William Abednego Thompson (18 October 1811 – 23 August 1880) was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 bare-knuckle boxer

Bare-knuckle boxing

Bare-knuckle boxing is the original form of boxing, closely related to ancient combat sports...

.

Early life

Born in Sneinton

Sneinton

Sneinton is a south-eastern suburb of Nottingham, England. The area is bounded by Carlton to the north, Colwick to the south, Meadow Lane to the southwest and Bakersfield to the east.-Description:...

, Nottingham

Nottingham

Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...

 in 1811, Thompson was one of a set of triplets named Abednego, Shadrach and Meshak, after the young men in the Book of Daniel

Book of Daniel

The Book of Daniel is a book in the Hebrew Bible. The book tells of how Daniel, and his Judean companions, were inducted into Babylon during Jewish exile, and how their positions elevated in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. The court tales span events that occur during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar,...

 who emerged from the fiery furnace

Fiery furnace

Fiery furnace may refer to:* The fiery furnace in which Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into in Daniel 3* Fiery Furnace , a region of Utah's Arches National Park* The Fiery Furnaces, a rock band...

 of Babylon

Babylon

Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...

. He was the last of 21 children born in the slums between Long Row and Parliament Street. From an early age, Thompson developed well and was noted as having an ability with sports. When he was 15 his father died and William was sent to the Nottingham Workhouse

Workhouse

In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...

 with his mother. After leaving the Workhouse, Thompson sold oyster

Oyster

The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....

s in and around the streets of Nottingham before obtaining a job as an iron turner.

By the age of 18, he was already fighting for money to provide for his family. He defeated his first eight opponents — including the champion of the nearby town of Bingham

Bingham, Nottinghamshire

Bingham is a market town in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire, England.-Geography:With a population of around 9,000 people it lies about nine miles east of Nottingham, a similar distance south-west of Newark-on-Trent and west of Grantham. It is situated where the A46 intersects the A52...

. At age 21 he was a regular prize fighter. Thompson was a southpaw( For a bet he once threw half a house brick over the River Trent with his left hand) boxer who compensated for his lack of height (he was barely 177 cm or five feet, ten inches tall) with an incredible ability to punch hard and fast, and was said to be devoid of fear. He was also very agile, earning the name "Bendy" because of his constant bobbing and weaving around the ring; his nickname evolved and "Bendy" Abednego became "Bendigo".

Though it was his speed and agility that won him his fights, it was Thompson's personality and sense of humour which endeared him to the crowd (or "fancy" as fight fans were then known). He would make up rhyme

Rhyme

A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...

s about his opponents during the fights, and distract them with insults and tall tales of their wives and mothers while pulling funny faces at them. It wasn't long before Thompson was drawing crowds of over 10,000 people to his illicit fights, held secretly out of town in barns or fields.

Thompson's career is mostly remembered for his fierce rivalry with the Hucknall

Hucknall

Hucknall, formerly known as Hucknall Torkard, is a town in Greater Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, in the district of Ashfield. The town was historically a centre for framework knitting and then for mining but is now a focus for other industries as well providing housing for workers in...

-born boxer Ben Caunt

Ben Caunt

Ben Caunt was a 19th century English bare-knuckle boxer who became the "heavyweight" boxing champion known as the "Torkard Giant" and "Big Ben".-Early life:...

. In 1835 the two met for the first time for a purse of £25. This fight lasted 22 rounds, which at the time did not last a set amount of time, but was called whenever a fighter was knocked down. Bendigo, who was 19 kg (three stone) lighter and 15 cm (six inches) shorter, got into difficulties during the fight and started to stumble frequently. This, along with his constant manic laughter and free flowing insults, frustrated Caunt, who finally struck Thompson while he was kneeling and so lost the match on a foul

Foul

-In sports:*Foul , an unfair or illegal sports act, including:**Foul , in football , an unfair act by a player as deemed by the referee...

. A writer at the fight described Caunt as "full of trickery and treachery — he has no ethics" and Thompson "as deadly and as poisonous as a rattlesnake

Rattlesnake

Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes of the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus of the subfamily Crotalinae . There are 32 known species of rattlesnake, with between 65-70 subspecies, all native to the Americas, ranging from southern Alberta and southern British Columbia in Canada to Central...

 with about the same ethics."

