Cornish wrestling
Encyclopedia
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. It is colloquially known as "wrasslin" in the Cornish dialect.
The wrestlers in the Cornish style both wear tough jackets enabling them to gain better grip on their opponent. All holds are taken upon the other wrestler's jacket, grabbing of the wrists or fingers is forbidden as well as any holding below the waist. Although all holds are to be taken upon the jacket the flat of the hand is allowed to be used to push or deflect an opponent.
The objective of Cornish wrestling is to throw your opponent and make him land as flat as possible on his back. Three sticklers (referees) watch and control each bout whilst also recording down the score of points achieved in play. Four pins are located on the back of a wrestler, two at the back of each shoulder and two either side just above the buttocks. If a wrestler manages to throw his opponent flat onto his back, simultaneously scoring with all 4 pins they score four points in that single throw and this is called a "Back" to which the bout is then finished and the throwing wrestler is the winner. The sticklers will each raise their sticks when they perceive a Back has been achieved. If two sticklers raise their sticks but one does not a back is still awarded.
The Cornish Wrestling Association was formed in 1923 to standardize the rules and to promote Cornish Wrestling throughout Cornwall and indeed Worldwide.
Cornish wrestling has a long history, and Geoffrey of Monmouth
suggests Historia Regum Britanniae
, of c. 1139 that Corineus
wrestled a Cornish giant, Gogmagog or Goemagot upon the cliff top known as Lamm Goemagot
.
The earliest written evidence for wrestling in the West Country comes from a 1590 poem entitled "Poly-Olbion
" by Michael Drayton
, concerning the Battle of Agincourt
in 1415. It states that the Cornish men who accompanied Henry V into battle held a banner of two Cornish wrestlers in a hitch.
Cornish, Devon and Breton
wrestlers have long taken part in inter-Celtic matches since at least 1402 and these still occasionally continue. In early times Cornish and Devonian wrestlers often had matches against each other though the rules they followed were not the same. One of these was the notable match between Richard Parkyn
and the Devonian Jordan.
In the 17th century, historian Richard Carew wrote of Cornish wrestling...
Sir Thomas Parkyns (1662-1741), known as the Wrestling Baronet, was a devotee of wrestling and organised an annual wrestling match in Bunny Park
(prize a gold-laced hat). These matches continued until 1810. His book on the subject The Inn-Play: or, the Cornish Hugg-Wrestler was published in 1713 and reprinted many times.
The Cornish Wrestling Association was formed in 1923.
, a well known Champion Cornish Wrestler) is the current (2005) Heavyweight Champion of Cornwall.
Ashley Cawley defended his title (Heavyweight Champion of Cornwall) for the first time in 2006. The tournament was hosted at Lostwithiel on the 16th of July and the final of the tournament was a monumental bout between Ashley and Darrin Richardson lasting an hour long; Ashley finally beat Darrin on "first one to touch ground".
The following Sunday (23 July) an Interceltic Tournament took place at Wadebridge, where a team of wrestlers from Brittany came over to Cornwall to challenge the Cornish Champions in relevant classes. Just a week on Ashley Cawley, still bearing injuries from the Heavyweight Tournament, took on his opponent from Brittany and won, becoming the Interceltic and Heavyweight Champion of 2006.
. The Cornish wrestling tent can be found in the Countryside area very near to the west entrance. In the Cornish wrestling tent you will find an impressive display of Cornish wrestling trophies, belts, history, photos, books and DVDs. The wrestlers perform demonstrations of their style in the Countryside ring, usually twice a day for each of the three days of the show. The demonstrations feature most of the throws and moves of the Cornish style and also feature demonstration bouts usually with a variety of wrestlers from youngsters, girls, lightweights and heavyweights.
following the miners and gold rushes. In the city of Grass Valley
, the tradition of singing Cornish carols lives on and St Piran's Day celebrations are held every year, which along with carol singing, includes a flag
raising ceremony, games involving the Cornish pasty
, and Cornish wrestling competitions.
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
which has been established in 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...
, an area of southwest Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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. It is colloquially known as "wrasslin" in the Cornish dialect.
The wrestlers in the Cornish style both wear tough jackets enabling them to gain better grip on their opponent. All holds are taken upon the other wrestler's jacket, grabbing of the wrists or fingers is forbidden as well as any holding below the waist. Although all holds are to be taken upon the jacket the flat of the hand is allowed to be used to push or deflect an opponent.
