Showing Tag: "britain" (Show all posts)

Bendigo

Bendy’s Sermon Poem by poem by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about Bendigo, the well-known Nottingham bare-knuckle boxer and gangster that went on to convert to Christianity and become a preacher:

You didn’t know of Bendigo! Well, that knocks me out!

Who’s your board school teacher? What’s he been about?

Chock-a-block with fairy-tales full of useless cram,

And never heard o’ Bendigo, the pride of Nottingham!

Bendy’s short for Bendigo. You should see him peel!

Half of him was whalebone, half of...

Continue reading ...

Lady Archers

"In 1787, “several young ladies” who shot with the Royal British Bowmen – the first British sporting society to admit women – were said to have “added to their conquests the hearts of young gentlemen of honour and fortune”, with the society responsible for the marriage of “not a few happy couples”, according to a newspaper report ...The more spectacular archery tournaments were usually held on private grounds of the landed gentry and were seen very much as a wider opportunity ...

Continue reading ...

Indian Suffragettes

Top - Lolita Roy who worked tirelessly to help education Indian women and to gain them the vote in India.

Middle - Princess Sophia Duleep Singh who used her privileged position to help the suffrage cause.

Bottom - Both women pictured together (centre of the picture).

bristol.ac.uk

Continue reading ...

Press Gang

A 1780 caricature of a press gang operating for the British armed forces.

en.wikipedia.org

Continue reading ...

Edward Aston

Edward Aston, who won the title of Britain’s Strongest Man in 1911 and held it for over twenty years until he retired undefeated.

Source: breakingmuscle.com
Continue reading ...

Recruiting Sergeants at Westminster

This picture, entitled "Recruiting Sergeants at Westminster", was taken by John Thomson and published in an 1877 book called 'Street Life in London'. 

Source: Museum of London

Continue reading ...

Bronze Age Swords from Scotland

Bronze Age swords found in Scotland and housed in the Museum of Scotland.

Source: wikipedia.org

Continue reading ...

Edith Garrud - The Arrest

A depiction of Edith Garrud called The Suffragette that Knew Jiu-Jitsu. The Arrest. The cartoon was drawn by Arthur Wallis Mills and Published in the UK in Punch Magazine, 6 June 1910.
Continue reading ...

Edward - The Black Prince

Painting by Julian Russel Story (1888) of Prince Edward, son of King Edward III of England, commonly known as The Black Prince at the battle of Crecy depicted with King John of Bohemia lying dead at his feet.

Source: wikipedia.org
Continue reading ...

Edith Garrud

Edith Garrud, who taught jujitsu to the suffragettes in the early twentieth century, demonstrating some moves on a police officer.

Source: bartitsu.org

Continue reading ...

Sam Langford vs. Bill Lang

In 1911 in London, Sam Langford, weighing in at 165 lbs beat the much heavier Bill Lang, who weighed in at 196 lbs. The fight was a total mismatch from the start with the lighter and shorter Langford dominating before winning the fight in the sixth round after his opponent was disqualified for a foul blow.

Source: boxrec.com

Continue reading ...

The Crossbow: Medieval and Modern Military and Sporting

Title:  The Crossbow: Medieval and Modern Military and Sporting.

Date:  1840-1845.

Source:  Costumes of Mediaeval Christendom.

Information:  The kneeling and seated figures in this diagram illustrate how a crossbow is first drawn and then loaded. This is contrasted by the standing figure, who shows how much more rapidly a conventional bow can be fired.

Source: uh.edu
Continue reading ...

Edward Aston - Britain's Strongest Man

Edward Aston won the title of Britain's Strongest Man in 1911 beating out the famed Thomas Inch. Aston held onto that title for over twenty years until retiring undefeated.

Source: breakingmuscle.com

Continue reading ...

The joust between the Knight of the Red Rose and the Lord of the Tournament

The image above was engraved by Thomas Hodgson and depicts a jousting match from the Eglinton Tournament of 1839, a re-enactment of a medieval joust held in Scotland. It was funded and organized by Archibald, Earl of Eglinton whose opponent in the image is Richard Lechemere, the "Knight of the Red Rose".

Source: wikipedia.org
Continue reading ...

Boxing Boys

A couple of young boys practising boxing.

Source: Tumblr
Continue reading ...

