Book 1, Page 1: Cornwall, the fartheſt Shire of England Weſtwards, hath her name by diuers Authors diverſly deriued. Some (as our owne Chroniclers) draw it from Corineus, couſin to Brute, the first Conqueror of this Iland : who wrastling at Plymmouth (as they say) with a mightie Giant, called Gogmagog, threw him ouer Cliffe, […]
On Tueſday being the fift day of Auguſt, and the great feſtiuall for our Kinges Maieſties preſeruation from Gowries treaſons : The Kinges Maieſtie of Denmarke ran at the Tilt in perſon, and diuers other noble perſonages; where his Maieſtie expreſt an able and induring bodie, how it was gouernd by an invincible mind, inricht […]
The Cornish-men they are stronge, hardye and nymble, so are their exercises violent, two especially, Wrastling and Hurling, sharpe and seuere actiuties; and in neither of theis doth any Countrye exceede or equall them. The firste is violent, but the seconde is daungerous: The firste is acted in two sortes, by Holdster (as they called it) […]
Britannia’s Pastorals is a long, unfinished pastoral poem written by William Browne of Tavistock(c. 1591–1643), with the first book published in 1613 and the second in 1616. While the main work was released around these dates, Browne was actively contributing to other pastoral projects, including The Shepherd’s Pipe (1614), during this period. In the 5th […]
Reference ORIGINAL MODERNISED The praise of Plymouth (p6, First Song) The christning of that Bay, which beares her nobler name. Vpon the British coast, what ship yet euer came That not of Plymouth heares, where those braue Nauies lie, From Canons thundring throats, that all the world defie? Which, to inualue spoile, when th’English […]
Dramatis Personiae: PUPPY, a Wrestler (a Western Man). Reference (pp. 233-234): Enter EDGWORTH. Quar. ’Slid, I forgot that, pray you pardon me.—Look, here’s our Mercury come; the license arrives in the finest time too! ’tis but scraping out Cokes his name, and ’tis done. Winw. How now, lime-twig, hast thou touch’d? Edg. Not yet, sir; except you would go with […]
Swetnam was a prominent Fencing Master from Bristol, who was The Master of Defence in Plymouth for many years. This is core material within the DWS. Full modernised version by the DWS, currently being prepared. THE SCHOOLE OF THE NOBLE And Worthy Science of Defence. Being the first of any English-mans invention, which professed the […]
This scene from Middleton and Rowley’s tragicomedy demonstrates the period’s theatrical interest in the collision between rustic simplicity and urban sophistication. Chough (the name itself suggesting a crow or fool) is a Cornish gentleman whose obsession with wrestling and inability to comprehend social nuance creates both comedy and pathos. The ‘roaring school’ refers to establishments […]
Modernisation of the ‘August Tale’: An Englishman named Burrel, born in Cornwall, served as a guard to King Henry VIII. In his bold youth, he was known for great strength— so much so that the King himself wanted to test him. But Burrel held back out of respect. He wouldn’t throw or hurt the King […]
A personal account of a combat between Richard Peeke (Tavistock, Devon), and three Spanish rapiermen. The event happened on 15th November 1625. Peeke documented his account in July 1626. Three-to-One: Being an English-Spanish combat performed by a Western Gentleman of Tavistock in Devonshire, with an English quarterstaff, against three Spaniards [ at once ] with […]
A Play based upon the true-story of Richard Peeke, from Tavistock, Devon. Peeke wrote his story in Three-to-One: Being an English-Spanish Combat (1625). This play appeared in Egerton MS 1994, a folio composite volume of plays. c.1620s-1640s. From the library of Lord Charlemont. Entries: CELM, Wikipedia. It appeared at ff. 30r-51r- HyT 5: Thomas Heywood, Dick of […]
The men of dSurrey, Cheeky Blew and gold, (Which for braue Warren their first Earle they wore, In many a Field that honour’d was of olde:) And Hamshere next in the same Colours bore, Three Lions Passant, th’ Armes of Beuis bould, Who through the World so famous was of yore; A siluere Tower, Dorsets Red […]
Drayton, Michael, et al. (1636), Annalia Dubrensia: upon the yearly celebration of Mr. Robert Dovers Olimpick Games upon Cotswold-Hills, London: Robert Raworth. Available online via Folger Shakespeare Library, and archive.org.
