William Perry (1819 – 24 December 1880
), known as "The Tipton Slasher"
after his native town of Tipton
Tipton is an industrial town in the West Midlands in England with a population of around 38,777 at the 2011 UK Census. It is located northwest of Birmingham.
Tipton was once one of the most heavily industrialised towns in the Black Country, w ...
, was a British heavyweight prize fighter of the 19th century and claimed the championship of England, with some dispute, for two periods between 1850 and 1857. His fighting career began in London in 1835 and after fighting a number of highly rated championship contenders, he first claimed the English heavyweight championship by defeating Tom Paddock
Tom Paddock, born Thomas Paddock (c. 1822, Redditch – 30 June 1863) also known as the Redditch Needlepointer was a champion English bare-knuckle boxer in the early Victorian era.
Tom was baptised on 25 August 1822 in Redditch, Worcesters ...
in twenty-seven rounds on 17 December 1850.
In 1851 he lost the English heavyweight title in a controversial referee's decision to Harry Broome
Henry Alfred Broome (1826 – 2 November 1865) was a boxer from the bare-knuckle fighting era who became heavyweight champion of England in September, 1851 when he defeated fellow Englishman William Perry in Mildenhall, England. He lost the tit ...
which he strongly disputed. After the leading contenders of the day refused to fight him, Perry reclaimed the English title until Tom Sayers defeated him in a championship bout in 1857.
Early life
Perry was born in Tipton
Tipton is an industrial town in the West Midlands in England with a population of around 38,777 at the 2011 UK Census. It is located northwest of Birmingham.
Tipton was once one of the most heavily industrialised towns in the Black Country, w ...
(then in Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
, now West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
) in 1819. His parents were Timothy, a miner, and Sarah Perry. He was the third of five children, and baptized at St Martin's, Tipton on 1 August 1819.[ At the time of the baptism, his parents were living in the Lea Brook area of Tipton.] At the age of 16 he was reportedly working as a navvy
Navvy, a clipping of navigator ( UK) or navigational engineer ( US), is particularly applied to describe the manual labourers working on major civil engineering projects and occasionally (in North America) to refer to mechanical shovels and eart ...
in London.
Boxing career
Early Fights, 1835-9
Perry began his career as a bareknuckle
Bare-knuckle boxing (or simply bare-knuckle) is a combat sport which involves two individuals throwing punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time without any boxing gloves or other form of padding on their hands. It is a regulated ...
heavyweight boxer in London at the age of 16. According to one source "he was well known in the neighbourhood of Battersea Fields and Chelsea as a "lumping lad" who,
despite the drawback of 'a K leg,' could hit, stop, and use his 'fives' with formidable effect". In his first recorded fight, Perry fought and beat Barney Dogherty on 3 November 1835. The fight began at Mortlake opposite the Ship pub where 7 rounds were fought but the bout was interrupted by the police. Subsequently, the boxers moved to Lechmere Common, London where Perry defeated Dogherty after 7 more rounds of boxing. According to one account of the second part of the fight: "on squaring elbows there was a good deal of sparring and Perry dodged left and right. After some heavy exchanges and a rally, Barney was down weak. The fight was prolonged for six rounds more, during which Perry had it all his own way, punishing Barney terrifically; still the poor fellow came up as game as a rhinoceros, and would not give in until his seconds, seeing he had not a chance, cried 'enough'".
His second recorded fight was with Ben Spilsbury from Birmingham, after Perry had returned to his native Black Country
The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands county, England covering most of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Dudley and Tipton are generally considered to be the centre. It became industrialised during its ro ...
. According to one source: "a party of Birmingham boxers, having among their number one Ben Spilsbury (not Charley who fought Johnny Broome) being in the town of Tipton exhibiting the art, young Perry put on the mufflers with that professional". Perry's good sparring performance with Spilsbury led to a challenge for a fight with a £10 per side stake. The bout took place on 27 December 1836 in Oldbury for £10 per side and lasted 19 rounds, Perry eventually winning. It was reported of Spilsbury: "after taking some little liberties with the Tipton in the opening rounds, for which he occasionally caught a fearful right-handed visitation, and was rallied down, Spilsbury kept so completely ''a la distance'' as to deprive the contest of any interest, and finally, at the end of the 19th round, "cut it," leaving "The Slasher" in possession of the field and the stakes".
