Further research into George Smart the man I believe was the real Seth Davy has led me to discover that he was from Sierra Leone and joined the Royal Navy as a stoker as a young man. He served in the Royal Navy for over twenty years and received a pension. In the 1880s he settled in Liverpool a port often frequented by seamen from around the world. His Royal Navy records describe him as a 'coloured man' or 'man of colour'. His character was usually exemplary or very good.
What makes him the best candidate to be the real Seth Davy? He matches at least four of the things believed about the puppeteer:-
- He lived in Maguire Street - He wasn't employed near the end of his life - He was black - He died in 1902
The maps on the website below show how near George Smart was living to Bevington Bush:-