Ben Caunt (22 March 1815 – 10 September 1861) was a 19th-century English

bare-knuckle boxer Bare-knuckle boxing (or simply bare-knuckle) is a combat sport which involves two individuals throwing punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time without any boxing gloves or other form of padding on their hands. It is a regulated ...

who became the heavyweight

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

champion known as the "Torkard Giant" and "Big Ben".

Early life

Caunt was born on 22 March 1815 in Hucknall Torkard, in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

, England. Caunt stood tall and weighed 18 stone. He was said to be strong, durable, and willing yet also slow and clumsy. His early boxing career is not well known, but he did defeat several minor local opponents at the age of 18.

Boxing career

In 1834 he beat George Graham (of

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

). On 21 July 1835, Caunt boxed William "Bendigo" Thompson and was disqualified for an alleged foul striking Thompson while he was sitting in his corner. On 17 August 1837, Caunt fought and beat William Butler at Stoneyford in Derbyshire, and on 4 November Bill Boniford at Sunrise Hill. On 3 April 1838, Caunt again fought William Thompson on Skipworth Common, and after 76 rounds Thompson was disqualified for going down without being struck; Caunt claimed the Heavyweight Championship of England but this was not generally accepted. On 24 June of the same year, Caunt was scheduled to again fight William Thompson but the bout was cancelled. On 26 October 1840, Caunt defeated Bill Brassey at

Six Mile Bottom Six Mile Bottom is a hamlet within the parish of Little Wilbraham, near Cambridge in England. History In the 1790s the only building at Six Mile Bottom was a paddock run by a stable keeper. In 1802, a sizeable country house was built nearby. Ea ...

in 101 rounds. On 2 February 1841, Caunt fought Nick Ward on Crookham Common for the Heavyweight Championship of England where the crowd forced the referee to disqualify Caunt for an alleged blow striking Ward while he was down. Caunt avenged this defeat on 11 May of the same year, defeating Ward in 35 rounds at Long Marston to become the Heavyweight Champion of England. On 10 September 1841 Caunt sailed to America to challenge

Tom Hyer Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

to a world championship bout, but Hyer never replied. Caunt returned to England on 10 March 1842 with the "American Giant" Charles Freeman. Ben Caunt Grave

In 1845 he was challenged for the English heavyweight title by William Thompson. On 9 September Caunt lost at Stony Stratford, with a disputable decision after 93 rounds where it was alleged that Caunt went down without a blow striking him. Caunt denied this accusation and announced his retirement, only to return for a final attempt at the heavyweight crown 12 years later.

Retirement and attempted comeback

Between 1845 and 1851, Caunt worked as farm labourer and then became the landlord of the Coach and Horses

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

at St Martin's Lane, a business that made him very prosperous until the premises were destroyed in a fire that killed two of his children. In his final fight on 21 September 1857, Caunt fought Nat Langham at Home Circuit, where after 60 rounds both men were too exhausted to continue and a draw was declared.

Death and legacy

Caunt died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

on 10 September 1861 at an address in St Martin's Lane in London. He is buried outside the north transept of the Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene in Hucknall close to the grave of his two children who died in the Coach and Horses fire. It is said that Big Ben, the hour bell of the clock-tower of the Palace of Westminster, is named after this English Heavyweight Champion. The origin of the name is contested with Westminster's Chief Lord of the Woods and Forests, Sir Benjamin Hall. A large and ponderous man known affectionately in the House as "Big Ben", he is said to have given an impressively long speech on the subject. When, at the end of this oratorical marathon, Sir Benjamin sank back into his seat, a wag in the chamber shouted out: "Why not call him Big Ben and have done with it?" The house erupted in laughter; Big Ben had been named. This, at least, is the most commonly accepted story. However, according to the booklet written for the old Ministry of Works by Alan Phillips (1959):

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caunt, Ben 1815 births 1861 deaths 19th-century English people Bare-knuckle boxers English male boxers Deaths from pneumonia in England People from Hucknall Burials at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Hucknall