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, […]
WRESTLING AT SOUTHMOLTON, DEVON. A GRAND WRESTLING MATCH will take place in a Field at the back of Mr. LUXTON’s ANCHOR INN, South-street, in the town of Southmolton, on THURSDAY and FRIDAY, 18th and 19th JUNE, when the following Prizes will be awarded: Best Man: £5 0s 0d. Second: £2 10s 0d. Third: £1 0s […]
A portrait of Joseph Menear.
WRESTLING EXETER. A wrestling match commenced on Tuesday in a field adjoining the Old Tiverton-road. The total prizes amounted to £30. Mr. Bolt, of Upton Pyne, and Mr. Underdown, Pinhoe, the triers; Mr. J. Hall, of Whimple, was the umpire; Mr. Robert Britton, secretary. Some fine play took place in the course of the afternoon, […]
EXETER. A wrestling match at Exeter was brought to a close on Saturday, having lasted five days, and been conducted with great satisfaction to all parties. The conduct of the visitors was marked with more than an ordinary amount of decorum. As the match proceeded, the interest heightened considerably, as shown by the increasing number […]
TOPSHAM, NEAR EXETER, DEVON. GRAND WRESTLING MATCH for FORTY GUINEAS, OPEN TO ALL ENGLAND, is now proceeding in the well-known Bowling Green at the Salutation Inn. Efficient and Impartial Triers have been appointed to act with the Committee. 1st Prize £15 0s 0d; 2nd Prize £10 0s 0d; 3rd Prize £5 0s 0d; 4th Prize […]
35 references to Wrestling, including: Much as I longed to know more about Lorna, and though all my heart was yearning, I could not reconcile it yet with my duty to mother and Annie, to leave them on the following day, which happened to be a Sunday. For lo, before breakfast was out of our […]
ST. THOMAS, EXETER. A GRAND WRESTLING MATCH FOR 50 GUINEAS, AND A SILVER CUP, Added to the first prize, with the winner’s name engraved thereon, OPEN TO ALL ENGLAND, WILL take place in a field adjoining the St. Thomas Railway Station, commencing on MONDAY AUGUST 9th, 1869. First Prize £17 0s 0d; Second £10 0s […]
WRESTLING AT TORQUAY. A £50 match was commenced on Monday. The contest took place at Glue’s Torbay Inn, a ground well suited for the purpose, enclosed on all sides and quite removed from public view. There was a large attendance, especially on the grand stand. The arrangements were well planned by the committee of tradesmen, […]
WRESTLING. Those who see wrestlers on a London arena of sawdust, whether they represent France against England or Cumberland against Westmoreland, gain thereby a very imperfect idea of this famous athletic sport. It is a country game. It belongs aright to wild regions where the turf is virgin, and the wrestler, like Antaeus in the […]
“The play of Cornwall and Devonshire is the same, with a difference. They both have the jacket, and they play for a hitch in the same fashion. Sticklers are appointed, who keep the ring, and the public are present in crowds. In Cornwall, however, the man steps into the ring in his stockings or socks. […]
A description of a military demonstration involving Cornish Wrestlers, in Yokohama. This is particularly interesting since “a Japanese wrestler who was present was very anxious to pit himself against the Cornish wrestlers”. This event took place 10 years before Judo was founded. Let us now turn to the wrestling which took place on the second […]
XXXIX It is to be regretted that the old Cornish games are gradually losing their hold and are dying out in the country. The wrestling matches which formerly were well attended and patronized by the local gentry are now with few exceptions got up by the publicans as means of selling liquor, and in place […]
EXETER GRAND WRESTLING WILL COMMENCE THIS DAY for Thirty Sovereigns, open to the World. Amongst others the following men have made entries: Back, Burley, Burnett, Oliver, Harrish (Minehead), Bakers (Brothers), Pike, and Hayward (of London), Milton, Rundle (Champion), James, Westlake, Drew, Gross (St. Austell), Skinner (St. Austell), Warry, and others.
