WRESTLING.—The grand Wrestling Match, which took place at Okehampton on Thursday and Friday last, has, as was anticipated, afforded one of the richest treats ever witnessed by the admirers of this manly exercise, the excellent science and John Bull like courage here displayed, excited the admiration and applause of every one present. By 1 o’clock, […]
Two matches, one at billiards, the other at wrestling, took place at Brighton, Thursday. These matches were made in London, about three weeks back, at a celebrated sporting house, between Mr. Hayne, of Tavistock-street, and Mr. Carney, a gentleman from the Sister Kingdom, well known among the members of the turf and the ring. Mr. […]
GRAND WRESTLING FOR TWENTY-FIVE SOVEREIGNS. TO be WRESTLED FOR, in the BOWLING-GREEN of the SALUTATION INN, TOPSHAM, (Fair Back Falls,) on Monday the 20th of June, the Capital Prize of Fifteen Sovereigns, Seven of which will be given to the Best Man, And on the Following Day, A Purse of Ten Sovereigns, Five of which […]
A grand wrestling match took place at Ashburton on the 18th and 19th. A man named THORN of Widecombe-in-the Moor, possessed immense strength and who had distinguished himself in the Life Guards at Waterloo, had been put into training by some gentlemen at Ashburton, for the purpose of pitting him against the champion, Abraham CANN. […]
An indirect reference to Devon Wrestling in reference to shin injuries and conditions of disease (not caused by Wrestling, but by other ailments): Now in Devonshire especially, a habit prevails of kicking shins in wrestling. In this gymnastic exercise, two men collar each other, and kick each other’s legs; whosoever throws his opponent first on […]
WRESTLING.—We have before had occasion to advert to the idle stories, which have found their way into the London prints, relative to a challenge given from Cornwall, to back Polkinhorn and Parkin, against the champion A. Cann, and Jordan, to wrestle for 100 guineas,—but we now find the same system of deception is practising nearer […]
WRESTLING.—We have before had occasion to advert to the false stories, which have found their way into the London prints, relative to a challenge given from Cornwall, to back Polkinhorn and Parkin, against the champion A. Cann, and Jordan, to wrestle for 100 guineas. (COPY.) TRULL, 11th August, 1825. SIR,—A challenge having been given by […]
WRESTLING.—The Rival Champions.—The Amateurs of this ancient and truly noble sport, may expect soon to have one of the greatest treats ever experienced in this or any other part of England, in a contest between the renowned Devonshire Champion Abraham Cann, y’clept the Nonpareil, and the no less celebrated Polkinghorn, of Cornwall.—The time and place […]
WRESTLING.—The Rival Champions.—The Amateurs of this ancient and truly noble sport, may expect soon to have one of the greatest treats ever experienced in this or any other part of England, in a contest between the renowned Devonshire Champion Abraham Cann, y’clept the Nonpareil, and the no less celebrated Polkinghorn, of Cornwall. St. Thomas, near […]
WRESTLING.—The Rival Champions.—The Amateurs of this ancient and truly noble sport, may expect soon to have one of the greatest treats ever experienced in this or any other part of England, in a contest between the renowned Devonshire Champion Abraham Cann, y’clept the Nonpareil, and the no less celebrated Polkinghorn, of Cornwall. “St. Thomas, near […]
WRESTLING. To Mr. ABRAHAM CANN, St. Thomas’s, Exeter. SIR, Although you did not answer mine of Sept. 20th, nor accept the proposals with respect to time, place, and amount of stake——I see yours of the 10th inst., in the Devon Freeholder, dated Dec. 2, wherein you now assert your readiness to try the championship of […]
WRESTLING.—At Morchard Grand Wrestling Match, yesterday and to day, for 12 Sovereigns, the Champion A Cann was thrown by the younger Dartmouth, by an unlucky fall, after 35 minutes severe play. Mr. Wreford carried off the first prize, and James Cann won the second; during the play A Cann’s shoe was thrown out by the […]
WRESTLING—We this week present our readers with verbatim copies of the answer of Polkinhorne to Abm. Cann‘s letter, inserted in our paper of the 25th instant, together with the rejoinder of the latter:—comment from us is almost wholly unnecessary, the letters will bear pride for themselves; but we cannot avoid the strong impression we have, […]
WRESTLING—We this week present our readers with verbatim copies of the answer of Polkinhorne to Abm. Cann’s letter. To Mr. ABRAHAM CANN, St. Thomas, Exeter. SIR,—I acquainted you that my answer letter of Sept. 26, now near three months past, was laid before the stewards of the Champion Belt, at Bristol, and published in the […]
Portrait of Abraham Cann, whole length, standing outdoors, directed slightly to left, making wrestling moves; wearing half-open jacket fastened with strings, breeches and stockings; top hat lying on the ground at his foot at left. Lithograph Printed by: Thomas Bayly Published by: J Penny Published by: John Dickinson – https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0612-1077 Inscription content: Lettered below image with the […]
Lithograph in the British Museum (1943,0410.2111), by Maxim Gauci: Portrait of James Polkinhorn; whole length, standing in three-quarter profile to right, leaning slightly forward, with arms folded, his left foot placed in front, wearing short jacket fastened with cord; impression had been folded for posting. 1826 Lithograph on chine collé © The Trustees of the […]
The Wrestling and other sports at Dartmouth on Tuesday and Wednesday next, are expected to be well attended.
