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Edited: Jun 06, 2022

Wrestling in Bolton +/- 1910

Hi ,

I have a query regarding the history of wrestling in Bolton, Lancashire. Is anyone aware of any archives/records/photos of wrestling in Bolton in the early 1900's? I ask because I am trying to find out information on my grandfather (James Horrocks, 1887 - 1963) and his brother-in-law (Samuel Tong, also born 1887), who were both amateur wrestlers who lived in Bolton all of their lives. They would have belonged to a wrestling club in Bolton but I don'tknow which one (and I don't know what style). Nothing is known of their wrestling activities but family oral history indicates that Samuel Tong was a "wrestling champion of Lancashire and Cheshire" for three years running (but oral histories are sometimes exaggerated and I've seen no evidence that this is correct, but if true there must be an archive somewhere that has records of this).

I don't know what wrestling club James Horrocks and Samuel Tong belonged to but the period of interest is most likely +/- 1910. Thanks for any information or suggestions that you can provide. Best regards, Dave Horrocks.

24 comments

24 Comments

adrianpollard.shangri-la

Jul 02, 2022

Well DAVHORR.2-'ALL-IN WRESTLING' Was Certainly Thriving it seems in BOLTON in The

Late 1930's!- with RELWYSKOW Staging Shows at BOLTON STADIUM!

Below My Original Programme Cover for One Such Event in OCTOBER of That Year!!

Note:-* The Small Booklet-Pocket-Size Square Format!!

It Was Costing Just 1d-One Pence-Old Money!!

MAIN MASK

adrianpollard.shangri-la

Jul 02, 2022

Replying to

And Here is The Rather Unique Inside Bouts Page of The Above Programme!!

I Like The Ad That SAMUEL SMITH's TADCASTER ALE Was 'To Be Had'!!-Bottle

AND Draught!!

CHARLIE GREEN Was a No-Show!-So GOLDEN ACE Wrestled in his Place!! +

GEORGE 'BRAWFIELD'-Should be BROADFIELD-On The Bill As well As...

GEORGE DE RELWYSKOW!!

It's a Novel Little Item and of My Favourites in My Entire Collection!!

MAIN MASK

Peter

Jul 09, 2022

Replying to

Very detailed programme all for a penny

Peter

Jun 22, 2022

With such an amazing pedigree it is really unfortunate that Bolton has very little Pro Wrestling today

ruslan-pashayev

Jun 23, 2022

Replying to

to be successful in that department they would have to have their own 'rasslin company' based in the town of Bolton. that is always helpful. then you can build a community around it.

SaxonWolf

Jun 23, 2022

Replying to

@ruslan-pashayev Wryton Promotions had Wryton Stadium in Bolton, their own venue.

ruslan-pashayev

Jun 24, 2022

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@SaxonWolf thanks my friend and yes, that is right, and that is exactly what I meant, they will need their own pro wrestling promotion, their own wrestling arena, that the local rasslin community, the fans group would develop and grow fast. Pro wrestling is a very local phenomenon, people do not tend to travel to watch a pro wrestling match. It isn't football. As for the town of Bolton, yes it is very sad that currently there is no such pro wrestling company based in town. Again when it comes to the Lancashire wrestling traditions Bolton is a most historical center thereof.

RON HISTORYO....Time Cop,

Jun 15, 2022

I notice James Horrocks who married Sam Tong's sister was never in the mines , Textiles as a young man before entering the Iron Industry. These guys were prime material age wise for that Alhambra era 1908-1910 but do not feature. It's a shame we can't peg them not even once , there is no doubt there will be some truth in the handed down knowledge.

ruslan-pashayev

Jun 15, 2022

Replying to

I have a list of all participants of the 1908 National Sporting Club of London, Alhambra Tourney, both Bolton stars, F. Tonge and H. Tonge participated. My guess they were brothers.

The biggest (according the number of participants) Lancashire wrestling tourney was a 1907 White City 9st Championship in Manchester. 60+ men from all Lancashire towns and villages participated in it.

As for Horrocks and Tong, I am sure they actively wrestled, but locally. Not everyone could afford a travel and a 3 week stay in London. Since 1860s every mill-town of Lancashire had its own championship in most competitive weight classes (I speak of 9st-10st weight limits).

Such championships were attached to certain local sports grounds, and called Challenge Cups. And let's say a wrestler who was a champ in Ashton-under-Lyne, not necessarily was also a champ in Bolton.

