Robert Baker

“The Jem Mace of Wrestling” – Bow’s Most Versatile Wrestler

I. Life and Career

Robert Baker of Bow was, by “Argus”‘s considered assessment, the most technically versatile Devon wrestler of the late Victorian era — a man whose ambidextrous facility with every leg and arm was compared, remarkably, to the great bare-knuckle pugilist Jem Mace. “It might be said of him, as of Mace in the prize ring, he can use any leg or arm in front,” “Argus” wrote. “This is an advantage which wrestlers and pugilists but seldom possess” (“Argus,” No. IV, Western Times, 6 February 1879). Born in 1847 in the parish of Bow, near Colebrooke — the same district that produced Pike, Thomas Baker (his brother), and Samuel Battishill — Robert Baker represented the finest of the “new school” of Devon wrestlers, though “Argus” left open the question of whether this new school was truly the equal of the old (Wikipedia, “List of Cornish wrestlers”; “Argus,” Western Times, 6 February 1879).

Baker was recognised from the outset as a man of great promise. No sooner did he make his debut than he was matched against a succession of good and seasoned wrestlers, many of whom fell before him (“Argus,” Western Times, 6 February 1879). His style of play was much admired: where Pike relied on sheer physical bulk and Cooper on relentless kicking, Baker combined strength with genuine technical sophistication, deploying a range of throws and holds from either side of his body — a quality almost unheard of in Devon wrestling, where most men favoured one dominant leg or arm.

Baker’s principal matches, as recorded by “Argus,” reveal both his qualities and his limitations. He was defeated by Frank Hutchings of Moretonhampstead, though the contest appeared more than once to be going in Baker’s favour, and the judges had difficulty deciding which was the better man (“Argus,” Western Times, 6 February 1879). Against Samuel Oliver, Baker met with consistent success: the two had wrestled many times, once notably at Crediton where much had been expected given their similar weight, but after the first match little interest was felt, as Baker always won. “Argus” noted that Oliver was openly taunted with having sold his back against Baker, though this only made Oliver laugh (“Argus,” Western Times, 6 February 1879; “Argus,” Western Times, 7 March 1879).

In 1871, Baker disposed of Burnett and Joe Milton, thereby becoming possessor of a belt — described by some, though not universally, as a champion’s belt (“Argus,” Western Times, 6 February 1879). His match with Cooper, the previous generation’s champion, was anything but satisfactory: many scrambling bouts were had, but the matter ended in a draw, much to the disgust of the onlookers (“Argus,” Western Times, 6 February 1879). Against Rundle, at Plymouth for a good stake some four years before “Argus” wrote (i.e. c. 1875), Baker was defeated by “the Little Wonder” — confirming that while Baker could defeat most Devon men, the supreme Cornish champion remained beyond his reach (“Argus,” Western Times, 6 February 1879).

At the Exeter Grand Wrestling Match of June 1873, Baker threw Westlake in splendid style on the first day, confirming his reputation as an attacking thrower of the first order (Western Times, 21 June 1873). In 1875, he succeeded in winning the first prize at Mount Radford. After many good players had been disposed of, Baker and Oliver were called for the final — but Oliver’s performance left the impression that he did not try to win, tarnishing what should have been Baker’s finest tournament victory (“Argus,” Western Times, 6 February 1879).

Baker’s most historically significant victory was his defeat of Richard Pike — his neighbour from Bow and the man who had worn out Rundle to claim the championship. This result, recorded by “Argus” in the championship column of 1882, was the decisive complication in Pike’s championship claim: “Pike, of course, is the man best able now to claim it, but then since his defeat by Robert Baker he has had no match which would give him the right to lay the claim” (“Argus,” Western Times, 30 May 1882). Baker’s retirement some eight years before the Newton Abbot championship matches of 1887, rather than clearing the way for other Devon wrestlers, had the contrary effect of leaving no clear Devon champion at all (“Argus,” Western Times, 1 November 1887).

At Exeter in 1870, Baker threw Oliver in a manner so striking that the fall was made the subject of an illustration in a sporting paper. “Argus” described the throw in vivid detail: Oliver shifted slightly behind Baker and lifted him above the ground, but Baker twisted his legs around his opponent and threw him easily. The play had lasted but one round (“Argus,” Western Times, 7 March 1879). Among others, Baker threw Ash, Burley, Burnett, Gidley, and Ellis — all good wrestlers (“Argus,” Western Times, 6 February 1879).

