Early in the month of October, 1828, a wrestling-match took place at the grounds of the Eagle Tavern in the City Road, between Olver and Finney, the former a noted wrestler from Cornwall, who has floored all who opposed him since his arrival in London, and the latter an Irishman. Finney accidentally, but fairly, threw […]
In February, 1829, a Wrestling Match between OLVER and SAUNDERS, both Cornishmen, at the Eagle Tavern, in the City Road, which excited considerable interest amongst the supporters of the above Old English Sport. Olver and Saunders entered the ring, to contend for the first two fair back falls out of three, for thirty sovereigns. It […]
Early in March, 1829, the second Wrestling Match for the season took place at the Eagle Tavern in the City Road. The match was betwixt James Copp, a Devonian, and Francis Olver, of Cornwall. Fifteen sovereigns a-side was the sum to be contended for, the two first backfalls of three, and to be played in […]
At the Eagle Tavern, City Road, in April, 1829, a match took place for £20, between PHILIP PYLE and William ARCHER. In appearance Archer exhibited no superiority over his veteran antagonist, except his youth; but when they grappled his strength was evidently superior. Pyle, who has always been considered a heavy kicker, commenced with some […]
On Good Friday, in 1829, the annual Wrestling and Leaping Matches for ten distinct prizes, raised by Subscription, and only allowed to be played for by natives of Cumberland and Westmoreland, took place at the Eyre Arms Tavern, St. John’s Wood, in the presence of an immense assemblage of spectators. The prizes consisted of a […]
In the middle of July, 1829, the Eagle Tavern, in the City Road, was again the scene of Sporting events for five days in succession. Benjamin Sambell, a Cornishman, and Samuel Steers, a Devonshire man, both of first-rate science, were called on to oppose each other; and from that moment the games became lively, and […]
DEVON AND CORNISH WRESTLING. Easter Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, the splendid grounds of Mr. Bowden, Chalk Farm, were filled with spectators, to witness the play between these two celebrated counties. Smelt and Chappel commenced the single play on Monday; Chappell succumbed to the former. Ball and Gill, of Cornwall, displayed a good bout; Gill put […]
DEVON AND CORNWALL WRESTLING. The Annual contest of skill in this ancient sport between natives of the Western Counties, commenced on Monday, Camden Town, near London, and did not terminate till Wednesday. In consequence of the unfavourable weather, the men could not play out the double and treble play, and they agreed to divide the […]
DEVON AND CORNWALL WRESTLING MATCHES. The Devon and Cornwall Wrestling Society resumed their matches on Tuesday afternoon. The display of science was exceedingly good; and the ground selected, which is at the Brecknock Arms Tavern, Camden-town, was in fair condition. The attendance was numerous and respectable. The principal play was as follows: G. Partridge, of […]
Devon and Cornwall Wrestling.—The Easter wrestling in the above style commenced yesterday afternoon, at the Brecknock Arms Tavern, Camden-town. The attendance during the afternoon was very numerous, and the play in this ancient “science” was extremely good, many wrestlers from both the above counties being present, and the play being without shoes, appeared to give […]
DEVON AND CORNWALL WRESTLING. SECOND DAY. Yesterday afternoon the Devon and Cornwall wrestling was resumed at the Brecknock Arms Tavern, Camden-Town. The ground was in very bad condition, in consequence of the wet weather, but the play during the day was extremely good. H. Ball, of Cornwall, and “The Unknown,” were the first players; Harvey, […]
CORNISH AND DEVON WRESTLING. The first day’s amusement of the above grand match came off on Monday at the Brecknock Arms, Camden Town. The two celebrated wrestlers, Polkinghorne and Cann, were expected to be there as spectators, but Cann was unable to attend in consequence of illness. On the second day’s amusement the old Devonshire […]
CORNWALL AND DEVONSHIRE WRESTLING. BRECKNOCK ARMS, CAMDEN TOWN. The sports began by Verron, of Birmingham, who threw C. Retford, of Devon, twice. Jeffery, a new arrival from Cornwall, then downed D. Radford (D.) in superior style. Trimblett (D.) and Paul (Somerset) played two spirited bouts, Trimblett finally hiping Paul in consummate style. TUESDAY. Ayres (D.) […]