In Bolton, in the 1900s/1910s pro wrestling was often exhibited on the stage of Bolton's Grand Theatre. We also would need to check the local football grounds, they always featured pro wrestling.

davhorr.2

Jun 15, 2022

Replying to

@RON HISTORYO....Time Cop, indeed. It is very tantalising. Hopefully some scrap of information will turn up from somewhere at some point.

RON HISTORYO....Time Cop,

Jun 14, 2022

Sam Tong born 1887 is without the "E" and was the son of another Samuel Tong who was a coal miner. In 1891 they lived at Sydney Street , Great Bolton. There were no other Sam Tongs with or without an E born in Bolton in 1887 so it seems this is the man. Mother was Emma Tong. These were Bolton people , born in Bolton. By 1911 Sam Tong born 1887 was married and was a coal miner /Hewer living at Smethurst Street in Bolton. His wife was Mary Margaret , which might help you prove if this is your man.

ruslan-pashayev

Jun 14, 2022

Replying to

Ron, A+ !!! As always!!!!

davhorr.2

Jun 15, 2022

Replying to

Thanks for the effort you put in to track down the Samuel Tong's born in 1887. Indeed, the Samuel Tong you found is the correct one, being the brother-in-law of my Grandad, James Horrocks. As both Samuel and James were noted as being wrestlers in family oral tradition, I've speculated that perhaps my Grandad met his wife (Samuel's sister) because of their wrestling activities (whether in the same amateur club or more likely, because of there backgrounds, the same professional wrestling troupe).

Thanks for your research, best regards, Dave.

ruslan-pashayev

Jun 14, 2022

And one more thing, yes, since they both were working class people I have no doubts regarding wrestling they have practiced. It sure was a professional catch-as-catch-can after the Lancashire fashion, pro-wrestling. Originally the weavers main "manly" sport...which was inherited from them by the colliers during the times of industrialization.

davhorr.2

Jun 15, 2022

Replying to

It does fit well with both the Tong and Horrocks family backgrounds. Generations in the Mills and mines. Even my Grandmother, Samuel Tong's sister and James Horrocks' wife, worked at the coal mine when she was a child (I think as a "coal picker" at one of collieries but I also seem to recollect someone mention something to do with pit ponies too). Hard times for the working class in Lancashire back then, indeed !!

ruslan-pashayev

Jun 14, 2022

Hello Dave, thanks for your kind words. And my absolute pleasure. The thing is, in the 1900s, a Westhoughton (near Bolton, right?) wrestler called Frank Tonge (that is how sometimes they spelled Tong) was in fact champion pro wrestler of South Lancashire at his weight which was around 9st. Is there a chance that this man was your relative?

As for the Horrocks Family of Bolton. Looks like they were famous not only for their wrestling but also for their life-longevity...are your ancestors from Harwood?

I recall Horrocks wrestling family from the vicinity of Rochdale, as early as mid 1840s.

I would highly recommend to contact the Bolton Archives. I have been in touch with them for many years. They are great people and top-notch pros!

Bolton Archives and Local Studies <archives@bolton.gov.uk>

For your info - Bolton is a town where from Lancashire catch-as-catch-can wrestling originated. Birthplace of Catch.

I have been researching the wrestling traditions in eastern parts of Lancashire County for many years. My main focus are of course Manchester and Blackburn. Please always feel free to email me directly. ruslanpashayev15@gmail.com

Thanks.

Kind regards, Russ

davhorr.2

Jun 15, 2022

Replying to

@ruslan-pashayev Thanks again for all the interesting information you're posting. Interesting to see my name-sake, David Horrocks of Natbank near Rochdale, getting a mention in Bell's Life of London for his bout in the Lancashire fashion against Josh Davenport in 1846. I wonder if he was "satisfied" with his defeat or took the option for a rematch ("for £5 or £10 a side"))).

For the Tong's (no "e") and the Horrocks', they were all from Bolton for generations previous to the early 1900's. Ron found the correct Samuel Tong (coal miner/hewer) from !!

Thanks too for the contact of the Bolton Archives. I'll check them out.

Thanks and best regards, Dave.

ruslan-pashayev

Jun 11, 2022

Hello Dave, thanks so much for this post, very appreciated. I have to say that both these last-names are very Lancashire, and very "wrestling" surnames.

I have a couple of questions for you. Were they (J. Horrocks and S. Tong) working class people? Do you know what were their primary occupations?

