Abraham Cann
Encyclopedia
Abraham Cann was an English
wrestler
of the 19th century.
shire, and his wife, Mary. Although his date of birth is apparently unknown, young Abraham was baptised at Colebrooke, near Crediton
, on 2 December 1794. Inheriting from his father a love of play, he defeated John Jordan, Flower, Wreyford, Simon Webber, and the other good wrestlers in Devonshire, and carried off the prizes at all the places where he became a competitor. In these matches, he wrestled in the Devonshire fashion
, namely, wearing shoes and endeavouring to disable his adversary by violently kicking him on the legs.
Cann's match with Warren
On 21 September 1826, at the Eagle Tavern in City Road, London
, he contended without shoes for the first prize with James Warren
of Redruth
(who was conspicuous for his bravery at the time of the loss of the Kent, Indiaman, in 1825), and although the latter made a gallant struggle, Cann was declared the victor.
Cann's match with Polkinghorne
He had long been known as the champion of Devonshire when he challenged James Polkinghorne
, the champion of Cornwall
. Polkinghorne was 6 feet, 2 inches tall, weighed 320 lbs, and had not wrestled for some years, being the landlord of the Red Lion inn at Saint Columb Major. Cann was but 5 feet, 8½ inches in height, and weighed 175 lbs. This match, the purse for which was £200 a side for the best of three back falls, took place at Tamar Green, Morice Town, near Devonport
, on 23 October 1826, in the presence of upwards of 12,000 spectators. After a long struggle, the Cornishman won a fair back fall. Cann then threw Polkinghorne, but a dispute arose, and a toss gave it in favour of the latter. After several other falls, Polkinghorne threw Cann, but the triers were divided in opinion as to the fall. Polkinghorne left the ring, and after much wrangling, the match was declared to be drawn. The Devonshire man, using the toes and heels of his shoes, kicked his adversary in the most frightful manner, while the Cornishman neither wore shoes nor kicked. Cann was a fighter of the Devon style, a "kicker"; he wore boots with toes that had been soaked in bullock's blood and then baked as "hard as flint". Polkinghorne fought in the Cornish style
and was a "hugger" who fought without footwear. The fight is remembered by a plaque on the Red Lion pub in Saint Columb Major, Cornwall, where Polkinghorne was landlord. Cann would fight any man in England for £500.
Retirement and death
In 1861, Lord Palmerston
headed a subscription among the west-country gentlemen, by which the sum of £200 was presented to the former champion of Devonshire. Cann was for many years the proprietor of an inn. He died in his native place, Colebrooke, on 7 April 1864, and is buried in Colebrooke Churchyard. He had four brothers, James, Robert, George, and William, all of whom were wrestlers. Messrs. Sparkes & Pope, solicitors, Crediton, were said, at the end of the nineteenth century, to have possessed a manuscripted biography of Cann.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
wrestler
Amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...
of the 19th century.
Life
Cann was the son of Robert Cann, a farmer and a wrestler in DevonDevon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
shire, and his wife, Mary. Although his date of birth is apparently unknown, young Abraham was baptised at Colebrooke, near Crediton
Crediton
Crediton is a town and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon in England. It stands on the A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, about north west of Exeter. It has a population of 6,837...
, on 2 December 1794. Inheriting from his father a love of play, he defeated John Jordan, Flower, Wreyford, Simon Webber, and the other good wrestlers in Devonshire, and carried off the prizes at all the places where he became a competitor. In these matches, he wrestled in the Devonshire fashion
Devon wrestling
Devon wrestling is a type of wrestling that waspopular in the nineteenth century. The Devonshire fashion of wrestling allows hardened footwear to be worn and kicking intended to disable the opponent....
, namely, wearing shoes and endeavouring to disable his adversary by violently kicking him on the legs.
Cann's match with Warren
On 21 September 1826, at the Eagle Tavern in City Road, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he contended without shoes for the first prize with James Warren
James Warren
James Warren was the President of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and a Paymaster General of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, among other positions. He was born, and died, in Plymouth, Massachusetts...
of Redruth
Redruth
Redruth is a town and civil parish traditionally in the Penwith Hundred in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has a population of 12,352. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road , and is approximately west of...
(who was conspicuous for his bravery at the time of the loss of the Kent, Indiaman, in 1825), and although the latter made a gallant struggle, Cann was declared the victor.
Cann's match with Polkinghorne
He had long been known as the champion of Devonshire when he challenged James Polkinghorne
James Polkinghorne
James Polkinghorne was a champion Cornish wrestler of the 19th century. He was born in 1788 at St Keverne, Cornwall, United Kingdom but spent much of his life at St. Columb Major, where he ran a pub called the Red Lion.-Cann's match with Polkinghorne:...
, the champion of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. Polkinghorne was 6 feet, 2 inches tall, weighed 320 lbs, and had not wrestled for some years, being the landlord of the Red Lion inn at Saint Columb Major. Cann was but 5 feet, 8½ inches in height, and weighed 175 lbs. This match, the purse for which was £200 a side for the best of three back falls, took place at Tamar Green, Morice Town, near Devonport
Devonport, Devon
Devonport, formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889...
, on 23 October 1826, in the presence of upwards of 12,000 spectators. After a long struggle, the Cornishman won a fair back fall. Cann then threw Polkinghorne, but a dispute arose, and a toss gave it in favour of the latter. After several other falls, Polkinghorne threw Cann, but the triers were divided in opinion as to the fall. Polkinghorne left the ring, and after much wrangling, the match was declared to be drawn. The Devonshire man, using the toes and heels of his shoes, kicked his adversary in the most frightful manner, while the Cornishman neither wore shoes nor kicked. Cann was a fighter of the Devon style, a "kicker"; he wore boots with toes that had been soaked in bullock's blood and then baked as "hard as flint". Polkinghorne fought in the Cornish style
Cornish wrestling
Cornish wrestling is a form of wrestling which has been established in Cornwall, an area of southwest Britain for several centuries. The referee is known as a 'stickler', and it is claimed that the popular meaning of the word as a 'pedant' originates from this usage...
and was a "hugger" who fought without footwear. The fight is remembered by a plaque on the Red Lion pub in Saint Columb Major, Cornwall, where Polkinghorne was landlord. Cann would fight any man in England for £500.
Retirement and death
In 1861, Lord Palmerston
Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, KG, GCB, PC , known popularly as Lord Palmerston, was a British statesman who served twice as Prime Minister in the mid-19th century...
headed a subscription among the west-country gentlemen, by which the sum of £200 was presented to the former champion of Devonshire. Cann was for many years the proprietor of an inn. He died in his native place, Colebrooke, on 7 April 1864, and is buried in Colebrooke Churchyard. He had four brothers, James, Robert, George, and William, all of whom were wrestlers. Messrs. Sparkes & Pope, solicitors, Crediton, were said, at the end of the nineteenth century, to have possessed a manuscripted biography of Cann.