Hyde-Park, May I, [1654.] This day there was a hurling of a great ball, by fifty Cornish gentfemen on the one side, and fifty on the other : one party played in red caps and the other in white. There was present His HIGHNESS THE LORD PROTECTOR, many of his privy council, and divers eminent […]
“The Cornish are masters of the art of wrestling, so that, if the Olympic games were now in fashion, they would come away with the victory. Their hug is a cunning close with their combatants, the fruit whereof is his fair fall or foil at the least.” Fuller, T (1662). History of the Worthies of […]
19th February 1667: I saw a comedy acted at Court. In the afternoone I saw a wrestling-match for £1000 in St. James’s Park, before his Maty, a world of lords and other spectators, ‘twixt the Western; and Northern men, Mr. Secretary Morice and Lo. Gerard being the judges. The Western men won. Many greate sums were betted. Evelyn, […]
John Carey’s fencing manuscript (Brit. Mus. Add. MS. 5540, ff.122-123) is a fascinating window into the kinds of practice which was taking place in England at the end of the 17th century, around Bristol in the South West of England. Despite its potential importance, “It has never been printed…”, commented Aylward (156, 110), “…and it […]
Modernisation: Wrestling is a sport that relies on skill as much as strength. A skilled wrestler can throw an opponent even when they are not the strongest. Like all sports, wrestling has its own terminology, with names for each type of hold, trip, or technique. The main terms are as follows: Terms Used in […]
A Prize Quart Pewter Tankard, labelled: “Won at the Fighting Cocks, Plaistford, As a prize for Back Sword Play. ” The exact date is unknown, however the accredited metal worker, Thomas Easton, was active between 1675-1695, so it must’ve been produced during this period. It’s unknown when it was presented as a prize. Museum Number: […]
The Devonshire Wrestling Society archive has been assembled over more than twelve years of systematic research into the history of Westcountry martial arts. When this work began, the documentary record was sparse and dispersed: sources were few, descriptions were thin, and access required navigating institutional barriers that most researchers would not have the time or resources to overcome. The archive now comprises 421 records — 322 newspaper articles (1778–1947), 35 manuscripts, 11 posters, 48 books, one letters patent, two cemetery inscriptions, and two memorials — spanning approximately one thousand years of history across five defined periods and three core disciplines: wrestling, cudgelling, and pugilism.
The material has been drawn from archives, museums, and libraries at both local and national level, as well as from diaspora communities. Access varied considerably: some holdings were straightforwardly available through public or gated online repositories; others required direct institutional inquiry, formal licensing, or payment. Licence fees for individual items have, in some cases, reached several hundred pounds. Items acquired under licence are retained for private research purposes only and are not published. A small number of items from private collections likewise remain unpublished, pending permission. All records for which publication rights have been secured are made freely and openly available.
The cost of the archive — in time and in money — has been substantial. It is offered without charge because the traditions it documents belong to the communities that produced them, and because those who come after should not be required to repeat the effort already expended.
Every record in the archive was acquired through a consistent five-stage process:
Identification. Awareness of potential sources was established through systematic searches of public and private institutional indexes worldwide, and through direct correspondence with subject specialists already engaged with relevant holdings.
Access. Depending on the institution, access was obtained through online repositories, direct application, or formal licensing. Correspondence was initiated with several hundred institutions over the course of the project. Where institutions confirmed the absence of relevant holdings, this was recorded. Where access was granted, the means of access was documented.
Storage. All acquired material is held in a single centralised repository, ensuring that research access is permanent and that no duplication of acquisition effort is necessary.
Preparation. Every record has been transcribed to render it fully searchable and taggable. Images have been assigned metadata recording provenance, licensing terms, and resolution specifications for publication purposes.
Publication. The publicly available inventory represents all records for which the requisite permissions have been obtained.
In order to ensure consistency and intellectual coherence across the archive, all prospective additions are evaluated against the following criteria, which are applied collectively and in sequence. A record should satisfy the majority of these criteria before inclusion is considered.
Relevance. The record must have a demonstrable and direct connection to the Six Shires (Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire) as the location of practice, the origin of practitioners, or the primary institutional context. Records concerning Westcountry practitioners competing elsewhere (in London, the United States, or South Africa, for example) are eligible where the practitioner’s regional identity is explicitly identified in the source. Records documenting the export of Westcountry martial arts beyond Britain are admissible and desirable, consistent with existing holdings relating to California, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa. The record must concern one or more of the three disciplines in scope: Westcountry wrestling (Devonshire or Cornish style), cudgelling or single-stick as practised in the region, or pugilism and boxing with a demonstrable Westcountry connection. Records documenting the co-occurrence of two or more disciplines are particularly valuable and should be prioritised.
Integrity. The source must be primary or a reliable early secondary record. For newspaper sources, this means a contemporaneous report; for books, a first or early edition, or a verified transcription thereof. Secondary scholarship is admissible where it contains primary-source quotations not otherwise independently accessible, provided these are clearly identified as such.
Balanced representation. The curatorial target is approximate parity — not of record count, which will inevitably reflect the uneven survival of evidence — but of intellectual representation across the three core disciplines. Where any discipline is underrepresented relative to this target, acquisitions in that discipline should be prioritised accordingly.
Material culture. Physical objects — trophies, belts, equipment, and architectural features — are admissible where they carry inscriptions or documentary provenance that independently attest to the practice of a discipline in the region.
Verifiability. The source must be identifiable with sufficient bibliographic precision to be cited in APA format and, where possible, to be independently verified by a reader consulting the original. Oral tradition, undocumented folklore, and secondary paraphrases without citation do not meet this standard. Where a source is available online, a direct URL must be provided.