The thing is, in the late 1800s early 1900s the working class people couldn't afford amateur sports. Amateur sports were for rich parents kids. Amateur sport in fact existed in Manchester in the 1900s. There was very popular Manchester Wrestling Club. Similar amateur wrestling club was in the city of Salford. But working class people weren't training in those, they would start "wrosslin careers" (I mean professional catch-as-catch-can wrestling) pretty early, being 16-17 yo, have a very basic 3 to 6 months training under the local "pro-wrestling celebrity", and quickly become members of the pro-wrestling troupe, and travel all around South Lancashire (nowadays Greater Manchester). The "boss" would pay them roughly 5s a match, and usually members of the same troupe would wrestle each other (and only each other, they didn't wrestle outsiders), the same match was repeated in every local mill-town they visited, namely Wigan, Leigh, Bolton, Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and Ashton-under-Lyne. Over and over again. The clueless betters who believed that those matches were genuine contests were blowing their moneys on it. Bosses were taking all the money bets and gate receipts, and rasslers lived from pay-check to pay-check.

davhorr.2

Jun 12, 2022

Replying to

Thanks for your reply, Ruslan. It's very interesting information you've provided. I never thought about working class people being unable to afford involvement in an amateur sport during the late 1800's to early 1900's. In our day and age, with it being so easy to get involved in sport, it's easy to forget that the opportunities we enjoy weren't always there in past generations for our ancestors.

Indeed, the last names of Horrocks and Tong are plentiful in the Bolton area. Both James and Samuel were from working class backgrounds in Bolton, with generations being employed in the coal mining and textile mill industries. James and Samuel were known to have worked as a manufacturing machine operator (steel planer) and as a coal miner respectively during their working lives (although they probably had other jobs too at different times in their lives). Given their working class background, it's interesting to speculate if the oral family history that they were both "wrestlers" means that they dabbled in "wrosslin careers" at some point. Given the information that you provide and their working class backgrounds, this seems the more likely scenario rather than involvement in amateur wrestling.

Is there any archive/resources I can consult that might contain information on James and Samuel's involvement in wrestling/"wrosslin"? You mention that Tong and Horrocks are very "wrestling" surnames - any in the early 1900's (they would both be 16 years old in 1903)?

Thanks again for your time in replying and for the information that you have already supplied. It has given me an understanding of the state of "wrestling" amongst the working class in industrial Lancashire during the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Best regards, Dave.

RON HISTORYO....Time Cop,

Jun 07, 2022

Good local names and there had looked to have been older generations with these surnames wrestling , but I can't see anything in the papers about these two guys specifically. After about 1910/12 wrestling seemed to go a lot quieter , certainly in terms of showmanship type stuff done in the music halls. Pure amateur in theory could have been as strong as ever , but I would expect the War to have kept a lot of the younger people out of wrestling. Could have been wrestling in the 1920's , but again nothing showing in the papers. Competitions look very sparse.

davhorr.2

Jun 07, 2022

Replying to

Thanks for your time and effort in looking through the resources you have, Ron ! Indeed, they were local to the core :-). As information is very scarce within the family, it isn't known when they were actively wrestling, but +/- 1910 seems like a good bet based on their ages. But as you suggest, it could've been in the '20's so thanks for looking at these years too. Best regards, Dave.

SaxonWolf

Jun 06, 2022

Bolton United Harriers were the wrestling and sports club in the area, from memory. Not sure if they would have records of members from that era though.

@ruslan-pashayev or @RON HISTORYO....Time Cop, may be your best bet in finding any information.

davhorr.2

Jun 07, 2022

Replying to

Thanks SaxonWolf ! I'll follow-up with Bolton United Harriers to see if they have any records from their early days. Thanks also for tagging Ruslan and Ron. Best regards, Dave.

ruslan-pashayev

Jul 02, 2022

Replying to

Dave, there is a great amateur wrestling artifacts collection in Leigh, Lancs. It is preserved at the Leigh Harriers Museum, you must visit it. It has some true treasures in it, a priceless collection. As for the Bolton Harriers they in fact had a brilliant amateur wrestling team in the 1900s. By the way a famous pro wrestling champ the Boltonian Geo Gregory represented BH as well as many other Lanc. County Am. Wrestling Assn champs who at some point switched to pro wrestling (all-in wrestling). Few years ago I did contact them, sadly, they have nothing on wrestling, that is what they told me. But you sure should try them as well, maybe you are luckier than me. Thanks, R