(pp35) Prize-fighting was then the order of the day ; and a set-to between two professionals of celebrity would bring together men of all ranks, patricians and proletarians, from the most remote parts of England, to witness what it would have been heresy then to call a barbarous exhibition. The vale of Bicester, being […]
DEVON WRESTLING: ITS DECLINE. That this once famous sport is rapidly dying out, no one who has watched it for the past ten years can for a moment doubt. Various reasons are given as the cause, and of course the competitors come in for large share (perhaps deservedly so) of blame. But those well acquainted […]
DEVON WRESTLING. “ARGUS,” NO. II. It is said Mr. Edward’s “History of Crediton,” which will incidentally deal with the principle feats in wrestling of Abram Cann and James Stone, will forthwith be published. Some of the old players now refuse to put in an appearance till the sports are a week old, as they know […]
DEVON WRESTLING. BY ARGUS.—NO. III. It is now many years since Cann made all Devonians proud of his splendid wrestling bouts, not only in this County, but in Leeds, London, and other places. Since his time many others have been brought into notice, perhaps none more prominently than the late Thomas Cooper, who being several […]
DEVON WRESTLING. By “Argus.”—No. 4. PIKE AND BAKER. Bow, neighbouring parish to Colebroke, once noted for its wrestling aspirants, has, during the past ten years, produced some very good wrestlers—the most notable of whom are Richard Pike, Robert Baker, Thomas Baker, and Samuel Battishill. Richard Pike is held by many to be the real champion […]
DEVON WRESTLING. By “Argus.”—SAMUEL OLIVER is well-known in most wrestling rings, having been in the ranks for more than twenty years. His earliest bouts gave much promise, and for many years his success was somewhat remarkable. He has contested many times with T. Cooper, but was unable more than play second fiddle, though his determined […]
This artefact has internal references to illustrations, but currently no version with illustrations has so far been discovered. Full title: Delbridge’s guide on grab hold, or, Cornish style of wrestling [microform] : a complete guide on wrestling with full and simple instructions / by James Delbridge. Artefact is stored at the Library of Congress, United […]
Henry Downes Miles’s three-volume Pugilistica (1880; reissued 1906) is the most comprehensive Victorian history of the British prize ring. Its entries for Hen Pearce, the Game Chicken, and the Bristol school of pugilism contain primary-source quotations from period newspapers not otherwise readily available. The work spans the same era as the DWS archive’s principal wrestling […]
RULES OF DEVON WRESTLING. Devon wrestling differs from most other modes. It would, however, be easy to demonstrate its superiority over that practised by other wrestlers, who are unable, with any amount of success, to meet any stranger who does not conform to their own style, whereas knowledge of Devon wrestling enables a man to […]
A LITTLE more than a century ago the Rector of Ladock was the Rev. Mr. Wood, who was a most zealous churchman even in the days of misty prejudice, when churchmen in general looked upon nonconformists as scabbed sheep in their fold, and held that no schismatics were to be tolerated. From having unwavering faith […]
This county [of Devon] as it is populous, so are the natives of a good and healthy constitution of body; of proportion and stature generally tall, strong, and well compact; active and apt for any forcible exercises (and if I may have leave to borrow a stranger’s words in their encomium); bold, martial, haughty of […]
THE WRESTLING AT SOUTHMOLTON. Play was resumed on Friday at the Star Grounds, Southmolton. These are admirably suited to the occasion, being very large, and the play taking place on the green sward. The commodious Grand Stand was again well patronised by many leading gentlemen and farmers from the town and neighbourhood. The weather was […]
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 […]
DEVON AND CORNWALL WRESTLING “CHAMPIONSHIP.” Rundle has thrown Pike several times, but it is a question whether any match between them was really for the championship. Any promoter of Wrestling could, and often does, put up prizes and call them for the championship; but this does not make them so—otherwise there would be no end […]
