1843 : Pluckrose Wins a Prize-Fight

Title:  The Era, vi 270 11c
Date:  26 November 1843
Place:  Kent

THE RING

CONTEST BETWEEN PLUCKROSE AND SAWYER
FOR FIVE SOVS A-SIDE

One of those quiet, unpretending rencontres in the P.R., for a little love and a little money, was decided on Tuesday , on the Kentish Marshes, contiguous to the half-way house, which for merit, that is the courage and skill evinced by the combatants, takes precedence of many other contests that it has been our province frequently before to witness and record, and the which have been for great stakes of money, between boxers of much higher pretensions, accompanied by all the pomp and circumstances, with lordly backers, &c. The present competitors were Bethnal-green sprigs, and it was their début in the nerve-trying 24-ft.-square. The Commissary of the P.R., the veteran and game Tom Oliver, was officially engaged upon the occasion, and that alacrious functionary, with his usual promptitude, prepared in the strictest order of battle the roped arena, which in due time was graced by the entrée of the belligerents and their assistant seconds, Bill Jones and Tom Snow officiating for Pluckrose, and George Church and Bill Hart for Sawyer, while the outer circle was well surrounded by a host of their friends and other sporting characters, that had in the most comfortable way, at about 11 o’clock, effected a landing from the Grey Mare steam-boat, which was engaged for the purpose, after a two hours’ voyage down the river, from the Shades Pier, London-bridge. On stripping, and placing themselves in attitude; it was quite observable that Sawyer had the advantage in length of reach and height, but the confidence and general bearing of Pluckrose, who is about 28 years of age, and seven of them Sawyer’s senior, and his rather graceful manœuvering diminished the alarm that such a drawback to the successful issue of the contest for their little champion was likely to create in the minds of his patrons. Sawyer commenced the attack, and partially succeeded in planting heavily upon Pluckrose’s “os frontis,” which pinked it. The latter, however, was an opponent not to be dismayed at trifles, nor put aside by a few nut-cracking knucklers, so he returned upon Sawyer with much quickness, skill, and effect, drawing first blood with the left, and likewise hitting him fearfully with the right hand, much after the fearless and terrific manner of the late Tom Smith, the East End Sailor Boy. This style of fighting continued for the first twenty minutes, and drew forth rapturous and thundering applause from the spectators; Sawyer still pinking Pluckrose at the head with the left, while his sturdy opponent rattled and rallied left and right, both at the head and body. After this time the heavy hitting of Pluckrose began to tell upon his game opponent, who, notwithstanding he tried to do all that in his power lay to shake off the effect of the many heavy blows he had received, he could not sufficiently rally to make an effective and determined stand; his countenance indicated his distress; and, although he bravely contended every subsequent round, at the end of the 21st, after fighting 32 minutes, he reluctantly, by the advice of his seconds and friends, yielded the palm of victory to his comparatively uninjured adversary, who, we imagine, will turn out to be a troublesome customer for any competitor of his weight to dispose of, should he again put in a claim for P.R. honor and renown, which it is most likely he will, as at Mr. Burn’s, the Queen’s Head (not the mercurial Host of the western division, but Mr. Burn of) Dog-row, Bethnal-green, where the predent match was made, Pluckrose, the butcher, is deemed a lad of rare pluck and stamina, and not unworthily thought to be something in the milling line above mediocrity. The battle-money was given upon Thursday evening, at Mr. Cook’s, the stakeholder, the Royal Oak, Birdcage-walk, Bethnal-green, in the presence of some of the oldest links of the sporting chain of fanciers, who, 35 years back, could follow the bent of their inclination in a pecuniary point of view, and did strongly attach themselves to, and support every kind of sport and pastime, from the quiescent marking to measure the notes and warblings of a linnet or a goldfinch, to the mixing in the hurley blustering commotion, when the “Rum-ti-Tum” and the Bull Buffers came in contact.

I am reasonably certain that this is James Pluckrose (PL 1950 Tree 1010). 
He is in the 1851 census - a journeyman butcher aged 38 which certainly fits this record.


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