Hello everyone. I wondered whether anyone has information on either a) Manuals/books that deal with Cornish or Devonshire style wrestling (older materials would be fine and greatly appreciated--I can get ahold of most rare books) b) Martial Arts Schools that teach either of these systems located in the Northeastern US (I understand that there are/were classes on at least one of these at the Lansing convention...will this still be the case, and are there other schools/seminars in the Northeast?) I would appreciate any help that you can give me. Thanks!
Devonshire & Cornwall wrestling Originally, Cornish and Devonshire wrestling styles were entirely separate, coming as they did from different English counties. In fact, there used to be much rivalry between the two over many years - half a century at least. As far as books are concerned you could try to get hold of a copy of: The Badminton Library - Fencing, Boxing & Wrestling by W.H. Pollock, F.C. Grove, E.B. Michell & W. Armstrong. Printed in London by Longman, Green, & Co. This book has a section on old-English wrestling styles including Devonshire and Cornwall. My copy is a Second Edition, dated 1890 and it cost me £50 UK Pounds Sterling in 1993. The Wrestling section was written by Walter Armstrong (an appropriate name for someone writing about wrestling!). Pugil
Thanks. I appreciate it. I have heard that the Devonshire style of wrestling is largely dead at this point. However, I note that Cornish wrestling, on the other hand, is still alive and well--I have visited the "official" organization's website and they appear to still be holding tournaments. Are there any schools/teachers in the US, particularly the Northeast, that teach Cornish wrestling, or the Devonshire style?
There have been many different styles of wrestling taking part in different counties in Britain in oldern times. These include: Wales & Gloucester; Berkshire & Cheshire; Cornwall & Devon; Cumberland & Westmorland; Lancashire (catch-as-catch-can, or freestyle); Dinnie (also known as 'Scottish style'); Collar & Elbow (Ireland & later America); and, of course, Gre^co-Roman. West County wrestling, i.e. Devonshire & Cornwall, pre-dates the time of the Roman invasion into Britain. It's almost certainly true to say that wrestling went into decline in Devon after the final match between their greatest champion, Abraham Cann, and Polkinghorne, the top man from Cornwall, which took place in 1826. Having said that, Cornish wrestling also went into decline a few years later and was virtually a parochial activity by the middle of the 19th century too. Other books you might like to look out for include: A Pictorial History of Wrestling, by Graeme Kent The Inn Play, or the Cornish Hugg Wrestler, by Sir Thomas Parkyns I have no idea about the authenticity of anyone who may claim to teach old British County wrestling styles nowadays, West County or otherwise, whether in Britain or the United States of America. As for websites, anyone can set up a website and claim anything. I don't have any idea as to whether the site you viewed is legitimate or not. The following site, seems to be pretty good though, and definitely worth a look: http://www.cornishwrestling.co.uk/menu_sections/cornish_wrestling_history.html Pugil
Book That site I mentioned has the following book for sale: The Art Of Cornish Wrestling This fine book is the only modern record of Cornish Wrestling; its History, Art and skills. The book explains some History on Cornish Wrestling, and displays all the major Cornish moves/throws through diagrams and instructions. The book is about 40 pages, and there are limited stock Get yours soon! Postage currently only within the UK & Northern Ireland. £2.50 +£1.50 P&P Pugil
Thanks. As it happens, this is the site that I was referring to when I mentioned the modern organization. Alas, I am a US resident, and therefore cannot get their book because they don't send books to the US (limited to UK and Northern Ireland). I've e-mailed them asking if they have any certified instructors in the US, in hopes of finding a school that teaches it. I noticed on the website that they allow trips (and in fact include these in their techniques); would you say that Devonshire and Cornish wrestling involve similar techniques, with a difference in emphasis (tripping vs. throwing)? It seems that, if they could compete against each other, the rulesets and techniques must bear some similarities to each other. You seem to be quite knowledgeable in this area. Tell me, is it the Cornish and Devonshire styles that were used as the basis for the grappling in the era of LPR bareknuckle pugilism? Were other styles utilized as well? Thanks!
Wrestling / Pugilism I thought perhaps it was. I know the feeling well. I recently asked about a Freestyle wrestling dummy from the States and was told they don't ship to the UK. The 'trips' you refer to are the same, or very similar to, reaps used in other wrestling and grappling styles, including Judo, etc. In the early days, the thing that stood out in Devonshire wrestling was the wearing of heavy shoes, or boots, which they used to great effect on their opponent's shins. There was a great deal of rivalry between the two counties, and they held annual contests to decide the Champion of the two styles. West Country wrestlers also used to have frequent matches between themselves and French teams from Brittanny (I believe), often to resolve arguments over fishing rights. In fact, if you look at the links page on that site it lists one French website which they claim has a similar style to the old West Country wrestling styles. I'm not sure what you mean by 'LPR', but the early bareknuckle pugilism was the death knell of many of the old wrestling styles. It was often said that the only way to know if anything actually went on in some of the old style wrestling contests was to enter one yourself The Crossbuttock throw existed in most, if not all, of the old county styles, and it was also used to great effect by bareknuckle fighters until the practise [of throwing an opponent] was outlawed. Not sure about knowledgable, but I have done quite a bit of research and have a few decent books on old-English fighting sports. Glad to be of some help. Now go check out that French site Pugil
Pugil, excellent posts! I have an interest in the various folkstyle wrestling arts. Collar and elbow and Cornish wrestling among them. I'll be nuying all those books you spoke of. crosstrainer, Here's a great web site (lots of links) covering Celtic folk wrestling. http://www.scotwrestle.co.uk/ I believe Ken Pfenger (sp) who posts on this board, teaches Cornish wrestling. Another good wrestling site is http://www.groundfight.com lots of good knowledgeable people who can help you out.
me and my boyfriend went to st ives in cornwall, this summer just gone ,and we saw in hayle a west country wrestling open tourney which was on tommrow so we trotted down there and my fella backkickguy ended up signing up for it . anyone at all could enter and they sat down told them all the rules and everything and people of all ages 18 up signed up for it , it was all done to the old cornish tradtional wrestling rules and guess what backkickguy came second he would of come first if he hadnt of gone up against a huge tank of a man in the final, it was great fun looked a little bit like sumo lol