It was after this fight that Perry's nickname "The Tipton Slasher" became established.
On 22 November 1837, Perry took on Jem Scunner from Gornal, the fight being staged at a site near Gornal and at Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...
for £25 per side. One of Perry's seconds was Tass Parker, who later became a rival for the Slasher. The fight took place over two days, commencing in near Gornal. After a few rounds on the first day, the fight was halted after the supporters of the Gornal man claimed Perry had committed a foul. The fight resumed on the following day at Kingswood near Wolverhampton and Perry ended up as victor after a fight of an hour including 31 rounds.
After the fight it was noted "Perry, with Parker, became the "lions" of the neighbourhood; the Fountain Inn, at Tipton, the Slasher's headquarters, being crowded by the Fancy of the Midlands at their benefit on the ensuing Monday."
In 1839, Perry attempted to make a match with Tunchy Shelton of Derby. However, the fight did not take place after Shelton claimed that Perry had not paid part of the deposit for the fight.
Managed by Johnny Broome
Perry came to the attention of another boxer, the London-based Johnny Broome
Johnny Broome (Born: 14 March 1818; Birmingham, England – 31 May 1855; England) was a lightweight bare-knuckle boxer.
Broome was a gifted pugilist known as "Young Duckro." He was never defeated in the prize ring, and had a younger brother (H ...
, who decided to promote Perry's future fights. According to one story, Broome led Perry about town with a chain around his neck, "pretending that he was a wild man of the woods". Broome attempted to set up a match with a boxer named Randall from Devon who was backed by the publican, Ben Burn. However the arrangement fell through. Next Broome attempted to set up a fight with James "Deaf" Burke in August 1842, but the match was cancelled as Broome failed to pay the deposit on the match stake in time.
Bouts with Charles Freeman
Perry's next two fights were against a giant American called Charles Freeman. Freeman had been a circus performer in America and had been encountered there by the British fighter Ben Caunt
Ben Caunt (22 March 1815 – 10 September 1861) was a 19th-century English bare-knuckle boxer who became the heavyweight boxing champion known as the "Torkard Giant" and "Big Ben".
Early life
Caunt was born on 22 March 1815 in Hucknall Torkard, ...
(known as "Big Ben"). Caunt claimed in a letter that Freeman stood over 7 ft tall and weighed in excess of 23st. The boxing chronicle ''Pugilistica'' claimed he stood "6ft 10½in in his stocking feet" and weighed 18st. The American accompanied Caunt on his return to England in 1842, when "Freeman during several months, not only exhibited at the Queen's Theatre, Lyceum, Olympic, Adelphi, Victoria, and other theatres, halls and assembly rooms, where a great feature of the entertainments was a caricature of boxing by the giant and Big Ben, but the non-sporting papers were flooded with ridiculous paragraphs, several of them offensively setting forth the wonderful powers and prowess of the American gladiator."
The first fight between Perry and Freeman took place on 6 December 1842 at Sawbridgeworth
Sawbridgeworth is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, close to the border with Essex. It is east of Hertford and north of Epping. It is the northernmost part of the Greater London Built-up Area.
History
Prior to the Norman ...
and was declared a draw as darkness descended on the boxers after 70 rounds of boxing. An attempt was made on 15 December to bring the match to a conclusion at Littlebury. However, the authorities prevented the bout taking place. The rematch finally took place on 20 December of the same year, and was held at Cliffe Marshes, Gravesend, where Freeman was declared the winner after 38 rounds as Perry dropped to the floor without being struck by his opponent.
These two bouts with the Tipton Slasher were the only recorded prize-fights undertaken by Freeman. He returned to being a circus and theatrical entertainer until his early death of consumption
Consumption may refer to:
*Resource consumption
*Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically
* Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms
* Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...
on 18 October 1845 at Winchester Hospital.
After the Freeman fight, Johnny Broome arranged a series of benefit exhibition fights for Perry in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Dublin. A match was arranged for 22 August 1843 with the fighter William Renwick of Liverpool, the fight to take place near Newcastle upon Tyne. However the bout did not take place as Renwick was arrested the Saturday before the fight at his training quarters.
Three fights with Tass Parker
The next three fights for Perry were against Tass Parker of West Bromwich
West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, ...
