The Devon and Cornwall Wrestling Society

The Devon and Cornwall Wrestling Society was a significant sporting organisation that was founded in 1752, and operated through to the 1870s, primarily centred on London venues. The Society represented the institutionalisation of Westcountry Wrestling traditions within the commercial sporting landscape of Victorian London, offering substantial prize money and establishing formal governance structures that distinguished it from informal rural wrestling matches.

Structure and Governance

Committee and Officials

Primary Officials:

• Secretary: G. Willey (1862)
• Manager: James Truscott (1868) – described as having “well managed the sports at Hackney-wick for some years”
• Treasurer: Not specifically identified in sources

Judges and Referees:

• R. Hake, Esq. – Served as respected referee for multiple years until his death, after which “a liberal collection was made for the widow of the late Mr. Hake” (1862)
• Mr. G. Rooks (of Stepney) – Judge (1862)
• Mr. W. P. Snell – Judge (1862)
• George Rooke (India Arms, Trinity-street, Rotherhithe) – Referee (1862)
• Mr. Stephen Roberts – Umpire (1862)
• Mr. T. Bartley – Umpire, who “gained belts at the Brecknock Arms, in 1849, and at the Scottish fetes at Holland Park, In 1851” (1862)

Ground Management:

• Mr. William Price – “the able M.C. of the ground, conducted the pedestrian department” and provided “sole management” ensuring “order and regularity” (1862)

Committee decision-making powers

The sources reveal active committee governance:

• Financial authority: “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” (1862)
• Strategic planning: Committee “secured the valuable services” of specific judges and referees
• Rule modifications: “Although open to all counties, at any weight, the exclusive rule of shutting out men at 13st, passed some years ago to exclude Pollard and Gloyne, two heavy men, was wisely abandoned” (1868)

Financial operations

Prize money

1845: Basic prize structure for heavy and light weights

• Heavy Weights: 1. John Maunder, Devon; 2. John Goodman, Cornwall; 3. William Snell, Devon
• Light Weights: 1. John Cornwall; 2. W. Bowden, Cornwall; 3. Hayman, Devon; 4. J. Dyer, Cornwall

1857: Structured prize system at White Lion, Hackney Wick

• Men of any Weight: First £2 10s, Second £1 10s, Third 5s
• Men under-12st: £2 10s, £1 10s, 5s
• Amateurs: £1, 10s

1862: Major expansion – £100 total prize fund

• “Liberal sum of £100, to be contended for by men under 12st, which will be apportioned in twenty money prizes”
• Additional £50 for “250 yards, 440 yards, and one mile handicap”
• Total value approximately £150

1849: Whitsuntide subscription match – £100 at Brecknock Arms

Revenue streams

Gate Receipts: Evidence of ticketed events with substantial attendance

• Cann-Polkinghorne match (1826): “Ten thousand persons bought tickets at a premium for seats”
• Regular events: “Refreshments of all kinds will be on the ground, the admission to which will be 6d each”

Subscriptions: References to “Annual Subscription Match” suggest membership-based funding model

Venues and location operations

Primary London venues

Hackney Wick (White Lion – J.C. Baum proprietor):

• Capacity: “vast amphitheatre capable of accommodating 20,000 spectators”
• Infrastructure: “tilting ground surrounded by a vast amphitheatre”
• Transport: “easily reached by the railway” with “pleasant ‘lover’s walk’ across the beautiful park”
• Status: Described as “one of the most celebrated running grounds in or near London”

Brecknock Arms, Camden Town:

• Regular venue: “The ground selected, which is at the Brecknock Arms Tavern, Camden-town, was in a fair condition”
• Infrastructure: “spacious marquee erected by the landlord”
• Annual events: Hosted regular Whitsuntide subscription matches

Hornsey-wood Tavern:

• Transition venue: Proprietor “previously left the Brecknock Arms”
• Infrastructure: “spacious marquee, capable of accommodating several thousand spectators”

Event scheduling and calendar

Primary Season: Easter through Whitsuntide

• Good Friday to Easter Tuesday: “yearly gathering of the Devon and Cornwall Wrestling Society, which, as usual, will commence on Good Friday, and extend over to the Easter Monday and Tuesday”
• Whitsuntide: “Annual Subscription Match for £100 will be played for at the Brecknock Arms”

Duration: Multi-day events standard – typically 3-4 days per major meeting

Membership and participation

Elite competitors (1862 roster)

Champions:

• Joseph Meneer – Multi-year champion, described as champion “for the eighth year” (1868)
• Breadbeer
• Cosway of the Guards

Military Participants:

• “Many others of our gallant army” – significant military representation
• Notable that military wrestlers received special mention, suggesting organised military participation

Geographic Representation:

• Devon contingent: “All the elite of the two counties have already entered”
• Cornwall representatives: Substantial representation from Cornwall
• Open participation: “All comers” policy at stipulated weights

Classification systems

Weight Classes:

• Men of any Weight
• Men under 12st (later under-13st rule abandoned)
• Light Weights and Heavy Weights (1845 classification)

Skill Categories:

• Amateurs: “that have not wrestled for a prize”
• Standards: Basic qualification level
• Double Players: Advanced qualification
• Champions: Elite level

Social demographics

Working Class Focus: “To those who have but little idea of the pastimes of the working classes, a visit to the Agricultural Hall would have given them an insight”

Spectator Base: “Enable the maids and matrons of ‘Merrie England’ to witness the sports of old” – suggesting broad social appeal including female spectators

Rules

Competition format

Standard Progression:

