Wrestling and Wrestlers: Biographical Sketches of Celebrated Athletes of the Northern Ring; to Which is Added Notes on Bull and Badger BaitingRobinson, Jacob
History
Wrestling and Wrestlers: Biographical Sketches of Celebrated Athletes of the Northern Ring; to Which is Added Notes on Bull and Badger Baiting
Robinson, Jacob
Wrestlers; Wrestling
Some years after, the "Dyer" rambled away from home as far as Low Wood, to
attend the annual wrestlings at Windermere. For some reason or other, he
entered his name "Thomas Porter," and passed quietly through two or three
of the earlier rounds as an unknown hand. Being called against Joe Abbot
of Bampton, the latter bounced into the ring very full of stopping the
further progress of the stranger. No sooner had they approached one
another, than Joe opened his eyes very wide, stood as one petrified for a
moment, and then exclaimed, "D--n! it's _thee_, Dyer, is it!" The two then
took hold, but Joe made no effort towards getting the fall, and "Thomas
Porter" obtained fall after fall until he succeeded, we understand, in
carrying off the belt.
Liberal prizes for wrestling and other sports were given at Greystoke
Castle, by the Howards, and the meetings were always well attended by the
nobility and the neighbouring gentry. Richardson won there one year,
William Earl of Cumwhitton wrestling second.
A close acquaintance existed between Richardson and Weightman. The former
was master at the beginning of their career, but afterwards the latter
became too powerful for him. In all they met eleven times, and out of that
number of falls, Weightman scored six, and Richardson five. Among other
places, the latter threw the Hayton champion at one of the Kirkoswald
"worchet" meetings, and got the compliment returned at Wreay soon after,
where the fallen man lamed his side.
Sitting among the crowd that lined the Carlisle ring one year, the "Dyer"
was called out against a big, raw-boned fellow, an awkward-looking
customer, but one, nevertheless, who appeared young and inexperienced.
"What's t'e gāen to mak' o' yon 'an, Tom?" asked Weightman. "Oh,"
replied the "Dyer," in a tone of mock humility, "I's just gāen to fell
him reet off hand, an' than he can gā heàm till his mudder, pooar
lad!"
On another occasion, he was called out against Wilfrid Wright, at a meeting
on Penrith fell. "Noo, Wiff," said he, "I's gāen to throw thee
streight into yon furrow yonder!" and did so cleverly. When Wright had
recovered from his astonishment, and was gathering himself up, he
exclaimed: "Cush, man! I dudn't think thoo cud ha' deùn't hofe sa clean!"
Richardson continued to wrestle for many years, in the Carlisle and other
rings, with moderate success. Later on, he lived at Penrith with a sister,
who kept an inn there. When approaching fifty years old, he became so
overgrown, that his weight appeared to be seventeen or eighteen stones,
forming a marked contrast to what he was a quarter of a century
before--then a lish, active, thirteen-stone man.
He died at Penrith, about the year 1853.
FOOTNOTES:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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