. The first, arranged at Dartford Marshes on 19 December 1843 ended in a draw as the police intervened after 67 rounds of fighting. According to the editor of the sporting paper "Bell's Life": "in this affair he showed considerable improvement upon his former exhibition, and inflicted severe punishment with his right upon Parker".
The rematch to decide the contest was delayed as Johnny Broome produced a medical certificate stating that Perry had received a broken jaw in the first fight and had been treated for a fractured arm in November of that year. Thus it was not until 27 February 1844, the two met again, Perry being declared the winner as Parker went down without being hit. The third meeting on 4 August 1846 on Lindrick Common resulted in another victory for Perry. An observer of this final fight with Parker said of Perry: "He displayed an amount of judgment, coolness, science, and generalship which no one, not even those who knew him best, had previously credited him with, and these qualities, added to his immense bulk and strength, rendered him irresistible".
After the third bout with Tass Parker, Perry challenged Ben Caunt
Ben Caunt (22 March 1815 – 10 September 1861) was a 19th-century English bare-knuckle boxer who became the heavyweight boxing champion known as the "Torkard Giant" and "Big Ben".
Early life
Caunt was born on 22 March 1815 in Hucknall Torkard, ...
to fight for £100 a side. Caunt declined this challenge but said he would fight for between £300 and £500 pound stakes. However, a fight was not arranged, even when Caunt offered to fight all comers for £200 a side.
Claiming a disputed English heavyweight championship, 1850
Perry's next bout was with Tom Paddock
Tom Paddock, born Thomas Paddock (c. 1822, Redditch – 30 June 1863) also known as the Redditch Needlepointer was a champion English bare-knuckle boxer in the early Victorian era.
Tom was baptised on 25 August 1822 in Redditch, Worcesters ...
on 17 December 1850 at Woking Common. Articles for the fight were signed on 1 October 1850 at the Castle Tavern, Holborn for a "fair stand-up fight, for £100 a-side". Perry won the contest, which lasted 27 rounds. It was after this fight that William Perry claimed the Championship of England. The Slasher now requested that the fighter Bendigo
Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital.
As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...
hand over the Championship belt, still in his possession, or make a match with him. He also made a general challenge for anyone to fight him for between £200 to £500 a side. Bendigo offered to fight for £500 but would not hazard the belt, which he claimed to be his private property. However, when Perry sent £50 to the editor of Bell's Life in London
''Bell's Life in London, and Sporting Chronicle'' was an English weekly sporting paper published as a pink broadsheet between 1822 and 1886.
History
''Bell's Life'' was founded by Robert Bell, a London printer-publisher. Bell sold it to William I ...
, in order to make the match, Bendigo backed out of the challenge.
Disputing controversial loss to Harry Broome, September, 1851
The next fight for Perry was against Harry Broome
Henry Alfred Broome (1826 – 2 November 1865) was a boxer from the bare-knuckle fighting era who became heavyweight champion of England in September, 1851 when he defeated fellow Englishman William Perry in Mildenhall, England. He lost the tit ...
, the brother of Johnny who had been promoting the Tipton Slasher. The match took place on 29 September 1851. Broome was awarded victory after Perry committed a 'foul' by striking Broome whilst he was on his knees. Broome claimed the Championship after this fight. However, Perry disputed the decision and his backers refused permission for the stake-holders to hand over the prize money.
An attempt to arrange a re-match between Perry and Broome failed and on 6 November 1851 it was reported that both Perry and Harry Broome had appeared before the Bow Street magistrates accused of fighting outside Evans Hotel, Covent Garden at 1 o'clock in the morning. Both were fined 20s.
Reclaiming the heavyweight championship, 1853
After a victory against Harry Orme
Harry Orme (May 1826-9 June 1864) was a boxer from the bare-knuckle fighting era who was a candidate for heavyweight champion of England in the mid 19th century.
Early life
Harry Orme was born near Bow near the East End of London in May 1826.
...
in 1853, Broome signed articles for another match with Perry but forfeited the deposit on the match fee rather than fight. Broome also wrote to the editor of the sporting paper Bell's Life in August 1853, when he "intimated his intention of retiring from the Prize Ring". Perry then claimed the Championship title again.
In early 1855, fight supporters commissioned a new championship belt, the previous one "having gone astray". The subscription raised £100 and a Bond Street
Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...
jeweller was asked to make the new belt. At this date there were thought to be 5 possible contenders for the Championship: Perry, Harry Broome, Harry Orme, Tom Paddock and Aaron Jones.
