Samuel Rundle

“The Pocket Hercules”

Cornwall’s Champion in Devon’s Wrestling Ring

I. Life and Career

Samuel Rundle — known as “Sammy Short,” “the Little Wonder,” and, in “Argus”‘s memorable phrase, “a Pocket Hercules” — was arguably the most successful wrestler of either county in the second half of the nineteenth century, and one of the very few men whose championship claims were acknowledged even by a correspondent as partisan toward Devon as “Argus.” Though Cornish by birth, Rundle performed the vast majority of his competitive wrestling within Devon, and “Argus” considered him sufficiently embedded in the county’s wrestling culture to warrant a full biographical treatment in his series on Devon wrestling (“Argus,” No. V, Western Times, 14 February 1879). He was, by any reckoning, the dominant figure in Westcountry wrestling from the late 1860s to the early 1880s — a man who defeated virtually every leading wrestler of his time and who challenged the world, through Bell’s Life and other sporting papers, for stakes of £100 to £500 aside, without meeting any response.

Rundle was born in 1847 and was of St Austell, Cornwall (Wikipedia, “List of Cornish wrestlers”; Wikipedia, “Cornish wrestling”). He stood scarcely 5 ft 6 in. and weighed, according to “Argus,” about 10 st. 10 lb. — though Wikipedia gives a notably lower figure of 7 st. 10 lb., which may reflect a different weight-class designation or an error in transmission (“Argus,” Western Times, 14 February 1879; Wikipedia). Despite his short stature and relatively modest weight, he was possessed of much strength: “Argus” described him as having a long but very strong body, with short but truly powerful legs. He generally employed a defensive style, which gave him considerable advantage over his taller opponents (“Argus,” Western Times, 14 February 1879). He was barely twenty when he left his native Cornwall for Devon, but his accomplishments at home had already been of a striking character.

Upon his arrival in Plymouth, Rundle quickly disposed of several ordinary wrestlers before attracting the attention of George Bickle, a well-seasoned veteran who challenged him to a match for a stake at catch weight. Rundle literally pulled his man all over the ring and won in a short time; Bickle was left in no doubt that whoever had to meet Rundle would find him a tough customer (“Argus,” Western Times, 14 February 1879).

The decisive encounter of Rundle’s early Devon career — and one of the most significant bouts in Devon wrestling history — was his defeat of Thomas Cooper, the acknowledged Devon champion, in approximately 1867. Rundle was then, in “Argus”‘s reckoning, “a mere lad,” yet the ring was completely surprised by the manner in which he broke through Cooper’s guard and threw him with a splendid tuck so fairly that even Cooper acknowledged the fall required no referee. “Argus” judged this to be the moment that established Rundle’s right to the championship: he had thrown the acknowledged champion fairly, even if the match itself was not formally designated as a title bout. Cooper challenged Rundle to play again for a large stake, but the challenge was declined (“Argus,” Western Times, 31 January 1879; “Argus,” Western Times, 30 May 1882).

Rundle then proceeded to defeat virtually every leading wrestler in Devon and Cornwall. “Argus” provided a remarkable roll call: Oliver, Bickell, Ash, Pike, Milton, Baker, Burley, Moor, Hill, Marshall, Bragg, Gidley, Puckey, Ellis, Tapper, Jage, Rowe, Hutchings — “and a host of others have fallen before Rundle, so that, as the above are included all the best wrestlers of his time, he having thrown the whole of them, must assuredly have been the champion” (“Argus,” Western Times, 30 May 1882). At a Crediton tournament his fortunes briefly faltered when he was thrown by P. Hooper and George Haydon, though the latter’s success was described as an entire fluke, Rundle having held his man too cheaply. In 1871, Tapper of Moretonhampstead had several exciting bouts against Rundle but was compelled to yield. At Exwick in 1874, Rundle threw Joe Milton so cleanly that the triers’ refusal to allow the fall prompted Rundle’s backer, Captain Hodge, to withdraw him from the contest in protest. At Mount Radford, Rundle defeated Moore, Marshall, and Hutchings with ease. At the Plymouth Circus in 1875, he won the first prize after defeating Rowe, Wakeham, Oliver, and Jago. He subsequently defeated Bragg, who had returned from a successful career in America (“Argus,” Western Times, 14 February 1879).