Single Stick or Cudgel Playing is a very useful science, if learnt with the view of self preservation; but when practised as a game or amusement it is thoroughly brutal. The playing, as it was erroneously called, was conducted as follows Half-a-dozen casks were rolled on the Parade or some open place, on which were […]
WRESTLING. The 18th annual wrestling match took place at the Lamb Inn, Sandford, Monday and Tuesday in the July fair week. The grand stand was well patronised, there being many gentlemen, farmers, and tradesmen present. The triers, Messrs. Crispino, Harrel, and Anderson, carried out their duties with much patience. There was some very hard play […]
The times at which our several distinct schools of wrestling became separated, and acquired for themselves a local habitation and a name, cannot be distinctly traced. But from the earliest the West-country wrestlers must have had a style of their own, and the North-countrymen one of a very different kind, while several others would be […]
Wrestling Devon — The wrestling matches at Dartmouth for prizes amounting £50, were concluded on Friday afternoon, in the enclosure at the Newground, when there was a large attendance, and some very good sport was shown. Mr. Hobson and Mr. Le Morel acted as referees, and Mr. George Stone, Crediton, as judge. Standards were made […]
CANN Abraham the Dict states VIII 410 was baptized at Colebrooke near Crediton 2 Dec 1794 and was the son of Robert Cann a farmer from whom he inherited a love of wrestling. Having thrown all the best wrestlers in Devonshire he was known as the champion of the county and in Oct 1826 wrestled […]
Royal Cornwall Gazette – Friday 08 July 1887 Rules for World Championship between Jack Carkeek and John Pearce. Rule 1. — Each contestant shall wear knee-breeches, or trunks, and shall wrestle with bare feet or socks. Each wrestler shall wear a jacket, which shall be made of canvas, very loose and very strong at the […]
WRESTLING AT CREDITON. THE STYLES OF DEVON AND CORNWALL. Bragg and Chamberlain. The annual wrestling match, organised by Mr. Stone, of Crediton, has brought together this year not only a large number of spectators, but many noted men of the wrestling fraternity, amongst them being Greenslade, Burrows (Guernsey, ) Drew ( Colebrooke, ) Bragg ( […]
WRESTLING — CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY AT NEWTON ABBOT. Notwithstanding the fact that several wrestlers lay claim to the title of champion of Devon and Cornwall, not one can do so fairly, nor can any man even claim to be champion of either county. The retirement of Robert Baker, after his match with Pike some eight years […]
Devon wrestling differs from most other modes. It would, however, be easy to demonstrate its superiority over that practised by other wrestlers, who are unable, with any amount of success, to meet any stranger who does not conform to their own style, whereas knowledge of Devon wrestling enables man to successfully meet whomsoever cares to […]
Accession/loan number: 406/1997 Inscription: obverse, on disc at centre of cross engraved by hand and fretted ‘PRESENTED TO/ MASTER CHARLES JENNINGS/ BY/ MR.W.JAMES/ CHAMPION WRESTLER OF DEVON/ AND CITIZENS/ OF/ ST.SIDWELLS EXETER’. Reverse is engraved by hand and fretted ‘F.T.DEPREE.EXETER./ ON ACCOUNT/ OF HIS/ WONDERFUL SKILLS AS A MUSICIAN,/ BONE-PLAYER AND CLOG-DANCER./ tutored by his […]
DEVONSHIRE WRESTLING. Wrestling matches at Exeter concluded on Monday in the presence of a large number of spectators. The prizes were £10 and two silver cups. Some good play was shewn by Battishill of Dewsteignton, and a man of the Royal Marines. As there was no prospect of either obtaining a back, the men tossed […]
Captain Tom Gundry is dead. This brief announcement will be made with regret by Cornishmen in every quarter of the world. “Captain Tom” was the best known of the old school of Cornish wrestlers, and will be remembered for his prowess in the ring, and not as a mine agent. Born 70 years ago Captain […]
The wrestlers of Cornwall and their wrestling-matches are still famous, and in the May of 1868 4,000 assembled one day on Marazion Green, and 3,000 the next, to see one. The wrestlers of this county have a peculiar grip, called by them “the Cornish-hug.”…. “The next day the fair begins, a trivial matter, except […]
In By Right of Conquest; or, With Cortes in Mexico Mr. Henty tells the story of the Spanish triumph over the Aztecs attained by Cortez and his small but daring band of followers. The hero of the tale is an Englishman named Roger Hawkshaw, who goes West in a trading vessel from Devon, and is […]
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.