Perry attempted to set up fights with Aaron Jones and Tom Paddock in 1856, but both forfeited to him rather than fight.
Losing the heavyweight championship, June, 1857
In 1856, Tom Sayers
Tom Sayers (15 or 25 May 18268 November 1865) was an English Bare-knuckle boxing, bare-knuckle prize fighter. There were no formal weight divisions at the time, and although Sayers was only five feet eight inches tall and never weighed much mo ...
appeared as a new fighter on the rise among the English heavyweights. Although lighter than true heavyweights, Sayers showed that he could take on and beat them, disposing of Harry Paulson who, at over 12st in weight, weighed over 2st more than Sayers. In early 1857 he defeated the heavyweight Aaron Jones.
On 3 March 1857, the articles for a fight between Sayers and the Tipton Slasher were signed. The fight was to be for £100 per side plus the new Championship belt. According to one of the chroniclers of the Prize Ring, many thought it was "a wild, mad, revolutionary idea to match a 10st. 10lb. man of 5ft. 8in. against a 14 stunner of over 6ft., and the latter, mind you, no duffer, but the Champion of England, who had won his title by hard fighting". Perry was so confident of winning that he sold his pub in Spon Lane, and staked the proceeds on himself at 6 to 4 on odds. Though confident of winning, he did not underestimate Sayers and trained hard for the fight.
After holding it almost continuously for seven years, Perry lost the heavyweight title to Sayers on 16 June 1857 on the Isle of Grain
Isle of Grain (Old English ''Greon'', meaning gravel) is a village and the easternmost point of the Hoo Peninsula within the district of Medway in Kent, south-east England. No longer an island and now forming part of the peninsula, the area is ...
. An eyewitness gave the following description of the scene at London's Fenchurch Street Station
Fenchurch Street railway station, also known as London Fenchurch Street, is a central London railway terminus in the southeastern corner of the City of London. It takes its name from its proximity to Fenchurch Street, a key thoroughfare in th ...
as the fight goers gathered:
"The frantic, noisy, blackguardly rabble surging round the entrance to the station : the crowd of swells in fashionable shooting -jackets and cloth caps all pushing their way with fierce eagerness to the ticket-office, as hansom after hansom disgorged its fare : the awful fight for tickets : the excited mob of gentlemen, publicans, tradesmen and pugilists on the platform – the desperate attempts to repel the assaults of the roughs who made most determined charges at the doors : the terror of the non-sporting passengers, for it was an ordinary train – women screaming and almost fainting with fright as swarms of big, broken-nosed men invaded the carriages in which they were peacefully seated".
Perry's seconds for the fight were Tass Parker and Jack McDonald. Despite being seen as the underdog, Sayers outperformed the Slasher and won in 10 rounds. Perry's tactics for the fight were criticized by one of the reporters on the scene, who pointed out that despite being slower on his feet than the highly mobile Sayers, the Slasher tried to force the pace of the fight instead of awaiting his opponent's attacks and relying on his powers as a counter-hitter.
Personal life
Perry married Ann Maria Challingworth on 11 June 1851 at St Mary's Church, Pitstone. The couple had one child, William Edward Perry born on 3 December 1854. Around this time, until his defeat by Sayers, Perry was the landlord of the pub "The Champion of England" in Spon Lane, West Bromwich.
After retirement, 1857–80
After losing the title Champion of England in 1857 to Tom Sayers
Tom Sayers (15 or 25 May 18268 November 1865) was an English Bare-knuckle boxing, bare-knuckle prize fighter. There were no formal weight divisions at the time, and although Sayers was only five feet eight inches tall and never weighed much mo ...
he became landlord of the Bricklayer's Arms, Walsall Road, Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...
.[ According to some of his obituaries, he became a jobbing contractor, occasionally displaying his former skills in gloved encounters only.]
He died at his home, Old Tollgate House, Bilston
Bilston is a market town, ward, and civil parish located in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It is close to the borders of Sandwell and Walsall. The nearest towns are Darlaston, Wednesbury, and Willenhall. Historically in Staffordshi ...
of alcoholism and pulmonary congestion on 24 December 1880 and was buried at St John's Church, Dudley.