Wrestling.—Devon and Cornwall—The friends of this manly sport were gratified by the sight of some first-rate play at Copenhagen House, on Easter Monday and Tuesday. Notwithstanding the unfavourable state of the weather, Mr. Garratt, the proprietor, gave the annual treat. The play was under the judicious management of Mr. F. Oliver. Upwards of fifty of […]
Wrestling.—Devon and Cornwall—The friends of this manly sport were gratified by the sight of some first-rate play at Copenhagen House, on Easter Monday and Tuesday. The play was under the judicious management of Mr. F. Oliver. Upwards of fifty of the prime champions of both counties were present. Lockyer threw Pierce, and won the first […]
CORNWALL AND DEVON WRESTLING at Copenhagen House. In consequence of the unfavourable weather last week, Mr. Garratt, the spirited host of Copenhagen House, again gave prizes to be Wrested for last Monday, when some first-rate play was displayed, before a highly respectable and numerous company. For the next round the first set-to was between the […]
HORNSEY-WOOD TAVERN — Wrestling in the Devon and Cornish style will take place in the enclosed grounds upon Easter Monday and Tuesday. The proprietor will give £10 in prizes to be wrestled for; there will also be Single-stick, Rifle and Pigeon Shooting for a chased silver cup and a handsome silver snuff box. This being […]
THE COMMITTEE of the CORNWALL and DEVONSHIRE WRESTLING SOCIETY beg to announce that they will celebrate their usual ANNUAL SPORT in the Pleasure Garden attached to Mr Baum’s, the White Lion, Victoria Park Station, Hackney Wick, on Whit-Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, when a number of handsome money prizes will be given to be wrestled for […]
Wrestling.—The Cornwall and Devon Wrestling Society have resolved to divide the £100 to be given away on Friday, April 18, and at Easter, as follows:—Four money prizes for wrestling, open to all the world, for men under twelve stone, when several of the best men from the two counties have promised to come up and […]
WRESTLING. DEVON AND CORNWALL WRESTLING SOCIETY. This great annual carnival will take place at Hackney Wick Grounds (Victoria Park station). The committee have voted the liberal sum of £100, to be contended for by men under 12st, which will be apportioned in twenty money prizes. The committee have also secured the valuable services of R. […]
PEDESTRIANISM. METROPOLITAN RACE GROUNDS, HACKNEY WICK. THE CORNWALL AND DEVON WRESTLING SOCIETY’S ANNUAL MEETING. The customary annual meeting of the above-named society was held at the popular grounds of Mr. J. C. Baum, at the White Lion, Hackney Wick, on Whit-Monday and Tuesday; and terminated in a complete success, the enclosure being absolutely crammed with […]
Devon and Cornwall Wrestling Matches.—These annual matches took place on Good Friday, at Hackney Wick, in the open air. The custom of wrestling in boots was done away with, and all the men wrestled with stockinged feet. The value of the prizes was £60. R. Haywood (Devon) and Richard Dear (Cornwall)—After a dog throw, Haywood […]
CORNWALL AND DEVON WRESTLING SOCIETY. THE CHAMPIONSHIP. The annual meeting of this society commenced at Hackney Wick, on Good Friday. There were fully three thousand persons present, the visitors taking much interest in the wrestling, which was carried out strictly in the Cornwall and Devon style, the “fair back fall.” Although open to all counties, […]
A Poster from a Wrestling event featuring 2 styles. The event was held on Monday 6th March 1882. We do not have permission to share this artefact. We have transcribed a small portion of the content, that reads (obfuscated content signified with ‘…’): “…. GREAT WRESTLING CONTEST, In Two Styles, namely Cumberland and Westmorland AND […]
WRESTLING RECORD. INTEREST IN THE GAME SPREADS. A YEAR’S GOOD WORK. Mr. F. J. Jago, secretary of the Cornwall Wrestling Association, at a meeting of the Management Committee at Truro on Monday, stated that a very gratifying feature of the season had been the number of ladies who had witnessed the various tournaments. This tended […]
CORNWALL AND DEVONSHIRE WRESTLING. BRECKNOCK ARMS, CAMDEN TOWN. Considering the unsettled rawness of the present Eastertide, the sports at this suburban ground were well attended. The play was confined to men under 12st, and the arrangement was proved judicious by the quality of the struggles and the science evinced by the well-matched antagonists. A spacious […]
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.