Rundle’s most extraordinary exploit, however, took place in Paris. A London gentleman named Harvey engaged Rundle, Bartlett, and Odger to travel to France to meet the best French wrestlers. A large hall was taken, challenges were issued, and among the respondents was a man named Bazar, described as a modern giant weighing twenty-two stone. Rundle good-humouredly offered this opponent to Bragg, who declined, saying that Rundle could best settle accounts with him. The stipulations were that the best of three fair backs would decide the matter — one in the Devon style, another in the French, and if each gained a back, the choice of the third decided by a toss. In the French-style round, Rundle employed a dramatic tactic: he seized Bazar by the right arm with both hands, turned his back, ran about five yards dragging Bazar behind him, then suddenly stooped very low and jerked Bazar over his head, bringing the Frenchman crashing flat upon the stage with fearful force. The second round, in the Devon style, was a tame affair; Rundle won with ease. The Frenchmen thereafter declined to wrestle further (“Argus,” Western Times, 14 February 1879). Wikipedia confirms that Bazar was the wrestling champion of France at the time and weighed 300 lb. (Wikipedia, “Cornish wrestling”).

In London, Rundle defeated Jabez Chapman at the Welsh Harp for £50 a side, in one hour and ten minutes, after Chapman’s friends had overrated his prospects based on a victory over George Stone (“Argus,” Western Times, 14 February 1879). “Argus” subsequently noted that Rundle’s style, on first facing his men, did not appear especially showy, but once he warmed to his work, his points of attack and defence were all that could be wished. He seldom took the lead until he had well measured his man, and though often kicked severely by more powerful opponents, was scarcely ever known to kick in return — a remarkable distinction for a man competing in the Devonshire style (“Argus,” Western Times, 14 February 1879).

Rundle’s later career saw a gradual decline. At Plymouth, Pike — for the first time — literally wore Rundle out in bouts lasting several hours, and thereby established his own first claim to the championship belt. Since this time, “Argus” noted, Rundle had not appeared in anything like his old form (“Argus,” Western Times, 30 May 1882). His match against Battishill at Plymouth was unsatisfactory; a dispute arose and the stakes were never awarded. They met again at Dartmouth in 1880, where after an hour neither had gained a decisive back, though Rundle was visibly struggling against nature in the later stages (“Argus,” Western Times, 30 May 1882). His last public contest before leaving Devonshire for the North of England was against Battishill at Dartmouth, where they played forty minutes without either gaining a back, and Rundle’s strength failed him (“Argus,” Western Times, 1 November 1887).

Rundle was all-England Cornish wrestling champion in 1874, retaining the title for twenty years. He was champion of Devon and Cornwall for twelve years by 1884, and had beaten nearly all the wrestling men in Devon and Cornwall (Wikipedia, “Cornish wrestling”; Wikipedia, “List of Cornish wrestlers”). He also wrestled successfully in the United States. In 1883, his championship match against James Gerry of Linkinhorne at Liskeard for a £20 purse lasted just over an hour and ended in a draw in the nineteenth round after Rundle tore leg muscles (Wikipedia, “Cornish wrestling”). By the late 1880s, Rundle was losing to the next generation: John Pearce defeated him at Truro in October 1887 when Rundle threw off his jacket and quit, and Jack Carkeek defeated him at Newton Abbot for £100 in the same month when Rundle claimed an injured shoulder and the referee awarded the match to Carkeek (project archive, match results). He continued to appear as a referee and stickler into the later 1880s.