Perry as a fighter
Perry fought as a heavyweight. When preparing for his fight with Harry Broome in 1851, he was described as being 6 ft ½in tall and weighing 13st 7 lb. By the time of his last fight in 1857, his weight had increased to 14st 2 lb. Many accounts of Perry note that he had a "crooked leg" or was "knock-kneed" or his legs resembled the shape of the letter "K". Perry's fighting ability does not appear to have been affected by shape of his leg, however, one writer observing "those who had seen him fight knew well with what wonderful quickness and agility he could turn and wheel, pivot-like, on that crooked pin". At the time of the Paddock fight in 1850, he was described as having "one of the most robust, symmetrical, and herculean busts, with arms to match, that ever sculptor imagined, or gladiator exhibited".
Career record
, -
, align="center" colspan=8, 6 Wins, 3 Losses, 2 Draws
, -
, align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result
, align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent
, align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date
, align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location
, align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Duration
, -
, Win
, Barney Dogherty
, 3 November 1835
, Mortlake and Lechmere Common, London
, 14 rounds
, -
, Win
, Ben Spilsbury
, 27 December 1836
, Oldbury, West Midlands
, 19 rounds
, -
, Win
, Jem Scunner
, 22–23 November 1837
, Gornal and Wolverhampton
,
, -
, style="background: #dae2f1", Draw
, Charles Freeman
, 6 December 1842
, Sawbridgeworth
, 70 rounds
, -
, Loss
, Charles Freeman
, 20 December 1842
, Cliffe Marshes, Gravesend
, 38 rounds
, -
, style="background: #dae2f1", Draw
, Tass Parker
, 19 December 1843
, Dartford Marshes
, 67 rounds
, -
, Win
, Tass Parker
, 27 February 1844
, Horley
, 133 rounds
, -
, Win
, Tass Parker
, 4 August 1846
, Lindrick Common
, 23 rounds
, -
, Win
, Tom Paddock
Tom Paddock, born Thomas Paddock (c. 1822, Redditch – 30 June 1863) also known as the Redditch Needlepointer was a champion English bare-knuckle boxer in the early Victorian era.
Tom was baptised on 25 August 1822 in Redditch, Worcesters ...
, 17 December 1850
, Woking Common,
, 27 Rounds
, -
, Loss
, Harry Broome
Henry Alfred Broome (1826 – 2 November 1865) was a boxer from the bare-knuckle fighting era who became heavyweight champion of England in September, 1851 when he defeated fellow Englishman William Perry in Mildenhall, England. He lost the tit ...
, 29 September 1851
, Mildenhall
, 15 rounds
, -
, Loss
, Tom Sayers
Tom Sayers (15 or 25 May 18268 November 1865) was an English Bare-knuckle boxing, bare-knuckle prize fighter. There were no formal weight divisions at the time, and although Sayers was only five feet eight inches tall and never weighed much mo ...
, 16 June 1857
, Isle of Grain
, 10 rounds
Legacy
After Perry's grave fell into disrepair, the acting vicar of St John's, Rev. D.H.S. Mould launched a public appeal to raise funds for a new memorial stone, which was laid over the tomb in 1925.
A bronze statue by Bill Haynes stands in the Coronation Gardens, Tipton, yards away from the Fountain Inn public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
, which was once his headquarters.[ The statue was unveiled on 3 May 1993.
The Fountain Inn received Grade II ]listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
status in 1984 on recognition of its association with Perry, who regularly fought fellow boatmen on the many local canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...
s in order to be first through the lockgates.[
The Tipton Slasher and Tom Sayers are mentioned in Robert Browning's poem ''A Likeness''.]
The novelist, David Christie Murray
David Christie Murray (13 April 1847 – 1 August 1907) was an English journalist, who also wrote fiction.
Life
Murray was born in a home at High Street, West Bromwich, Staffordshire, one of six sons and five daughters of William Murray and Ma ...
, includes some anecdotes of the Tipton Slasher in his autobiography ''The Making of a Novelist''.
Arthur Conan Doyle's story "The Croxley Master" describes a boxing match in which a young medical man defeats a veteran boxer with a "K-shaped" leg like Perry's.
References
External links
Career record at cyberboxingzone
List of his fights and obituary
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, William
1819 births
1880 deaths
Bare-knuckle boxers
English male boxers
Heavyweight boxers
Sportspeople from Tipton
Alcohol-related deaths in England