Focus | Grappling, ground fighting |
---|---|
Country of origin | England |
Famous practitioners | Sam Hurst, Edwin Bibby, Donald Dinnie, Joe Acton, Tom Cannon, Billy Riley, Joseph Reid, Herbie Hall |
Ancestor arts | Folk styles from England and continental Europe |
Descendant arts | Catch wrestling, freestyle wrestling, American collegiate/folkstyle wrestling, professional wrestling, luta livre, submission grappling, Shooto/shootfighting, mixed martial arts, and associated styles |
Olympic sport | No |
Lancashire wrestling, commonly called Lancashire catch-as-catch-can, is a style of folk wrestling that originated in the historic county of Lancashire in North West England. It was the primary influence on catch wrestling, through which it is an ancestor of freestyle wrestling, American folkstyle/collegiate wrestling, professional wrestling, luta livre, and associated styles.[1]
Description
The style was practiced and popularized in the area that now includes Lancashire and Greater Manchester. The objective was to achieve a back fall on the opponent by making both of their shoulders touch the ground simultaneously. There were two approaches to this, "wrossle for a thrut" (wrestling for a throw) and "up and down." In "wrossle for a thrut", competitors utilized stand-up techniques such as throws, trips, and other takedowns with the goal of sending an opponent to their back or otherwise taking them off their feet. In "up and down", the wrestling continued on the ground, utilizing grounded techniques to win by pin or submission. There were similar concepts in German (halber ringkampf, half wrestling; ganzer ringkampf, full wrestling) and Flemish/Dutch (neergooi, throwing someone down; ondergooi, throwing someone down and keeping him underneath) folk styles.[1][2]: xv, 29–33, 48–49, 56–57
There were minimal restrictions on holds and use of legs for throws and trips was permitted. Common holds and positions included the knuckle lock, collar tie, body lock, headlock, fireman's lift, cross buttocks (hip throw), the Nelson, single leg and double leg takedowns, as well as par terre. The attire was simple, shorts and socks. The Snipe Inn Rules disallowed applying any resin, drugs, or grease; foul acts or willful brutality, unmanly techniques and tactics as were common in "up and down fighting" bouts, choking ('hanging" or "throttling"), kicking, headbutting, biting, gouging, or scratching. The Snipe Inn Rules allowed submissions with the intent of using them to achieve a pin but not with the intent to hurt an opponent or make them quit.[1][2]: 29–33 [3]: 230, 232–236
Wrestling on the ground made the Lancashire style unique in England, along with the comparatively minimal restrictions on holds and techniques.[1][2]: xi, xv The audience for the sport was primarily working class and it was usually disregarded by the press of the time. Matches were known to take place at locations like coal fields, where bets would be collected in hats.[4]: 52–53 In his 1890 book Wrestling, Walter Armstrong described the style asː[2]: 29–30
"...without doubt, the roughest and most uncultivated of the three recognized English systems, as it includes catching hold of the legs, wrestling on the ground, and other objectionable methods of attack and defence. In Lancashire, wrestling displays are confined to matches promoted by the proprietor of some popular pedestrian resort, and differ as much as it is possible to imagine from the immense gatherings in the arenas of Cumberland and Westmorland, where sometimes nearly two hundred wrestlers will assemble, varying in weight from nine stone up to twenty stone odd."
Although, Armstrong admitted, "In a rough-and-tumble encounter, when 'all is in,' a knowledge of Lancashire wrestling might be of service ; but even in a street fight it is not the fashion for an Englishman to battle on the ground, but to allow his opponent to get up again." He compared it to the French style (Greco-Roman wrestling), "The Lancashire system is closely allied to the French style. The only material difference is that the French forbid tripping and catching hold of legs, whereas both are allowed in the County Palatine, in addition to the use of any fair means of throwing an antagonist." According to Armstrong, there were fifteen minutes between falls and the referee was "invested with full power to decide any point not provided for in the articles of agreement, subject to no appeal in a court of law." If matches did not finish on the day, they would be restarted at the same time the next day after reweighing the competitors. It was possible to disqualify and replace the referee if he was proven incompetent or prejudiced. Although throttling (choking) was disallowed, it continued to be common. Breaking limbs such as fingers or arms was allowed if the wrestler could "satisfy the referee that such took place during a fairly-conducted struggle for the mastery, and not through any desire to deliberately act in an unfair manner."[2]: 30–33 [3]: 230, 232–236
History
The Lancashire wrestling style began to form in the 1300s with significant influence from continental European styles brought by immigrants, namely German “bauern-art ringen” (wrestling after the farmers’ fashion) and Flemish stoeijen (to touse, to tangle, to scuffle, to handle roughly). The local style blended with those brought by these German, Flemish, and also French immigrants, resulting in "Lancashire up and down fighting", also called "purring." It became a usual way to resolve disputes between men, who commonly wore loin clothes and clogs, and engaged in a combination of “wrestling, throttling, and kicking." Punching was not permitted. The bouts ended by submission, usually through a hang (strangehold), or inability to continue, signaled verbally or by raising a hand. The bouts soon became the only professional ("prize ring") combat sport practiced in the area. In the 1820s, the sport was made illegal due to deaths that commonly occurred, and was succeeded by Lancashire wrestling, reflecting a similar trend in continental Europe. This is also the period when it began to be referred to as "catch-as-catch-can."[1]