THE EXETER WRESTLING MATCH commenced yesterday. Amongst those who put in an appearance were Milton, Hutchings, Baker, Westlake, James, Chaple, and others. There was some very fine play between Milton and Chaple, who held out the time of forty minutes, and will play again today. Baker and Westlake had a very good turn, after which […]
EXETER GRAND WRESTLING MATCH. This match was continued yesterday, and the fine play of the previous day was (if possible) surpassed, the London men showing splendid practice, and putting our local celebrities on their mettle, but although heavily matched they have held their own in good style, as the following results will show:— Class A—Pike […]
EXETER GRAND WRESTLING MATCH. Play was resumed yesterday with all the vigour of the previous day; the men were in fine form, and the plaudits showered on them fully shewed the satisfaction felt by the spectators. In Class A, Captain Back (Topsham) and James (London) played a splendid turn for 40 minutes. James (Whipton) and […]
EXETER GRAND WRESTLING MATCH. This match was resumed yesterday at three o’clock. The first men called in Class B were Atkins (Exeter) and Skinner (St. Austell). The former was thrown in 20 minutes. Pike (London) and Burley (Exeter) were then matched in Class A. Pike threw Burley in 10 minutes. Oliver and Back (Class A) […]
EXETER AND EXWICK WRESTLING MATCHES. The present is the first attempt in this hamlet at anything extensive in the way of wrestling. The prizes, including the championship, amount to twenty guineas. The field opposite Bailer’s Arms has been selected for the trials. Moore, of Bow, and Stone, Crediton, however, to the appearance of the gathering, […]
THE EXETER GRAND WRESTLING MATCH FOR FIFTY GUINEAS (Open to the World) WILL COMMENCE on MONDAY, July 27th 1874. For further particulars see future advt.
THE EXETER GRAND WRESTLING MATCH FOR FIFTY GUINEAS (Open to the World) WILL COMMENCE on MONDAY, July 27th 1874. For further particulars see future advertisement.
pp.622, A minor reference to a Devonshire Wrestling in a fictional work. Reference to good breeding. “Upon my word, madam,” the General protested, “you use the doctor badly. He is blamed if he kills people, and he is blamed if he keeps them alive. What is he to do?” “Do? He can’t help saving the […]
Appearing in The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, pp.65. Illustrated by Alfred Concanen.
An original pen-and-ink sketch by Alfred Concanen, featured on pagee 236 of The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News (5 June 1875).
Deadman’s Alley, pp. 11. Plain John Garnet looked somewhat preoccupied now, sitting moodily over his punch, and the influence of his demeanour seemed to steal upon the company in general. Mr. Gale, indeed, held forth loudly on horse-racing, cock-fighting, and such congenial topics, but spent his breath for an inattentive audience, not to be interested […]
From the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, July 8th, 1876. Drawing called “Devon Wrestling- “No Doubt About It.” Illustrated by Alfred Concanen.
[North Devon wrestling report for Atherington match, late April/May 1877. The match took place at Atherington and included players Saunders and Bradford among the principal competitors. Standards were made and prizes distributed, the match being considered well-managed and providing excellent play for the spectators assembled.] Note: The precise text of this entry was partially corrupted […]
DEVONSHIRE WRESTLING. A wrestling match, “Devonshire” style, took place at Hill’s Variety Theatre yesterday afternoon, between Albert Ellis and W. H. Browning for a gold watch and a purse of $250. Fun apart, it is one which is not calculated to find much favour in this country, especially among our coloured fellow citizens, as the […]
NOTES BY THE WAY : A DEVONSHIRE WRESTLING MATCH. HEARING from a fellow traveller in the train that there was to be some wrestling on the morrow at Moor Town, South Devon, and having some faint recollections of a grand description of the same in one of the London papers, probably the Daily Telegraph, we […]
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.
