The south west of England has always had a strong relationship with the martial arts.
According to the most ancient tradition, the legendary founder of Cornwall, Corineus (from whom Cornwall was said to have taken its name), established the county by expelling Giants. In his final battle with Gogmagog, the last surviving Giant, Corineus performed a wrestling throw, launching Gogmagog into the sea from Plymouth Hoe. According to Carew, this event took place in 1154 BC.
And so began over 3,000 years of martial arts in the Westcountry. Martial arts and this beautiful rural location have ever since been intimately intwined.
Six shires style
The West Country, also known as ‘the South West’, is one of the 9 economic, rural and cultural regions of England. Its cultures are distinct enough from the rest of the country because it represents the ancient legacy of the Kingdom of Wessex. Wessex was an important Kingdom in England because of its strong leadership and was eventually responsible for uniting England as a single Kingdom under King Aethelstan (12 July 927).
Today the Westcountry still consists of the 6 ancient Shires of Wessex, which mostly have a shared culture, but do have some important cultural distinctions:
 Cornwall, also known as Kernow. This county is culturally distinct, identifying itself as Celtic. There have been efforts since the mid 20th Century to restore much of Cornwall’s cultural identity, including the re-introduction of Cornish (a Celtic language like Welsh) in schools and on street signs. The Cornwall Heritage Trust protects many sites around the county. |
 Devonshire, lies across the Tamar River from Cornwall, which has always been the natural divide between the 2 counties. The home of some local heroes such as Sir Francis Drake, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and beautiful places designated as ‘Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ (AONB) such as East Devon, the Jurassic Coast, and Exmoor and Dartmoor. |
 Somerset, the home of King Alfred (where a memorial to his ‘burning the cakes’ is still found on the Somerset Levels), Glastonbury Tor and Abbey, speculated to be the final battle and resting place of King Arthur at Avalon. |
 Dorset, the county where Sir Walter Raleigh lived and served as MP. A common venue for stick fighting was at Sherborne. |
 Wiltshire, the ancient home of Stonehenge, and the henge at Avebury. Wiltshire was famed for its military gamesters who specialised in competitive single-stick and sword-and-dagger. Those who live in the county are sometimes referred to as ‘moon-rakers’. |
 Gloucestershire, was famous for the Cotswold Olympicks, an event that is still held today in Chipping Campden. It preserves the brutal sport of shin-kicking – perhaps the last surviving legacy of the Devonshire style of wrestling. Gloucester was also a location for renowned cudgelling tournaments. |
The cultural shifts occur between each, with Cornwall being the most distinctly ‘Celtic’, and Gloucester and Wiltshire being the most distinctly ‘English’. It’s therefore not true to say that all 6 Shires are similar, but rather that they are combined known as being distinct from the rest of the South of England, and therefore distinct from the rest of England.
In terms of Martial Arts: Each county had its own martial specialisms.
In the 19th Century, the specialism of Devon and Cornwall was Wrestling (‘Westcountry Play’), and in Somerset, Avon and Wiltshire, the specialism was Cudgelling (also known as Single-stick, or Broadswording). There was also a school of Sword and Dagger, which was found in parts of Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. These sports were primary pastimes in each county. Each took their sport very seriously, competing with surrounding counties to be recognised as the best of the bunch.
A map of the 6 Shires. (1) Cornwall, (2) Devonshire, (3) Somersetshire, (4) Dorsetshire, (5) Wiltshire, (6) Gloucestershire. There is also a small county between Gloucestershire and Somerset called ‘Avon’ which is commonly treated as part of Somerset.
The sports were also not exclusive to each county. For example, the historical records regularly demonstrate how ‘Somersetshire Wrestling’ tournaments took place alongside the more popular Cudgelling competitions. However, archive material confirms that Somersetshire wrestling was practised in the Devonshire style (as outplay, loose-hold, and whilst wearing shoes/clogs).
| Skill-set | Description | Shire(s) | Type(s) |
| Wrestling | Throws, Trips, Lifts according to the Cornish style of Wrestling. | Cornwall, Devon, Somerset | Living tradition (1200-present) |
| Short stick, or Cudgelling | a walking stick, reminiscent of a broadsword. also known as ‘Single-stick’, or ‘Broadswording’. It was practised by Military gentlemen during leave periods. A common Victorian weapon. | Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucester | Canonical tradition (1450-1918) |
| Sword & Dagger | An additional sport practised by Military gentlemen during leave periods. | Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucester | Canonical tradition (1550-1889) |
| Long staff, or Quarterstaffing | Zach Wylde, Joseph Swetnam, as studied by Richard Peeke. | Cornwall, Devon, Somerset | Canonical tradition (1450-1800) |
| Two-hand Swordplaying | Man Yt Wol MS, from Combe Raleigh and Buckerell (outside Honiton) | Devon | Canonical tradition (1420-1550) |
Taken collectively, we may call them ‘Westcountry Martial Arts’.
There’s a wealth of evidence for them: not only the people (masters, subcultures, and communities) who participated, the heroic personalities and important historical events, but also the practice. Here’s a few examples:
- Richard Peeke: a soldier from Tavistock, who, during the wars with Spain, fought off 3 Spanish Rapiermen in 1625 using an old weapon called a Quarterstaff (a 7-foot long ‘bo’ staff). His Spanish captors were so impressed with his skill, that they released him. He later wrote about this story and published it.
- Joseph Swetnam: An Elizabethan Fencing Master from Bristol wrote an insightful book on Swordsmanship in 1617, entitled ‘The School of the Noble and Worthy Science of Defence…’ In his foreword to the book, he mentioned that his masters were Thomas Westcoat from Penryn in Cornwall, and Richard Caro from Plymouth, Devon. He also held a Fencing school in Plymouth. Swetnam described at the end of his book, “so I greet not only Plymouth alone, but all Devonshire and Cornwall, with as many kind commendations as it is possible for my pen to express”.
- Two-hand swordplay: Besides Wrestling and Stick-fighting of various sizes, there’s also evidence of swordsmanship. For example, one of only 3 early texts on Two Hand Swordsmanship (Harleian MS.3542) in England was known to have resided just outside Honiton, in the parishes of Buckerell and Combe Raleigh. It’s believed to date to about 1450 and covers – quite cryptically – how to wield a two-handed sword.
- Exeter Corporation of Masters of Defence: One of the earliest European organisations for Martial Arts was the ‘Corporation of Masters of the Noble and Worthy Science of Defence’. It was sanctioned by Royal Patent by Henry VIII in London in 1540. It was believed that the extent of the institutional organisation was contained in London, which may not be true. The Exeter City Archives keeps a printed version of the warrant issued by Queen Mary dated to 1555. Currently this is the only known version of the document outside of London and suggests that they operated their commission in Exeter, the Roman capital of Devon.
[1] DWS has compiled an entire archive of information on this topic.1