Cribb, Tom  – Won world title fight near Grantham

Tom Cribb (1781 –1848)

Tom Cribb was an English bare-knuckle boxer of the 19th century, who retained his world championship just south of Grantham.

Born in Wick, near Bristol, he moved to London at the age of 13 and after working as a bell-hanger got work as a coal porter in Wapping.

His first fight was on 7 January 1805 at Wood Green in Middlesex, now part of north London. Victory here, followed by another a month later, persuaded him to become a professional pugilist, under the supervision of Captain Robert Barclay.

In 1807 Cribb beat Jem Belcher and three years later was awarded the British title.

In 1810 he fought an American, former slave Tom Molineaux, at Shenington Hollow in Oxfordshire. Beating him over 35 rounds to become World champion.

Cribb retained his title in 1811 by beating Molineaux in front of a crowd estimated at 10,000 on 28th September  in a field just north of Thistleton near South Witham at a place now known as Cribb’s Lodge.

After over 30 rounds Cribb failed to make it up to scratch but the referee, fearful of the crowds reaction of and mindful of the enormous sum of money bet on the fight , allowed the battle to continue with the result   Molyneaux after 35 rounds, had to concede defeat.

The following year, aged 31, he retired to become a coal merchant (and part-time boxing trainer). Later he became a publican, running the Union Arms, Panton Street, close to Haymarket in central London.

In 1839 he retired to Woolwich in south-east London where he died in 1848, aged 66. He was buried in the churchyard of St Mary’s and St Andrew’s, Woolwich – where a monument to his memory was erected.

Compiled with the assistance of Vaughan Hardy