A HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND 



There have been many good men in the 

 north who have not been fortunate enough 

 to win the chief prize at Carlisle though they 

 were second to none in wrestling ability. 

 Such was Torn Todd, who was a most ac- 

 complished and scientific wrestler. He could 

 buttock cleanly, hype quickly, and excelled in 

 most other chips. Weighing and watching 

 his opponent's movements narrowly, he seemed 

 to anticipate what was coming and prepared 

 accordingly, both for stopping and chipping. 

 In taking hold, like most good wrestlers, he 

 stood square and upright ; but in consequence 

 of having a very peculiarly shaped back, like 

 half a barrel, it was next to impossible to 

 hold him. At the Carlisle meeting of 1822 

 he made a gallant but unsuccessful struggle 

 to carry off the head prize. Being engaged 

 as a gamekeeper in the service of the Earl of 

 Carlisle on the Naworth estates, he entered 

 himself under the assumed name of ' John 

 Moses of Alston.' Todd distinguished him- 

 self much by throwing several dangerous 

 hands, of whom may be specially mentioned 

 John Fearon of Gilcrux, seventeen stone 

 weight ; John Liddell of Bothel, a fourteen 

 and a half stone man (winner of the head 

 prize at Keswick a few weeks previously, 

 where he finally disposed of William Cass of 

 Loweswater) ; and Robert Walters of Car- 

 lisle, a light weight, but an accomplished 

 scientific wrestler. In the final fall however 

 with Cass the weight sixteen stone and 

 strength of the Loweswater champion proved 

 too much for twelve and a half stone. 



Turning to more recent times times 

 within the recollection of those now living 

 we find the character of the sport well sus- 

 tained. Richard Chapman, William Jackson, 

 Robert Gordon, George Donaldson, Thomas 

 Longmire, Robert Atkinson, Joseph Sargeant, 

 Joseph Ewebank, J. Milburn, Jonathan 

 Thomlinson were although some of the 

 above were really only about eleven stone a 

 few of the chief competitors for the heavy- 

 weight prizes during the next sixteen or 

 eighteen years, while the same period was 

 noted for its long list of accomplished light 

 weights, including Jonathan Whitehead, 

 George Donaldson, Joseph Harrington, Joseph 

 Halliwell, Walter Palmer, John Walters, W. 

 Glaister, Thomas Roper and many olhers. 

 As far back as 1841 we find old Jack Ivison, 

 who only died recenlly, winning laurels with- 

 in ihe cords. Roper was a fine wresiler, and 

 his winning ihe celebraled match wiih Joseph 

 Harringlon of Keswick siamped him as one of 

 ihe best men of his day at his weight. This 

 match for 5, the best of five falls, came off on 

 the morning of 17 October, 1845, at Penrith 



486 



and lerminated in favour of Roper, who won 

 the first two falls, Harrington the third, and 

 Roper the fourth. Harrington, Halliwell and 

 Ben Cooper were the three best righl leg 

 strikers of their day and righl side bullockers. 



Jonathan Thomlinson of Embleton, who 

 carried off the chief prize at Carlisle in 1834, 

 was just about ihe same size and weighl as 

 his exceedingly clever predecessor and near 

 neighbour, Tom Nicholson. Though he did 

 not occupy as prominenl a position in the 

 wrestling world as William Jackson, Dick 

 Chapman, George Donaldson and a few 

 others, he was considered by good judges an 

 exceedingly clever scienlific wrestler, and if 

 he had gone about from place to place, week 

 after week and year after year, like many 

 others, we should without doubt have had to 

 credil him wilh a much larger list of victories. 



Those interesled in wrestling are probably 

 familiar with the names and exploits of many 

 Bamplon scholars. In the latler part of ihe 

 eighteenth century, Abraham Brown, a 

 Bampton scholar, and one of the most accom- 

 plished wrestlers that ever stepped into a ring, 

 invenled and broughl into practice butlocking, 

 one of the most effective chips a clever 

 wrestler resorls lo for bringing down an 

 antagonisl. Il was a Bampton scholar under 

 iwenly years of age who, in 1827, vanquished 

 the herculean Weightman at Penrith. At 

 Bampton, the ' swing ' was brought out and 

 made to do surprising execution, and we much 

 doubt if any one has appeared during the last 

 century who could 'swing' so effectively as 

 the Bamptonian, Joseph Sargeant. Another 

 famous Bamptonian was Joseph Ewebank. In 

 height he measured five feet ten inches and a 

 half, and generally slripl close upon fourteen 

 slone weight. He was a good all-round 

 wrestler, excelling most particularly with the 

 butlock and striking with the left foot. His 

 demeanour in the ring was quick and un- 

 obtrusive ; at work without any delay and a 

 determinalion lo win honeslly, if al all. This 

 fine old wresiler left a good representative 

 behind him in his son Noble Ewebank, also a 

 Bampton scholar, and still hale and hearty. 

 He was good all round, but perhaps his 

 favourite chips were the hype and striking 

 outside with the righl fool. He carried 

 off ihe chief prize at Carlisle in 1858, and 

 won at many other meelings aboul ihis 

 time, often being successful against Richard 

 Wright and William Jameson, who were the 

 most prominent heavy weights of ihe period. 

 He was a finer wrestler than either, bul not 

 so successful againsl Jameson as againsl 

 Wrighl, ihe facl being lhal Jameson was loo 

 heavy and strong for him, and withal quite as 



