louise and Emmie and younger brother John had developed a static trapeze act which gained great popularity at many British circuses and in variety theatres. However, the Fossett sisters were best known for their part in the famous Fossett group riding act.

In 1939, Emmie left to get married, and John (Jack) took her place in the family trapeze act, with Louise and Margaret, appearing in major variety theatres and at leading circuses like The Blackpool Tower. When Jack was called up for military service in the Second World War, the sisters continued without him and later when Margaret married Claude Yelding he joined the act which was then known as the Duart Sisters and Anton.

When Louise left to marry Frank Breen, Margaret and Claude continued as a double number, Anton and Manet, creating something of a marathon record as performers with an impeccably crafted and well-honed number until Claude’s death in 1977; he simply collapsed and died, in his 70s, after leaving the sawdust ring following a strenuous performance. In the 1970s CIaude had also acted as Ringmaster for the Fossett Circus.

Margaret Yelding continued to work and travel with Sir Robert Fossett’s Circus in the only way of life she had enjoyed since birth, before finally retiring to Filey, North Yorkshire.

In 2003 the Circus Friends’ Association of Great Britain presented a Lifetime Award to Margaret and her siblings for their contribution to the British circus scene.

Margaret Yielding, circus artiste, was born on June 2, 1915. She died on May 7, 2008, aged 92