1. Standards: Basic qualification through single wins
2. Double Play: Advanced competition level
3. Triple Play: Elite competition level
4. Final: Championship determination

Technical Rules:

• “Fair back fall” – “as practised time immemorial, as being the true style of the ancient pastime ‘wrestling'”
• Costume requirements: “competitors will appear proper costume, so as not to offend the eye of the most fastidious”
• Style specification: “play to be purely in the Cornish style, without shoes, in jackets and drawers” (1857)

Regulatory evolution

Style Standardisation:

• 1857: “purely in the Cornish style, without shoes”
• Evidence of Devon style accommodation: Later sources suggest accommodation of both styles

Weight Regulations:

• Initial restrictions: “exclusive rule of shutting out men at 13st, passed some years ago to exclude Pollard and Gloyne”
• Liberalisation: Rule “wisely abandoned” by 1868

Championships and prestige events

Special Commemorative events

Prince of Wales Marriage Cup (circa 1863):

• Format: “handsome silver cup was offered by Mr. Baum for competition”
• Challenge system: “challenge one, and the man who first won was compelled to hold it against all comers for eighteen months”
• Stakes: “any man could challenge him for it provided he brought £25 to stake against another £25 of the holder’s”
• Outcome: Won by John Slade initially, then Joseph Meneer after £25 challenge match

Annual Championships

Continuous Champions:

• Joseph Meneer: Dominated for approximately 8 years, “champion for the eighth year” (1868)
• Championship succession: Clear evidence of annual championship determination

Spectator experience and cultural impact

Attendance figures

Regular Events:

• 1868: “fully three thousand persons present”
• 1862: “enclosure being absolutely crammed with spectators”
• Capacity events: Regular sellouts at major venues

Special Events:

• Cann-Polkinghorne (1826): “17,000 spectators” with “Ten thousand persons bought tickets at a premium”

Cultural significance

• National Identity: Wrestling promoted as expression of English character – “calculated to bring out the thews and sinews of our youth—the best defence of ‘Altar, throne, of hearth and home Of this our native land'”
• Regional Pride: Strong county identification with Devon vs Cornwall rivalry central to organisation’s identity
• Social Integration: Events designed to be family-friendly with accommodation for “maids and matrons”

Relationship with commercial sports industry

Professional integration

Venue partnerships: Close relationships with commercial venue operators (Baum, proprietors of Brecknock Arms, etc.)

Multi-Sport events: Wrestling combined with:

• Pedestrianism: “pedestrian events, and pole leaping”
• Athletic sports: Full athletic programmes
• Entertainment: “the amusements to conclude with a ball”

Economic model

• Prize-driven: Substantial monetary prizes as primary incentive
• Commercial venues: Reliance on established commercial sporting venues
• Professional management: Evidence of paid professional management staff

Decline and institutional memory

Organisational continuity

• Leadership Continuity: James Truscott managed events “for some years” at Hackney Wick
• Institutional Memory: References to past champions and historical matches suggest strong institutional continuity

Later period challenges

• 1870s Evidence: Limited references in later period suggest declining activity
• Competition: Growing competition from other wrestling styles (Cumberland, Westmorland)

Comparative analysis with other Wrestling organisations

Cumberland and Westmorland Society

• Organisational Structure: Devon and Cornwall Society appears less formally structured than Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling Society with its “chairman,” “vice chairman,” “treasurer,” “honorary secretary,” and “working committee”
• Prize Values: Cumberland society offered “300 guineas” compared to Devon and Cornwall’s typical £100-150
• Venue Scale: Both operated major London venues but Cumberland society used Agricultural Hall which accommodated “fifteen thousand persons”

Critical assessment

Strengths

• Financial capability: Consistent ability to offer substantial prize money
• Venue quality: Access to premier London sporting venues
• Geographic reach: Successfully drew participants from Devon and Cornwall to London
• Professional management: Evidence of competent administrative structure

Weaknesses

• Limited documentary evidence: Less formal record-keeping compared to Cumberland society
• Geographic concentration: Heavy reliance on London venues rather than regional development
• Style tensions: Ongoing tension between Devon and Cornish wrestling styles
• Regulatory inconsistency: Evidence of rule changes and accommodations suggesting weak institutional consensus

Conclusion

The Devon and Cornwall Wrestling Society represented a significant attempt to institutionalise West Country wrestling traditions within Victorian London’s commercial sporting landscape. The organisation successfully operated substantial prize competitions, maintained professional management structures, and attracted large audiences over several decades. However, the Society appears to have declined in the 1870s, possibly due to its inability to resolve fundamental tensions between traditional regional wrestling styles and the demands of metropolitan commercial sport.

The archival evidence suggests an organisation that, while successful in its heyday, lacked the institutional robustness of contemporary sporting bodies, ultimately falling victim to the very market forces it had initially exploited. This trajectory parallels the broader decline of Devon Wrestling described in the academic literature, where commercial incentives undermined sporting integrity and long-term sustainability.

Sources referenced

Bell’s Life in London (1857, 1868), Exeter and Plymouth Gazette (1845, 1867, 1845), Hone’s Table Book (1820s), Illustrated Sporting News and Theatrical and Musical Review (1862), London Daily News (1846), London Standard (1868, 1869), Morning Post (1846), Penny Illustrated Paper (1862), Royal Cornwall Gazette (1845, 1867, 1868), The Era (1849, 1852), Western Times (1845, 1868, 1879), Western Morning News (1925, 1926).

Note: This analysis is based on fragmentary archival sources and may not capture the complete organisational picture. Additional sources would likely reveal further details about the Society’s operations, particularly its internal governance and financial management.