Over the next two years, Thompson fought three fights, first of all dispatching the renowned John Leachman

John Leachman

John Leachman was a Church Architect in the 19th Century. Although not of great renown he designed several Churches including Christ Church, Warminster and St Margaret's, Corsley. He also drew up plans for St. Thomas & St. Clement, Winchester, although his plans were deemed unsuitable and...

 of Bradford

Bradford

Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...

 in a 52-round contest, before moving to Newcastle

Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

 the following year to defeat Charley Langham in 51 rounds. A few months later, Thompson responded to a letter in a newspaper

Newspaper

A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...

 from Liverpudlian

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

 William Looney, challenging "...any man in the world for £200 stake and £200 a-side". The two met on 13 June 1837, on a hill at Chapel-en-le-Frith

Chapel-en-le-Frith

Chapel-en-le-Frith is a small town in Derbyshire, England, on the edge of the Peak District near the border with Cheshire, from Manchester. Dubbed "The Capital of the Peak District", the settlement was established by the Normans in the 12th century, originally as a hunting lodge within the Forest...

 the halfway point between their hometowns. The fight lasted for 92 rounds, but will probably be remembered for Thompson's reaction to Looney contemplating a haymaker in the fifteenth round, falling to the floor "on his nether end throwing up his legs and laughing". Thompson took control of the fight shortly after and started somersaulting in the ring, endearing him to the crowds. However, even through the constant barrage of punches Looney fought bravely on and even nearly won the fight with a massive right hand when under some pressure from Thompson. Eventually Thompson's athleticism shone through and he was declared the winner after dominating over an hour of fighting.

Fame

Thompson's star rose steadily. On 3 April 1838 Caunt finally obtained his rematch, worth £300 in prize money. Although the slightly younger man, at three years younger than Thompson, Caunt came into the ring in poor shape in comparison to the excellent physique of Thompson, who had trained hard for this match. Consequently he easily out-foxed and out-manoeuvred Caunt. The fight lasted for 75 rounds of furious combat. In the fifth round, Caunt had Thompson on the ropes and nearly strangled him but Thompson fought back, peppering his opponent with body shots and more insults. Desperate for victory and revenge, Caunt was said to have Thompson by the throat strangling him again in the thirteenth round. By the time Thompson's followers had cut the ropes and entered the ring his face was going blue. A fight broke out between the two sets of supporters and Caunt took a few hits across the back with a ring stake.

When order was restored, Thompson was given brandy

Brandy

Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...

 and recovered his stamina. In the fiftieth round it was Thompson's turn for some underhand tactics, lashing out some kicks on Caunt but the referee

Referee (boxing)

The referee in the boxing is the individual charged with enforcing the rules of that sport during a match.-The role of the referee:Referees have the following roles:*Gives instructions to both boxers before the fight...

 dismissed the complaint. In the seventy-fifth round, the referee stopped the fight as Thompson fell to the ground without being struck, an illegal tactic in prize fighting. After the fight, Thompson claimed it was a slip; a claim backed up by contemporary accounts, putting him well ahead and coasting. After the referee called the foul against Thompson, pandemonium broke loose. His supporters attacked Caunt with whatever weapons were to hand. Caunt was dragged to his coach by his seconds and attempted to flee. The coach was arrested by Thompson's mob who dragged Caunt out, but during the ensuing melee he escaped riding bareback on a stolen horse.

In 1839 when Thompson was 28, he was given the task of defeating the fearsome Londoner James "Deaf 'un" Burke

James Burke (boxer)

James "Deaf" Burke , 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 200 lb , was one of England's earliest boxing champions. He trained in the area around the River Thames....

 for the All England Title and a purse of £220. The backers admired his wit and courage, and now a crowd favourite he was a perfect match for the title. The fight was held in a field at No Mans Heath in Leicestershire, in front of an unruly crowd of 15,000 people. It lasted just ten rounds, with Thompson battering the helpless Burke, who himself had just successfully toured America. After half an hour, the frustrated Burke became so enraged with the barrage of punches and insults coming from his younger, faster and stronger challenger, he grabbed hold of Thompson and full-on head butted him, thus losing on a foul and lifting the championship away. The "Nottingham Jester", Champion Prize Fighter Of All England was presented his Champion's Belt a few weeks later at a ceremony in The Queens Theatre, Liverpool. When he got home to Nottingham, Thompson met his supporters, and in such excitement he somersaulted into the crowd and ended up breaking his kneecap putting him out of action for two years.

Thompson never stepped down from a challenge, and once he recovered from his knee injury he defeated 19 opponents over the next 4 years, including 7 in one month. Then finally, on 9 September 1845 at Lillington Level, Oxford, a half drunk riotous crowd of 10,000 came to see the third and final fight between Thompson and Caunt. Thompson's tactics were called into question as he crouched and bobbed his way around the ring, making it harder for Caunt to hit him. Hardly a round went by without a foul being claimed in a notoriously dirty grudge match. The atmosphere was all the more intense because of the fierce rivalry between the two sets of supporters, who only really came to finish what they had started 6 years earlier. The fight lasted a massive 96 rounds with Thompson tactically and methodically breaking his man down until, exhausted after two hours ten minutes, Caunt sat down without getting hit, losing on a foul. The fight was described by a contemporary writer as
"one of the most scandalous brawls in boxing history. Both men used every foul under the sun and invented a good many others... Thompson was tossed from the ring... Caunt trying to crash him on the ring stakes to break his back. Thompson's [followers] attempted to bludgeon Caunt whenever within striking distance... on one occasion missing by a hairs breadth, the blow landing on Caunt's brawny shoulder..."