Gret Scott - Samurai Judoka

Photo taken by Rosemary Matthews in 1958 of Gret Scott, a 24 year old Judo instructor at the Penge Academy of Judo and at the time, Britain's only female exponent of Kendo. In this picture, Scott is seen cleaning her 300 year old samurai sword.

Source: gettyimages.co.uk

Continue reading ...

Horses and Mules in WWI

A breakdown of how horses and mules were used by the British army during World War One

By the end of World War One, around 50% of the British Army’s horses were in France with the rest being spread across the Balkans, Middle East, Egypt, Italy and the UK. The four main roles mules and horses played during the conflict were; 1. Supply horses and mules which were used to move ammunition, general supplies and ambulances. 2. Riding horses that were ridden by soldiers, sometimes on the front line...
Continue reading ...

How to Develop a Powerful Grip

These images are from the book How to Develop a Powerful Grip by Edward Aston, a legendary strongman who was famous in the early twentieth century for performing feats of strength that involved his incredibly powerful grip. The first image on the left, Gripping an Open Door, is used to develop pinch grip strength and the second, Hanging from a Rope, is one of the best exercises there is for improving your grip, according to Aston.

Source: rosstraining.com
Continue reading ...

Effigy of the Black Prince

Edward, Prince of Wales (1330-1376), commonly known as The Black Prince and son of King Edward III, was the embodiment of the perfect medieval English knight. His effigy at Canterbury Cathedral is a powerful 14th century sculpture showing him with his armour reproduced to perfection and his hands clasped in prayer, making him appear equally ready for heaven or the battlefield.

Source: theguardian.com

Continue reading ...

Old School Shotokan Karate

An Archer at Hastings

In this section of the Bayeux Tapestry, the archer is clearly shown as being shorter than the
English Infantrymen he is fighting alongside at the Battle of Hastings. This is probably done
to illustrate that he has a lower social status than his fellow combatants, a fact also illustrated
by his lack of armour. 

amherst.edu
Continue reading ...

Schlacht bei Maupertuis 1356

Title:   Schlacht bei Maupertuis 1356

Date:  c.1400

Artist:  Unknown

Infomation:  This picture was produced in Germany around 1400 CE from an unknown artist and depicts the Battle of Poitiers. It was the second of three great English victories over the French in the Hundred Years War and was largely won through effective use of the English archers, shown on the left.

Source
Continue reading ...

A Welsh Victory at the National Sporting Club, 31 March 1919

Title: A Welsh Victory at the National Sporting Club, 31 March 1919.

Date: 1919.

Artist: William Howard Robinson.

Information: This painting depicts the end of a fight between Welshman Jimmy Wilde (who won the bout on points) and American Joe Lynch. After the fight, the Prince of Wales (who later became Edward VIII) stepped in to the ring to shake the hand of the Welshman. In doing so, he became the first member of the British Royal family to officially enter a boxing ring, giving the sport a ne...
Continue reading ...

Richard Humphreys the Boxer

Title:  Richard Humphreys, the Boxer

Date:  1787

Artist:  John Hoppner

Information:  This painting of 18th century bare knuckle fighter Richard Humphreys was probably commissioned by his manager and promoter, Wilson Braddyll, to promote his upcoming fight against Daniel Mendoza. The artist had prior knowledge of boxing so managed to get a good likeness of an early boxer taking a defensive stance; the picture is now housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Continue reading ...

The Black Prince

The Black Prince is one of the most celebrated knights of medieval history, remembered as a warrior who exemplified the chivalric code of honour. Born Edward of Woodstock, he was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault and had a string of titles to his name including;

•    The First Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter
•    The Prince of Wales
•    The Duke of Cornwall
•    The Prince of Aquitaine

The Black Prince, a nickname he received as a result of...

Continue reading ...

Heinkel He 111 Bombers

A formation of low-flying German Heinkel He 111 bombers flies over the waves of the English Channel in 1940.

Continue reading ...

Sergeant William Knapp

Sergeant William Knapp of the 1st.Battalion, Coldstream Guards. The picture was taken by Robert Howlett
and Joseph Cundall in Aldershot, Hampshire in July 1856. Knapp is wearing the Crimea Medal with four bars
for Alma, Balaklava, Inkermann and Sebastopol.
Continue reading ...