The objective of Cornish wrestling is to throw your opponent and make him land as flat as possible on his back. Three sticklers (referees) watch and control each bout whilst also recording down the score of points achieved in play. Four pins are located on the back of a wrestler, two at the back of each shoulder and two either side just above the buttocks. If a wrestler manages to throw his opponent flat onto his back, simultaneously scoring with all 4 pins they score four points in that single throw and this is called a "Back" to which the bout is then finished and the throwing wrestler is the winner. The sticklers will each raise their sticks when they perceive a Back has been achieved. If two sticklers raise their sticks but one does not a back is still awarded.
The Cornish Wrestling Association was formed in 1923 to standardize the rules and to promote Cornish Wrestling throughout Cornwall and indeed Worldwide.
History
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth was a cleric and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur...
suggests Historia Regum Britanniae
Historia Regum Britanniae
The Historia Regum Britanniae is a pseudohistorical account of British history, written c. 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It chronicles the lives of the kings of the Britons in a chronological narrative spanning a time of two thousand years, beginning with the Trojans founding the British nation...
, of c. 1139 that Corineus
Corineus
Corineus, in medieval British legend, was a prodigious warrior, a fighter of giants, and the eponymous founder of Cornwall.According to Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain , he led the descendants of the Trojans who fled with Antenor after the Trojan War and settled on the coasts...
wrestled a Cornish giant, Gogmagog or Goemagot upon the cliff top known as Lamm Goemagot
Plymouth Hoe
Plymouth Hoe, referred to locally as the Hoe, is a large south facing open public space in the English coastal city of Plymouth. The Hoe is adjacent to and above the low limestone cliffs that form the seafront and it commands views of Plymouth Sound, Drake's Island, and across the Hamoaze to Mount...
.
The earliest written evidence for wrestling in the West Country comes from a 1590 poem entitled "Poly-Olbion
Poly-Olbion
The Poly-Olbion is a topographical poem describing England and Wales. Written by Michael Drayton and published in 1612, it was reprinted with a second part in 1622. Drayton had been working on the project since at least 1598.-Content:...
" by Michael Drayton
Michael Drayton
Michael Drayton was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era.-Early life:He was born at Hartshill, near Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. Almost nothing is known about his early life, beyond the fact that in 1580 he was in the service of Thomas Goodere of Collingham,...
, concerning the Battle of Agincourt
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
in 1415. It states that the Cornish men who accompanied Henry V into battle held a banner of two Cornish wrestlers in a hitch.
Cornish, Devon and Breton
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
wrestlers have long taken part in inter-Celtic matches since at least 1402 and these still occasionally continue. In early times Cornish and Devonian wrestlers often had matches against each other though the rules they followed were not the same. One of these was the notable match between Richard Parkyn
Richard Parkyn
Richard Parkyn was a champion Cornish wrestler. He was born at Parkyn's Shop which lies at three parish boundaries, St Columb Major, St Columb Minor and St Mawgan. There was a saying at the time that Parkyn was "So great that all three parishes claimed him". He was also known as The Great Parkyn...
and the Devonian Jordan.
In the 17th century, historian Richard Carew wrote of Cornish wrestling...
- "Wrastling is as full of manliness, more delightful and less dangerous (than hurlingCornish HurlingCornish Hurling or Hurling the Silver Ball , is an outdoor team game of Celtic origin played only in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is played with a small silver ball...
).... for you shall hardly find an assembly of boyes in Devon and Cornwall, where the most untowardly amongst them will not as readily give you a muster of this exercise as you are prone to require it."
Sir Thomas Parkyns (1662-1741), known as the Wrestling Baronet, was a devotee of wrestling and organised an annual wrestling match in Bunny Park
Bunny, Nottinghamshire
Bunny is a village and civil parish in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire, England. The parish has a population of around 600. It is on the A60 south of Nottingham, south of Bradmore and north of Costock.-History:...
(prize a gold-laced hat). These matches continued until 1810. His book on the subject The Inn-Play: or, the Cornish Hugg-Wrestler was published in 1713 and reprinted many times.
The Cornish Wrestling Association was formed in 1923.
