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Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling


What is Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling?

Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling is a traditional form of wrestling in the backhold style in which each wrestler begins by taking hold (or tekkin hod) of their own hands behind the opponent's back. They then employ different techniques - or chips as they are known - to get their opponent to the floor. The contest is the best of three falls (and a fall is also scored if the hand-hold is broken).

Each contestant has his - or her - own favourite chips and develops different approaches according to their size and strength. The wrestlers learn each other's strengths and weaknesses and it becomes very competitive.
Click here to listen to wrestler Andrew Fox talk about competing

Wrestling takes place on grass outside and can be seen at many of the traditional country shows such as the Cumberland Show or the Shepherds Meet in Borrowdale.

Traditional costume is usually worn, consisting of shorts worn over white long-johns, though in 2007 the Wrestling Association decided to allow wrestlers to wear athletic gear. This was a bone of contention among some traditionalists but it is thought that it may help to attract more young people to the sport. Originally the costume was worn by other sportsmen, but over the years it has become the uniform of the Cumberland and Westmorland wrestler. Mothers, girlfriends and sisters spent long winter nights embroidering the outfits and it has become a feature of the sport.
Click here to listen to wrestler John Harrington and his mum talk about the costume

The traditional costume has become a competitive feature in its own right and some of the wrestling matches, such as at Grasmere, start with a costume competition.
Click here to listen to wrestler Andrew Fox talk about the costume


Wrestling is often passed down through the generations; and families boast several champions, such as the Harringtons, Foxes, Brocklebanks and Davidsons. It is family involvement - and rivalry - that helps to keep the tradition of wrestling alive as younger brothers and sisters are taken along to the shows to watch the competitions and they get involved in junior matches. Often this leads to brothers competing for trophies in the adult matches - like Richard and Andrew Fox.
Click here to listen to wrestler Andrew Fox talk about wrestling his brother Richard


Two of the current champions who have been vying for first place throughout the tournaments are John Harrington and Richard Fox. They even have to share first place on occasion, such as in 2007 when they were jointly awarded the sportsperson of the year by the Lakeland Sports Promotion Association.
Click here to listen to Mrs Harrington talk about her son John's trophies

Tek Hod! Ready to wrestle
Wrestlers in training

Did the Vikings bring us Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling?

It is generally thought that the Vikings brought the sport to England. This seems very likely but there is no conclusive evidence for two reasons. First, there is a long history of wrestling throughout the world, so it is difficult to attribute specific sources to particular styles. The first documented reference of wrestling is from China in the rule of Emperor Huang-ti between 2698 and 2598 BC, suggesting techniques that imitated the movements of the goat, tiger and bear1. Almost every culture wrestles and there are European cave paintings and Egyptian tomb paintings that show men wrestling2. The sport has evolved in various forms across the continents, perhaps taking elements from different styles in the same way, for example, that judo adapted techniques from jujitsu.

The second reason is a lack of reliable documentation on the history of the sport before the late eighteenth century. Roger Robson published the first modern history of Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling in 1999. Here he explains that in 1823 William Litt published Wrestliana, from which it is clear that Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling was a popular sport in 1780, but sadly it does not provide us with any firm evidence before that3.

Dr Mike Huggins, reader of cultural history at the University of Cumbria researched the sport and concluded that there is not the evidence to prove or disprove its Viking origins because of the gaps in evidence in the medieval period. However, there are reasons why we believe that the Vikings brought us the style, not least that it is similar to Icelandic wrestling or Glima, and that it is very unlike other styles in England, which suggests a long period of separate development2.

Another theory is that artefacts found in Iceland suggest that Irish people taken as slaves to Iceland may have taken their form of wrestling there3. As the Viking influence in Cumbria came from Viking descendents coming here from Ireland, not a rampaging Norse invasion, the possible links become more complex.

But there is still that similarity between Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling and Glima to explore.

Throwing an opponent
Floored!

Glima

Icelandic wrestling used to have a backhold style but it is not now practised. Now the national sport is glima, a similar style but opponents take hold of each other's belt.

Glima is thought to be roughly 1100 years old and brought to Iceland by Viking settlers4. Its history can be traced back to Norse sagas, with wrestling mentioned thirty-three times in six sagas5. The Viking Network Web6 states that wrestling was the most widespread of sports during the Viking era, practised by all classes of society; and that wrestling rules were set down in the book of laws known as 'Gragas' with three styles noted: free-style, Glima and Crude Wrestling.

In his book, Glima Icelandic Wrestling, M Bennett Nichols7 states that it is distinct from other wrestling styles because of the following characteristics:
" Upright, erect posture
" Clockwise circular stepping
" Fixed grips on the glimubelti (wrestling-belt)
" Techniques using only the feet, legs and hips
" No hand-techniques other than jerking, swinging, lifting or off-balancing with the grips fixed on the glimubelti
" No groundwork (i.e. no matwork)

These principles also apply to Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling, except that it is a backhold hand grip rather than the belt and there is not the formal clockwise circular stepping.

Although the holds are different, the techniques are similar. The object is to off-balance the opponent using a swing, twist or lift, and then apply a foot, leg or hip technique to throw the opponent to the floor. Many of the basic throws even have the same names:
" Back heel - sweeping the opponent's leg from the outside
" Inside click - hooking between the legs
" Outside stroke - spinning the opponent onto the tripping foot
" Outside Hipe - lifting and knocking the legs with the foot or knee
" Inside Hipe - lifting with the knee between opponents legs
" Full buttock - lifting the opponent onto the back before dropping him
" Cross buttock - knocking the legs back

Both Glima and Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling emphasise technique over power. They have a tradition of good manners and sportsmanship, and each starts the bout with a handshake as a gesture of mutual respect. The contest is best of three falls.

Roger Robson has documented the history and local knowledge of Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling, and thanks are owed to him for much of the information contained here. Regular updates during the wrestling season can be found on:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/sport/wrestling

Video : Click the images below to see real Cumberland Wrestling in action!


References and further research:


1. http://www.starawradsprogram.com/star/history.asp
2. Mike Huggins, Reader in Cultural History, University of Cumbria (email 21/8/07)
3. Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling A Documentary History Roger Robson 1999 Bookcase
4. Journal of Western Martial Art January 2000 Pete Kautz
5. http://www.treheima.ca/Viking/pastimes.htm
6. http://www.viking.no/e/life/sports/ewrestle.htm
7. Glima Icelandic Wrestling M Bennett Nichols

Grampus Heritage and Training Ltd, Ashgill,Threapland,

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