WRESTLING. TO be WRESTLED FOR, at PAIGNTON, on Thursday & Friday the 22d & 23d of June, a PURSE of 20 SOVEREIGNS; Of which, the Best Man will receive, Six Pounds,—Second Ditto, Four,—Third, Three,—Fourth, One. Sixteen Standards will be made, all of whom will have a Dinner. Fair Play, which commences at Ten o’Clock precisely, […]
WRESTLING. THE ANNUAL GRAND WRESTLING MATCH FOR 20 SOVEREIGNS, Will take place at BROADCLYST, on Tuesday and Wednesday the 11th and 12th days of July next.—Particulars of which will be expressed in a future advertisement. Dated Broadclist, 8th June, 1826. WRESTLING. TO be WRESTLED FOR, at PAIGNTON, on Thursday & Friday the 22d & 23d […]
ASHBURTON ANNUAL WRESTLING will be on Monday and Tuesday, the 17th and 18th of July, for a Prize of TWENTY FIVE SOVEREIGNS, when every encouragement will be given to deserving Players. June 20th, 1826. CREDITON WRESTLING. THE Sum of TWENTY-FIVE GUINEAS, will be Wrestled for at Crediton, on Wednesday and Thursday the 5th and 6th […]
WRESTLING. THE amateurs of athletic performances were gratified towards the end of last month, with an exhibition of the old national feat of wrestling. Several matches were played between Devonshire and Cornwall men, on the 19th, 20th, and 21st, at the Eagle Tavern green, in the City Road.—The science displayed on the occasion shows, that […]
WRESTLING.—The Paignton match commenced on Thursday last. The single play on the first day passed off rather laggingly, serving, however, to shew the strength of the muster, and enlightening the spectators by the promise it gave of capital work for the next day. At 2 o’clock, on Friday, the double play commenced, it was South […]
EXETER GRAND WRESTLING MATCH WILL take place on MONDAY & TUESDAY, the 28th and 29th of AUGUST instant, in a commodious Field adjoining the Black-Boy Turnpike Gate, at the Head of ST. SIDWELL’S, when 30 SOVEREIGNS Will be divided as follows: The Best Man, 10 Sovereigns; Second Best, 7 ditto; Third Best, 5 ditto; Fourth […]
WRESTLING.—The Okehampton Grand Match commenced on the 16th inst. Twenty four men got share, and the double play brought with it some of the richest turns that have ever been witnessed; the men all fresh from their native hills displayed a strength and vigor almost superhuman, as they were stripped they seemed very Atlases. Woolaway […]
WRESTLING. Yesterday afternoon, the grounds of the Eagle Tavern were filled with spectators (paying each) to witness the exertions of some of the best wrestlers that could be collected from Devonshire and Cornwall, two of the most noted Counties in England for this species of gymnastic exercise. The sport commenced about two o’clock, by two […]
WRESTLING.—The Exeter, the grand Metropolitan Match, commenced on Monday morning, at eleven o’clock, in the spacious ring in St. Thomas. The Champion entered the ring at six o’clock; he entered with the band playing “See the conquering Hero comes.” No time was lost, and stout, young, and prime as was his opponent, in two minutes […]
The St. Sidwell’s Grand Wrestling Match also commenced on Monday morning; and as a proof of the interest now taken in promoting this manly sport, the city has this week presented the singular spectacle of two Grand Wrestling Matches, both got-up, excellently arranged, and each attended by the primest men in the world, going on […]
WRESTLING.—The prize of ten Sovereigns for the thrown men at the Exeter Wrestling last week, was won,—the first prize of four Sovereigns by Mr. Wreford; the second of two Sovereigns by J. Bolt; and the third of one Sovereign by Horwill.—James Frost of Aveton Gifford, appeared in the ring, at the close of the play […]
WRESTLING.—A. Cann, the Champion of England, and Polkinghorne.—Perhaps there never was more evasion practised, or so much idle chaffing as on the subject of a match between these men. “My Dear Sir, In answer to your Letter bearing date the 13th inst I beg to state, that it would have been an agreeable surprise, had […]
WRESTLING.—Yesterday, about two thousand persons were assembled in the bowling-green of the Eagle Tavern, in the City-road, to witness the conclusion of the Cornish wrestling. The sport was finished by Warren, a Cornishman, and Abraham Cann, the Devonshire Champion, who contended for the first prize, ten sovereigns, which was won by Cann. He is a […]
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.