Events since 2000
Ashley Cawley (son of Gerry CawleyGerry Cawley
Gerry Cawley originally from St Mawgan in Cornwall, is the current Heavyweight Cornish Wrestling Champion.In 2007, Cawley won the Cornish Heavyweight Wrestling Championship at Helston, as part of the Harvest Fair festivities...
, a well known Champion Cornish Wrestler) is the current (2005) Heavyweight Champion of Cornwall.
Ashley Cawley defended his title (Heavyweight Champion of Cornwall) for the first time in 2006. The tournament was hosted at Lostwithiel on the 16th of July and the final of the tournament was a monumental bout between Ashley and Darrin Richardson lasting an hour long; Ashley finally beat Darrin on "first one to touch ground".
The following Sunday (23 July) an Interceltic Tournament took place at Wadebridge, where a team of wrestlers from Brittany came over to Cornwall to challenge the Cornish Champions in relevant classes. Just a week on Ashley Cawley, still bearing injuries from the Heavyweight Tournament, took on his opponent from Brittany and won, becoming the Interceltic and Heavyweight Champion of 2006.
Cornish Wrestling at the Royal Cornwall Show
The Cornish Wrestling Association (CWA) still features annually at the Royal Cornwall Agricultural ShowRoyal Cornwall Agricultural Show
The Royal Cornwall Agricultural Show, usually called the Royal Cornwall Show, is an agricultural show organised by The Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association, which takes place at the beginning of June each year, at Wadebridge in North Cornwall....
. The Cornish wrestling tent can be found in the Countryside area very near to the west entrance. In the Cornish wrestling tent you will find an impressive display of Cornish wrestling trophies, belts, history, photos, books and DVDs. The wrestlers perform demonstrations of their style in the Countryside ring, usually twice a day for each of the three days of the show. The demonstrations feature most of the throws and moves of the Cornish style and also feature demonstration bouts usually with a variety of wrestlers from youngsters, girls, lightweights and heavyweights.
Outside Cornwall
Cornish wrestling is Cornwall's oldest sport and as Cornwall's native tradition it has travelled the world to places like Victoria, Australia and Grass Valley, CaliforniaGrass Valley, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Grass Valley had a population of 12,860. The population density was 2,711.3 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Grass Valley was 11,493 White, 46 African American, 208 Native American, 188 Asian, 9 Pacific Islander, 419 from other...
following the miners and gold rushes. In the city of Grass Valley
Grass Valley, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Grass Valley had a population of 12,860. The population density was 2,711.3 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Grass Valley was 11,493 White, 46 African American, 208 Native American, 188 Asian, 9 Pacific Islander, 419 from other...
, the tradition of singing Cornish carols lives on and St Piran's Day celebrations are held every year, which along with carol singing, includes a flag
Saint Piran's Flag
Saint Piran's Flag is the flag of Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. The earliest known description of the flag as the Standard of Cornwall was written in 1838. It is used by Cornish people as a symbol of identity. It is a white cross on a black background....
raising ceremony, games involving the Cornish pasty
Pasty
A pasty , sometimes known as a pastie or British pasty in the United States, is a filled pastry case, associated in particular with Cornwall in Great Britain. It is made by placing the uncooked filling on a flat pastry circle, and folding it to wrap the filling, crimping the edge at the side or top...
, and Cornish wrestling competitions.
See also
- List of topics related to Cornwall
- GourenGourenGouren is a style of folk wrestling which has been established in Brittany for several centuries.In today's France, Gouren is overseen by the Fédération Française de Lutte .-History:...
- Devon wrestlingDevon wrestlingDevon 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....
- Collar-and-elbowCollar-and-elbowCollar-and-elbow wrestling is a style of folk wrestling native to Ireland that can be traced back to the 17th century but it has ties to the Games of Tailtinn between 632 BC and 1169 AD. Though originating in Ireland, the style flourished in America. The style is often compared to Catch wrestling,...
- James PolkinghorneJames PolkinghorneJames 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:...
- Richard ParkynRichard ParkynRichard Parkyn was a champion Cornish wrestler. He was born at Parkyn's Shop which lies at three parish boundaries, St Columb Major, St Columb Minor and St Mawgan. There was a saying at the time that Parkyn was "So great that all three parishes claimed him". He was also known as The Great Parkyn...