Various, Saturday Review (1885)

In Henry VIII’s reign, at a festival at Greenwich, several champions stood forth to contend with all comers at wrestling “in all manner of ways.” There is, however, much reason to suppose that neither then, nor for a long time after, did any of those ” manners ” include the Devonshire style ; for about two hundred and fifty years ago, the Westcountry wrestlers, then accounted undeniably the best in England, entered the ring in their doublets and hose, and clearly wore no boots or shoes. The practice of kicking appears to have grown up gradually after this time, in Devonshire, out of the perfectly lawful habit of ” striking ” with the leg at the leg. Boys and men in Devonshire often settled a private quarrel by a bout at wrestling, and the impromptu uinpires who supervised such contests would not be able to distinguish between a fair “strike” and a veritable kick. The spectators often rather liked the innovation, which made the struggle more sensational, and thus the use of the shoe had come to be recognized to some extent before the middle of the last century — as we know from a book, which recommends that kicks should be met by standing low and parrying or stopping with the knee. In the meantime also the Westcountry-men had more strictly defined several laws on disputed points, The rule as to a fall in this district was, that one shoulder and the heel on the side opposite must touch the ground before the man could be called fairly thrown; if lie was “endangered” only — that is, if lie was thrown, but not in proper style — a “foil” was scored against liim. In articles drawn up for a set match, more than a century ago, it is stipulated that ” whichever man shall throw the other the first three ftills, or give him nine foils, three foils to be accounted one fall, or give him falls and foils enough to amount tofjether to three falls, shall have the two sums of £20 each ” staked by the two parties. In some rules, dated about the same time for Westcountry wrestling, it is enacted that ” he who first comes with two joints to the ground, as joints are counted in wrestling, shall be reputed to be thrown a fall.” The prize at this time was a beaver hat, worth twenty-two shillings ; and any man who sold the hat after winning it was to be disqualified from competing the next year. In these contests, held apparently by the Devonshire and Cornwall men living in London, shoes might be worn, but no nails were allowed in the soles. Until the end of the last century, although kicking seems to have been uncommon, there was much roughness in the play. One of the authors recommends his pupils, if they have long hair, to soap it well, so that the adversary, if he clutches it, may not get a good hold. From another allusion made by the same writer, it appears that it was not an uncommon manoeuvre for a man to get ” his hands at your hair and his thumbs in your eyes.” Possibly a more irregular style of wrestling was then allowed in the prize ring than in mere wrestling contests, for Sir T. Parkyns gives some special directions under the head of ” boxing ” which seem to be more barbarous than the rest. Here is one of them : — ” The best holds are the Pinnion, with your arms at his shoulders and your head in his face ; or get your right arm under his chin and your left behind his neck, and let your arms close his neck strait by holding each elbow with the contrary hand, and crush his neck, your fingers in his eyes, and your fingers of your right hand under his chin, and your left hand under the hinder part of his head.” This elaborate, but no doubt singularly effective system of attack, clearly needs some practical illustration to be correctly understood ; but the next prescription is much simpler — ” or twist his head round by putting your hand to the side of his face and the other behind his head.”

These directions are contained in a book upon Cornish wrestling which claimed to be the first ever published. It explains in detail, and sometimes more distinctly than in the above quotations, the various holds and throws — the in-clamp and back-clamp, the hanging trip, the in-lock and back-lock, once well known to Ulysses, the son of Laertes — the flying horse, and others too numerous to mention. The men wore stout waistcoats and shirts, and caught hold by these or by the band of the breeches. They wrestled in a large ring, thirty yards in diameter, and one ” sidesman ” on each side was allowed in the ring. Kicking was at this time an established practice with the Devonshire men, though tabooed in Cornwall; and it was upon their expertnesa with the shoe that the former chiefly relied in tlieir contests with the men of tlie neighbouring county. The most celebrated of these encounters took place in 1825, at Devonport, before twenty thousand spectators, between Cann, a Devonian, and Polkinhorne, the Cornish champion, weighing nearly sixteen stone. Cann wore one shoe, with which he “occasionally dealt severe kicks at his opponent to weaken his legs.” Polkinhorne, who wore no shoes, submitted to this punishment with what patience he could, and after some disputed falls was adjudged to take the prize. His victory was succeeded about two years after by another striking success in London, where, out of twenty-six competitors, half Cornish and half Devon, the Cornish men won first and second prize.

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On the other hand, the obligation to retain a hold as first caught is artificial, and deprives the art of much of its practical value ; for in an actual scuffle no man could wait to begin until his adversary had a fair hold. The Devonshire style is of course condemned by every one except Devonshire men, for nothing can be more barbarous or more destructive of fairness than to degrade the encounter into a kicking match, in which each man’s shins are gradually disabled by cuts and bruises. The golden mean would perhaps be arrived at by a rule allowing the men to take what hold they can, and throw their opponent as they like. Any wrestler who was good at out-play would then have a chance to finish the combat without coming to close quarters, while one who preferred in-play would endeavour to rush in, and, as the Comishmen say, ” go to the grips.” Full scope would be then allowed for the out-wrestler’s “chips,” such as outside and inside striking, haming, hankering, and twining over, as well as for crossbuttocking, hanching, hipeing, and the devices in which in-players excel.

Various (1885), ‘A New book of sports; reprinted from the “Saturday Review”‘, London: Richard Bentley & Sons. Available online via Archive.org, pp. 114-118.