Edith Garrud's Jujitsu

Edith Margaret Garrud was an early 20th century female jujitsu expert who used her considerable skill to train a group known simply as the Bodyguard. They were tasked with giving protection to Emmeline Pankhurst and other suffragettes, who were regularly manhandled and harassed by police.

In 1913, Garrud made a short film (from which the pictures above are taken) to demonstrate her jujitsu and show than even in the male dominated world of the early twentieth century, a well-trained woman coul...
Continue reading ...

Female Archers at the 1908 London Olympics

Archery first appeared in the modern Olympics in 1900 and then again in 1904, 1908 and 1920,
after which it disappeared from the games until 1972.



These female archers are competing in the National Round Archery event of the 1908 London
Olympics, just eight years after women were first permitted to enter the games at all.

The event was won by Sybil (Queenie) Newall of Great Britain.
Continue reading ...

Madame Collie of Rome Fencing at Angelo’s Academy

Title:  Madame Collie of Rome fencing at Angelo’s academy

Date:  1816

Artist:  Thomas Rowlandson

Infomation:  Henry Angelo was the most famous fencer and teacher of swordsmanship in England during the 18th century. This picture depicts his fencing school, situated in Bond St in London, when it was visited by Madame Collie of Rome.

Continue reading ...

The Close of the Battle - Tom Cribb vs. Tom Molineaux

Title:  The Close of the Battle or The Champion Triumphant

Date:  19th Century

Artist:  Unknown (published by Walker and Knight)

Information:  This hand coloured etching depicts the second of two epic battles between the champion Tom Cribb (who won both fights) and Tom Molineaux, a former slave and the first American challenger to the title.

Continue reading ...

Bare Knuckle Boxing Champs

This poster from 1864 (three years prior to the introduction of the Queensbury Rules) depicts three of the last four bare knuckle boxing champions who were among campaigners trying to organise an official World Championship. From left to right they are; Tom Sayers (champion 1858 – 1860), Jem Mace (champion 1861 – 1862 & 1866 – 1871) and Tom King (champion 1862 – 1863).
Continue reading ...

The Bruiser Bruis'D

Title:  The Bruiser Bruis'D, Or, the Knowing-Ones Taken-In

Date:  1750

Artist:  Unknown

Infomation:  Engraving of the fight between John 'Jack' Broughton and Jack Slack. Broughton was an instrumental influence on the early boxing scene after introducing the first rules aimed at providing some safety measures for fighters. In contrast Slack, after winning this fight and become the champ, went on to become the first known person to fix prize fights; he is also credited with inventing the rabbit pu...
Continue reading ...

Illustration of James Figg - First Boxing Champion

An illustration of James Figg, the first champion in modern pugilism history and an influential ambassador to the sport. His reign lasted from 1719 – 1730 when he retired undefeated after just under 300 fights. As a former fencer, he was able to bring new types of movement and technique to the art of boxing and after he quit the ring, he set up the world’s first boxing school to teach others.
Continue reading ...

Lenny McLean vs Roy Shaw

Experience

Continue reading ...

Jack Broughton - The Father of English Boxing

Title: Jack Broughton

Artist: Francis Hayman (1708 – 1776)

Infomation: This is an illustration of John ‘Jack’ Broughton, commonly thought of as the
‘Father of English Boxing’. He was champion from 1729 – 1750 and was the first
to add a set of widely accepted rules to the sport, which included stopping when
an opponent was knocked to the floor and using gloves, though only for training
purposes.

Continue reading ...

Legends of Fencing – George Silver

George Silver was a late 16th, early 17th century English teacher of defence who wrote two major works, "Paradoxes of Defence" and "Brief Instructions on my Paradoxes of Defence", in which he promoted the use of small-swords and staves in favour of the rapier, a weapon which he strongly criticised. He believed that the rapier was dangerous, and was concerned with the number of duels that were happening in his time and worried that too many arguments were being settle that way. According to Si...
Continue reading ...

John Graham Chambers

Title: Illustration of John Graham Chambers
Date: 1883
Info:  John Graham Chambers (1843 – 1883) was an all-around sportsman from Wales who excelled in several disciplines including rowing, walking, cycling, wrestling and athletics. However his major contribution was to devise the rules for boxing, known as the Marquess of Queensberry Rules.

Continue reading ...