Victorian jokes reveal history of humour - but we are not amused

Question: What's the difference between Joan of Arc and a canoe?

Answer: One is Maid of Orleans and the other is made of wood.

It may not have you splitting your sides, but we are assured that it went down extremely well with audiences at Victorian circuses.

The joke is one of many stuffed into the pages of a recently discovered joke book that belonged to a Victorian clown.

Packed with 200 gags used to amuse audiences at the 19th century circus, Thomas Lawrence's string of oneliners provides a fascinating insight into Victorian humour and lays the foundation for today's entertainers.

Ann Featherstone, a historian and expert on Victorian comedy, said: "These are hardly belly laughs to the modern ear but the audiences appreciated and understood the jokes.

"The Victorian circus was all about fools and horses, so being a clown was very hard work. Lawrence would run along beside a horse, looking up at the lady rider. He would be chatting her up with a string of jokes.

"He would be saying things like, 'She's so beautiful, so far above me'. The audience would understand the double meaning and would applaud.