Savage though they were, the two females (we cannot call them women) restrained their natural inclination to tear and claw, and standing up like men punched each other with their fists till the blood ran in streams down their faces and breasts.” For 20 minutes they fought fiercely, with an excited crowd cheering them on. “Then the two Amazons stripped to the waist, tied up their hair. One account I found described two ‘low’ ladies, who, having argued publicly, decided to settle their differences with their fists: We have observational records of street fights fought between prostitutes for a cup of gin or a petticoat. Of course, 10 pounds was what a ‘championess of the ring’ might expect. It was a ladder out of poverty, and if you fell, well, wasn’t it worth the risk? But then, of course, Elizabeth Stokes fought Ann Field for a purse of 10 pounds, at a time when a maid might earn six pounds a year.
These were fights in which you could be very seriously injured or die.
What particularly gripped me was the thought of the lives these women must have led to bring them to the boxing ring. Elsewhere, there are records of women fighting against men, and even several women fighting one man. The winner was often irrelevant, except to those with money on the outcome.Įlizabeth Stokes fought alongside her husband against other couples, in much the way you might play tennis doubles today. Often, in the records I found, there was no mention of which woman won, although there would be a description of what they had been wearing – or not wearing, as they sometimes fought stripped to the waist. “.fine diversion of bulls, bear and ass-baiting, and dog fighting, particularly, and a dog will be dressed up with fireworks to augment the diversion of the spectators.”įemale boxing fell into this category – a bloody novelty act, as opposed to a serious sport. An advert for the amphitheatre from 1735 promises: It was a place in which all kinds of brutal entertainments could be seen. This particular fight took place at ‘Mr Stokes’ amphitheatre’, which was owned by Elizabeth’s husband, James. They were doing this while other ladies were trapped in drawing rooms, endlessly embroidering cushion covers. Isn’t that great? They are the real words of real women who punched and spat and sagged to their knees in the sawdust while people around them cheered the sight of their spilled blood. doubt not that the blows I shall present her with will be more difficult to digest than any she ever gave her asses.” “I, Elizabeth Stokes, of the City of London, have not fought this way since I fought the famous Boxing Woman of Billingsgate 29 minutes and gained a complete victory… but as the famous ass-woman of Stowe Newington dares me to fight her for the 10 pounds, I.
#FEMALE VAMPIRE COMBAT TRIAL#
having been affronted by Mrs Stokes, styled the European Championess, do fairly invite her to a trial of her best skill in Boxing, for 10 pounds.” “I, Ann Field, of Stoke Newington, ass driver, well-known for my abilities in my own defence. The book reproduced an advert from 1728 that a woman by the name of Ann Field had placed in The Daily Post, challenging Elizabeth Stokes to fight her: The section that caught my imagination was a paragraph about 18th-century female prize-fighters. There’s a lesson there somewhere, but I’m not sure what it is. It ended up making me write a novel, which was a lot more work. I’d bought it to give to my niece and was using it as a bit of enjoyable procrastination from my work. The idea for The Fair Fight was sparked by reading one of the Horrible Histories books by Terry Deary.
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