II. Match Record

III. Summary Statistics

IV. Key Analytical Observations

• 1. The most successful wrestler of the Victorian era in either county. “Argus”‘s roll call of eighteen named opponents — covering all the best wrestlers of Rundle’s time — and his unambiguous judgement that Rundle “must assuredly have been the champion” constitute the strongest endorsement in the entire “Argus” series. No other wrestler received such comprehensive praise.
• 2. A Cornishman who conquered Devon. Rundle’s career complicates any neat division between Cornish and Devon wrestling. Born in St Austell, he performed his greatest exploits in Devon — defeating Cooper, Oliver, Pike, Hutchings, Baker, and virtually every other leading Devon man — yet he also competed in Cornwall, London, Paris, and the United States. He is the most prominent example of a cross-county wrestler in the archive.
• 3. A defensive wrestler who rarely kicked. “Argus”‘s observation that Rundle “was scarcely ever known to kick in return” is perhaps the most significant technical detail in the entire biography series. In a sport defined by its kicking, Rundle achieved dominance through defensive grappling, patience, and superior technique — absorbing his opponents’ kicks without retaliating and waiting for them to exhaust themselves before closing for the throw.
• 4. The Paris exploit is the most dramatic single performance in the archive. Rundle’s defeat of the 22-stone French champion — by improvising a running, stooping, overhead throw that sent Bazar crashing to the stage — is without parallel in the documented record. It demonstrates both physical courage and extraordinary tactical adaptability: Rundle invented a technique on the spot to overcome a man nearly twice his weight in a style (French) that differed from his own.
• 5. The decline was gradual and publicly visible. Rundle’s career arc — from the youthful prodigy who stunned Cooper to the ageing champion who quit against Pearce and retired injured against Carkeek — is the most fully documented decline in the archive. “Argus”‘s advice that Rundle should have retired after defeating Chapman in 1877 (“Leave well alone should have been his motto”) captures the tragedy of an athlete who competed too long.
• 6. Challenged the world without response. Rundle’s open challenges through Bell’s Life for stakes of £100 to £500 against any man in England went unanswered — a fact that “Argus” cited as the strongest evidence of his supremacy. No wrestler in the archive made or sustained such a challenge.

V. Methodological Caveats

Rundle’s biography draws on the richest single source in the archive — “Argus” No. V (Western Times, 14 February 1879) — supplemented by cross-references in the Cooper, Oliver, Baker, Pike, Battishill, and championship columns. The match results database provides specific dates for the later career (1873–1887). Wikipedia contributes the birth year (1847), the St Austell connection, the championship chronology, the Gerry draw, and the American career. A significant discrepancy exists between “Argus”‘s weight figure (c. 10 st. 10 lb.) and Wikipedia’s (7 st. 10 lb.): the “Argus” figure is considered more reliable for Rundle’s competitive weight but the discrepancy is noted. The twenty entries represent the recoverable record from these combined sources and are certainly a substantial undercount: “Argus” states that Rundle’s contests were “very numerous” and that the account given was “only a portion” of his career.

VI. References

1. “Argus.” (1878, 18 October). Devon wrestling: Its decline. Western Times.
2. “Argus.” (1879a, 31 January). Devon wrestling, No. III [Thomas Cooper]. Western Times.
3. “Argus.” (1879b, 6 February). Devon wrestling, No. IV: Pike and Baker. Western Times.
4. “Argus.” (1879c, 14 February). Devon wrestling, No. V: Rundle. Western Times.
5. “Argus.” (1879d, 7 March). Devon wrestling: Samuel Oliver. Western Times.
6. “Argus.” (1882, 30 May). Devon and Cornwall wrestling “championship.” Western Times.
7. “Argus.” (1887, 1 November). Wrestling — Championship play at Newton Abbot. Western Times.
8. Project archive material: match results database (Dan Anderson research); “Argus” columns 1878–1887.
9. Tripp, M. (2009). Persistence of Difference: A History of Cornish Wrestling, Vols 1 & 2. PhD thesis, University of Exeter [prize records appendix].
10. Wikipedia. (2025). Cornish wrestling. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornish_wrestling
11. Wikipedia. (2025). List of Cornish wrestlers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Cornish_wrestlers