▁his ▁parents , ▁who ▁fe ared ▁he ▁would ▁be ▁transferred ▁to ▁another ▁unit ▁and ▁sent ▁to ▁fight . ▁At ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁ 1 6 , ▁he ▁was ▁app r entic ed ▁to ▁John ▁Chap man , ▁a ▁car p enter ▁and ▁jo iner , ▁and ▁completed ▁his ▁term ▁there . ▁Short ly ▁after ▁beginning ▁this , ▁he ▁also ▁started ▁working ▁in ▁the ▁even ings ▁as ▁a ▁" d rum mer ▁extra ord inaire ", ▁in ▁the ▁theatre . ▁He ▁" s eld om " ▁let ▁this ▁inter f ere ▁with ▁his ▁work ▁at ▁Chap man ' s . ▁He ▁had ▁also ▁begun ▁doing ▁g ymn astic ▁tr icks , ▁such ▁as ▁standing ▁on ▁one ▁leg ▁on ▁a ▁tight ro pe , ▁though ▁he ▁was ▁be aten ▁for ▁performing ▁such ▁" m oun te bank ▁cap ers " ▁in ▁the ▁work shop . ▁At ▁the ▁theatre , ▁he ▁was ▁given ▁the ▁job ▁of ▁" call ▁boy ", ▁and ▁was ▁encourag ed ▁in ▁his ▁dan cing . ▁He ▁also ▁started ▁performing ▁speech es ▁from ▁the ▁plays , ▁in ▁his ▁broad ▁dialect . ▁He ▁later ▁worked ▁in ▁the ▁theatre ▁as ▁assistant ▁car p enter , ▁sh ifting ▁scenes . ▁On ▁completion ▁of ▁his ▁app rent ices hip , ▁he ▁worked ▁as ▁a ▁car p enter ▁for ▁some ▁years . ▁He ▁married ▁in ▁ 1 8 0 5 ▁- ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 4 9 ▁bi ography ▁he ▁stated ▁" I ▁have ▁been ▁a ▁married ▁man ▁four ▁and ▁forty ▁years ". ▁The ▁couple ▁had ▁ten