In 1856, the first written ruleset (the Snipe Inn Rules) was issued by Nelson Warren, proprietor of the Snipe Inn Grounds. Professional championships were soon established such as the Copenhagen Grounds Silver Belt and the Snipe Inn Grounds Gold Cup. Previously, amateurs competed in challenge matches to see who was better, commonly betting quarters or half gallons of beer, and tournament prizes included pigs and silver watches. Also in the mid-1800s, the Lancashire style was introduced in Scotland by Donald Dinnie, where it gained popularity. The Lancashire Wrestling Association (LWA) was established in 1875/76 by former owners of the area's notable sporting venues (grounds). It ran regular competitions using "Manchester Sporting Chronicle Rules", based on the original Snipe Inn Rules. In 1899, during the Easter holidays, the first British championships were held in at the National Athletic Grounds in Kensal Rise, London.[1][2]: 43–44
The sport was transformed again after the establishment of the National Amateur Wrestling Association of Great Britain (NAWA) in 1904. Although called "catch-as-catch-can", it was a different style originating from London, using a revised version of the Manchester Sporting Chronicle Rules; pinfalls or a referee decision based on points. With the emphasis on amateur competition after the start of the Olympics, wrestlers that had competed for prizes or wagers were banned. It has been claimed that this was because the primarily working class professionals were more skilled than the primarily upper class amateurs. In October 1923, the Lancashire County Amateur Wrestling Association (LCAWA) was established, leading to a renewal of the Lancashire style. It was a member of the NAWA until April 1927, when it was expelled for promoting “their own championship titles.” The LCAWA continued to promote their own tournaments until the mid-1930s and several LCAWA champions went on to become British champions. The most notable was Joseph Reid, a six-time British champion, British Empire medalist, and Olympian. Also in the 1930s, the Wrestling and Boxing Comrades’ Association (W&BCA) was established in Wigan. Notable members included Joe Carroll and Billy Riley, founder of Riley's Gym, more famously known as The Snake Pit. After World War II, the British Amateur Wrestling Association rebranded the sport as "freestyle wrestling", essentially separating itself from Lancashire catch-as-catch-can. Many Lancashire wrestlers successfully transitioned to the new style, most notably Herbie Hall, a ten-time British champion, along with George Gregory.[1][4]: 98 [5]
Other notable Lancashire catch-as-catch-can wrestlers includedː[1][3]: 233–236
- 1820s/30s — John Rowland of Bolton, William Buckley (Trout), and John Holt - both of Oldham
- 1840s/50s — Adam Ridings (Dockum) of Bury, James Matley (Barrel) of Ashton, George Swithenbank of Saddleworth, undefeated heavyweight champion William Swann of Ashton, and champion heavyweight boxer Sam Hurst of Stalybridge
- 1860s — Teddy Lowe of Whitworth (reportedly the best pound for pound catch wrestler of 19th century), John Meadowcroft and David Bentley of Bury, William Schora, Frank Robinson, John Massey, Joseph Newton (Teapot) - all from the Ashton areas
- 1870s — Edwin Bibby of Ashton, John Lees, John Butterworth (Dockum) - both of Oldham, undefeated heavyweight champion William Snape (Dipper) of Bolton, John Tonge (Eckersley), Joe Acton, William Moullineux (Sellars), Miles Sweeney - all of Wigan
- 1880s/90s — Abraham Travis (Ab-o-Wags) of Oldham, James Faulkner, Isaac Smith, William Winstanley (Soap), Tom Connor, Charles Green, Tom Jones (Burgy Ben), Joe Carroll, James Morris (Stockley) - all from the Wigan areas, Tom Clayton (Bulldog) of Bolton, James Mellor, Jack Smith - both of Stalybridge, Sam Moores of Salford
- 1900s, "British Wrestling Boom Era" — Harry Mort of Oldham, Tom Rose of Bolton, Willie Collins, Jack Carroll (nephew of Joe Carroll), Jack Brown, William Charnock, Jim Foster and Bob Berry - all from the Wigan areas, Job Shambley of Westhoughton, Peter Bannon of Burnley, Jack Winrow of Heywood
The Lancashire catch-as-catch-can style spread across the Atlantic through wrestlers like Acton and Tom Cannon, influencing the development of descendant styles.[4]: 52–53 In Japan, catch wrestling is still commonly referred to as Lancashire style (ランカシャースタイル).[6][7]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Pashayev, Ruslan C. "Lancashire Wrestling (England)". traditionalsports.org. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Armstrong, Walter (1890). Wrestling. New York: F.A. Stokes.
- ^ a b c Pollock, Walter H.; Grove, F. C.; Prevost, Camille; Michiell, E. B.; Armstrong, Walter (1889). Fencing, Boxing, Wrestling. London: Longmans, Green, and Co.
- ^ a b c Gregson, Keith (2012). Sporting Ancestors: Tracing Your Family's Athletic Past. History Press. ISBN 0752458396.
- ^ "List of British Senior Champions from 1904 - 2001" (PDF). Britishwrestling.org.
- ^ "U.W.F.スネークピットジャパンの「キャッチ アズ キャッチ キャンとは?」". uwf-snakepit.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ "ランカシャースタイル(らんかしゃーすたいる)とは? 意味や使い方". Kotobank.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 March 2024.
External links