Baker’s later career was curtailed by a change of profession. “Argus” noted with gentle amusement that his new calling as host of an inn did not seem to fit him so well for the wrestling arena as his former country life. His friends humorously suggested that a mild application of Banting’s system — the popular Victorian reducing diet devised by William Banting — would need to be resorted to before he could again compete successfully with such veterans as his former opponents (“Argus,” Western Times, 6 February 1879). He had a brother, Thomas Baker, who also had some wrestling success but did not approach Robert’s distinction.

II. Match record

III. Summary statistics

IV. Key observations

1. The most technically versatile Devon wrestler of his generation. “Argus”‘s comparison to Jem Mace — the celebrated bare-knuckle champion renowned for his ambidextrous boxing — is the highest technical compliment paid to any wrestler in the entire “Argus” series. Baker’s ability to deploy any leg or arm equally effectively from either side was, by “Argus”‘s own testimony, an advantage that wrestlers and pugilists but seldom possessed. This versatility distinguishes Baker from the more one-dimensional styles of Cooper (kicking attrition), Pike (brute strength), and Rundle (defensive patience).
2. The man who complicated the championship. Baker’s defeat of Pike — the man who had worn out Rundle — created a tangled succession crisis in Devon wrestling. “Argus” identified this as the critical event that left Pike’s championship claim “somewhat vague,” and Baker’s subsequent retirement compounded the confusion by removing the one man who had a legitimate claim through victory over the previous claimant. Baker’s career thus had a structural impact on the sport’s institutional framework far beyond his individual match record.
3. The illustrated throw as a landmark in sporting journalism. The Oliver throw at Exeter in 1870 — described in detail by “Argus” and illustrated in an unnamed sporting paper — represents one of the earliest documented instances of a Devon wrestling bout being visually depicted in the press. Baker’s athletic counter-throw (wrapping his legs around Oliver while suspended above the ground) was evidently considered sufficiently spectacular to warrant pictorial treatment.
4. Defeated only by the very best. Baker’s two documented losses — to Hutchings (closely contested) and to Rundle (the acknowledged champion) — place him in the same category as James Stone and William Wreford: wrestlers whose defeats came exclusively at the hands of the supreme competitors of their era. No lesser wrestler is recorded as having beaten Baker.
5. The innkeeper’s decline: a social history in miniature. “Argus”‘s wry observation about Baker’s expanding waistline and the need for Banting’s reducing diet captures a broader truth about the social trajectory of Victorian wrestlers. The transition from the physical labour of farming — which kept wrestlers in competitive condition as a by-product of their daily work — to the sedentary hospitality of innkeeping was a career path that ended many wrestling careers. Baker’s story echoes that of Abraham Cann, who similarly transitioned from farming to innkeeping, though Cann’s decline was driven by personal tragedy rather than prosperity.
6. The question of the “new school.” “Argus”‘s concluding remark — that Baker must rank as one of the best of the new school of wrestlers, but whether the present school was equal to the old remained a matter of contention — is one of the most revealing editorial interventions in the entire series. It suggests that even “Argus,” who documented the later Victorian wrestlers with evident care and affection, harboured doubts about whether the era of Baker, Pike, and Battishill could truly bear comparison with the golden age of Cann, Stone, and Wreford.

V. Methodological caveats

Baker’s biography rests principally on the second half of “Argus” No. IV (Western Times, 6 February 1879), with cross-references in the Oliver column (7 March 1879), the Hutchings column (20 May 1879), the championship column (30 May 1882), and the Newton Abbot report (1 November 1887). The *Western Times* match report of June 1873 provides the only independently dated bout. Wikipedia contributes the birth year (1847) and the championship titles (England and Devon, both 1879). The eleven entries in the match table are certainly a substantial undercount: “Argus” implies a career spanning at least a decade with numerous victories, but provides individual detail for only a fraction of these. Baker’s retirement to innkeeping and his brother Thomas’s lesser career are noted in the sources but not further documented. No death date has been identified.

VI. References

1. “Argus.” (1879a, 6 February). Devon wrestling, No. IV: Pike and Baker. Western Times.
2. “Argus.” (1879b, 7 March). Devon wrestling: Samuel Oliver. Western Times.
3. “Argus.” (1879c, 20 May). Devon wrestling, No. XI: Hutchings and Tapper. Western Times.
4. “Argus.” (1882, 30 May). Devon and Cornwall wrestling “championship.” Western Times.
5. “Argus.” (1887, 1 November). Wrestling — Championship play at Newton Abbot. Western Times.
6. Western Times, 21 June 1873 [Exeter Grand Wrestling Match report].
7. Project archive material: “Argus” columns 1878–1887; match results database.
8. Wikipedia. (2025). List of Cornish wrestlers [entry on Robert Baker]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Cornish_wrestlers

Compiled for scholarly reference · All claims cited to primary or near-contemporary sources, supplemented by credible secondary sources · British English · APA citation style