Devon wrestling is a type of

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat s ...

that was popular in the nineteenth century. The

Devonshire Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, ...

fashion of wrestling allows hardened footwear to be worn and kicking intended to disable the opponent. It has similarities to

Cornish wrestling Cornish wrestling ( kw, Omdowl Kernewek) is a form of wrestling that has been established in Cornwall for many centuries and possibly longer. It is similar to the Breton Gouren wrestling style. It is colloquially known as "wrasslin’"Philli ...

but it was reputed to focus more on foot moves and less on throwing. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century many Devon wrestlers used to wear "baked" boots when wrestling, which could cause serious injury to opponents (on rare occasions leading to death). The best known champion Devon wrestler is

Abraham Cann Abraham Cann (1794''Miscellaneous'', Leighton Buzzard Observer and Linslade Gazette, 26 April 1864, p3. – 7 April 1864) was an English wrestler of the 19th century. Life Cann was the son of Robert Cann, a farmer and a wrestler in Devonshire, ...

Colebrooke, Devon Colebrooke is a village and parish in Devon, England about 8 km west of Crediton. The main point of interest is the church and the connection to Henry Kingsley's novel ''The Recollections of Geoffry Hamlyn''. Also Uncle Tom Cobley, of the ...

. Cann was the Devon champion and faced the Cornish champion

James Polkinghorne James Polkinghorne (1788 – 15 September 1851) 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 ...

in a match in

Morice Town Morice Town is a suburb of Plymouth in the English county of Devon. It named after Sir William Morice who owned the land at the time that it was being developed for housing for the employees in the Dockyard. It was originally a part of the t ...

, now in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...

, in 1826, watched by a crowd of 17,000 (after some dispute the match was declared a draw). Cann had defeated John Jordan, Flower, Wreyford, Simon Webber, and the other good wrestlers in Devon, and carried off the prizes at many of the places where he became a competitor.

References

{{Folk wrestling Folk wrestling styles Culture in Devon Sports originating in England European martial arts Wrestling in England