A HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND 



land came by special train. The Cumbrians 

 were taken up by special train at Carlisle and 

 the intermediate stations between that city 

 and Whitehaven. This train, when it left 

 Whitehaven, was swelled to near forty 

 carriages, and was drawn part of the way by 

 three engines, and part by four. Notwith- 

 standing these efforts, it was an hour and a 

 half behind time, and the passengers had 

 difficulty in reaching the wrestling arena (about 

 four miles from the station) in time to see the 

 great match. 



One o'clock was the time stated for the two 

 competitors to enter the arena, and shortly 

 after that hour they began to ' peel off.' 

 Atkinson, a native of Sleagill, Westmorland, 

 winner in 1 847 of the chief prize at Carlisle, 

 whose weight on this occasion reached about 

 eighteen stone, appeared in excellent condition 

 and full of confidence as to the issue of the 

 contest. His brawny frame and colossal 

 dimensions were a theme of general comment, 

 and elicited expressions of astonishment and 

 wonder from a large number of sporting men, 

 who had congregated to witness the contest. 

 Jackson, as is well known, was a native of 

 Kinneyside, a mountainous district bordering 

 the lake of Ennerdale in Cumberland. He had 

 carried off the head prize for four successive 

 years at Carlisle, and at the numerous other places 

 where he had wrestled he almost invariably 

 came off victorious ; but he had retired from 

 the ring several years before this great contest, 

 and there is no doubt he made a mistake, as 

 was said at the time, in again appearing before 

 the public to contend for that which he had 

 before so honorably won the championship 

 of England. Jackson's appearance in the 

 ring was the signal for the most rapturous 

 cheering. His dignified and manly deport- 

 ment, his strict integrity and honesty of 

 purpose, and, still more, his previous achieve- 

 ments, had drawn to his standard a numerous 

 host of warm admirers. He weighed about 

 fourteen stone and a half, but the disparity in 

 the bulk of the men was strongly marked 

 when they placed themselves in a position for 

 ' play.' At starting, betting was five to four 

 and 30 to 20 on Jackson for the match, and 

 five to four on the first fall in his favour. The 

 match was the best of five falls. Jackson only 

 gained the second fall, the first, third and 

 fourth, going to Atkinson, who thus became 

 wrestling champion of England. 



After William Jackson had retired from 

 wrestling the most prominent man for many 

 years was Thomas Longmire of Troutbeck 

 near Windermere. His wrestling career for 

 public prizes commenced when only seven- 

 teen years old. During a week's holiday at 



Whitsuntide, wrestling was the absorbing 

 game to be followed. His first belt was won 

 at Crook near Kendal, the second at Flook- 

 burgh near Cartmel, the third at Arrad-foot 

 near Ulverston. These winnings at three 

 different places in one week, where he would 

 have to face strong local rings, are sufficient 

 proofs that when only seventeen years old he 

 possessed extraordinary science and strength. 

 Longmire won the chief prize at Carlisle in 

 1 854 and 1855. In the latter year in the 

 final wrestle up he came against the celebrated 

 William Robley of Egremont. It was 

 Cumberland against Westmorland,' and the 

 best man in each county to contend for the 

 championship. The betting round the im- 

 mense ring lined nine or ten deep with 

 anxious spectators ranged five and six to four 

 on Cumberland. They quickly got hold, and 

 soon a loud cheer from thousands proclaimed 

 ' Longmire's won,' a quick resolute back heel 

 having stretched his antagonist on the turf. 

 They had soon hold again, and the Westmor- 

 land champion put in one of his grand cross 

 buttocks. Both went to the ground and the 

 umpires amid a storm of disapprobation de- 

 cided 'a dog fall.' It was the general 

 opinion Longmire ought to have had the fall. 

 He did not attempt to interfere, but stood 

 quiet and collected at the side of the ring, and 

 when called on again stepped in and met the 

 cheer of the multitude with characteristic 

 modesty. In the third attempt, as soon as 

 they had hold the whole of the surging mass 

 all round the immense circle became quiet 'as 

 Billy Watson' lonnin' of a lownd summer 

 neeght,' till the Cumberland representative 

 went down with an admirable outside hype, 

 when a wild scene of congratulation and con- 

 fusion ensued. 



At nearly the close of Longmire's career in 

 1859, at Lancaster, his old opponent Dick 

 Wright of Longtown turned out to contest 

 the last falls, and parried two attempts with 

 an outside stroke, but got brought to ground 

 with a third attempt. In the second fall the 

 winner resorted to his favourite swing, sent 

 his opponent spinning with great velocity and 

 grassed him. Later in the year they met 

 once more at Talkin Tarn, and Wright again 

 suffered defeat. It may be remarked the fact 

 of so repeatedly overcoming the best Cumbrian 

 in his prime is enhanced, if the reader 

 will bear in mind that Longmire was nearly 

 forty years old, had contested for twenty 

 years in public rings, and was long past the 

 prime of wrestling days. At this same Talkin 

 Tarn entry, before becoming entitled to the 

 head prize, he had to throw Thomas Roper, 

 James Pattinson, William Jameson and 