Years later, when speaking on this fight, Lord Longford

William Pakenham, 4th Earl of Longford

William Pakenham, 4th Earl of Longford , known as the Hon. William Pakenham before 1860, was a British Conservative politician and nobleman....

, a former backer said to Thompson in relation to Thompson's evangelising; "I hope you fight Beelzebub

Beelzebub

Beelzebub -Religious meaning:Ba‘al Zəbûb is variously understood to mean "lord of flies", or "lord of the dwelling". Originally the name of a Philistine god, Beelzebub is also identified in the New Testament as Satan, the "prince of the demons". In Arabic the name is retained as Ba‘al dhubaab /...

 with more fairness than you fought Caunt or else I might change sides."

This fight seemed to have taken a lot out of Thompson, who went back to his childhood pastime of fishing. He became good friends with a well-known angler called William Bailey, who made and sold fishing tackle from his shop in Broad Marsh. Thompson won several All England Fishing Awards. Although enjoying his quiet life, Thompson accepted a challenge from a young Tom Paddock

Tom Paddock

Tom Paddock, born Thomas Paddock also known as the Redditch Needlepointer was a champion British bare-knuckle boxer in the early Victorian era....

 from Redditch and on the 5 June 1850, the 39-year-old William Abednego Thompson fought his last fight. In two minds as to whether to accept the fight or not, his 82 year old mother encouraged him by saying "I tell you this Bendy, if you don't take up the fight you're a coward. And I tell you more. If you don't fight him, I'll take up the challenge myself."

The fight was a close one and lasted over an hour. Paddock, the younger man by far, was getting the better of Thompson who started to go to ground very easily causing the end of the round. This infuriated Paddock who after flooring Thompson with a right hand in the 49th, thought he had gone down again. Paddock charged across the ring and kicked Thompson, and pulling him to his feet shouting, "Get up and fight like a man". Thompson's corner man called foul and the referee concurred, giving the decision. By all accounts, he was lucky to win that last fight and he never disagreed.

Retirement and decline

Feeling he was getting too old for Prize Fighting, Thompson "The Nottingham Jester" stepped down undefeated as Champion, with two prize belts and four Silver Cups to his name. Thompson was perhaps the last of the 'Great' Prize Fighters and to some is considered the 'Champion of Champions'. He is credited with inventing the 'Southpaw' stance, ensuring his legacy lies within the fabric of boxing forever. His outspoken character and record in the ring attracted a massive fan base, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...

, who wrote a verse to the fighter, titled Bendigo's Sermon;

You didn't know of Bendigo?

Well that knocks me out!

Who's your board schoolteacher?

What's he been about?

Chock a block with fairy tales;

Full of useless cram,

And never heard of Bendigo

The Pride Of Nottingham

Speaking on his own career Thompson proudly said "I was engaged in 21 matched fights and never was beaten in one. What is more, I never in my life had a hit on the nose hard enough to make it bleed; and in all my battles I never once got a black eye." After declaring his retirement, he took up an unofficial role as Boxing Coach at Oxford University teaching rich young Gentlemen the noble art of pugilism. As it was an unofficial role, they had to disguise him as a professor to get him into the grounds. A far cry from when he was back at Nottingham Workhouse a few years before.

However, this mixing with the upper echelons didn't appeal to him much either, so it wasn't long before he made his way back to Nottingham. Soon after his return, his mother died, and Thompson saw this as failing to keep his promise to "keep Mam out the Workhouse" so he lost his way and turned to alcohol. Now though, he was a national celebrity and comparatively rich to boot. He became involved with The Nottingham Lambs; a politically motivated group who were rife in Nottingham causing much civil unrest and violence, and on some occasions even rioting through the Market Square, protesting against the conditions in which people were left to live and burning down Nottingham Castle before it was rebuilt. An official bumped into Thompson in the Three Crowns Tavern while on a visit to Nottingham and reported,
After a few years, the fallen champ became a sorry drunken mess, not even a shadow of his former self. Gangs of children would taunt him when they saw him out in the streets. A magistrate summed up Thompson, while sending him for one of his 28 visits to The House of Correction for Drunk and Disorderly, sometimes taking half a dozen constables to restrain him; "Thompson, when sober was one of the nicest men in Nottingham, but when yer drunk, you ain't!" After one of his "holidays" inside, Thompson started to take an interest in the prison chaplain's sermons, especially the story of David and Goliath, declaring, "I do hope the lit'lun licks the big'un."

Late life

He eventually moved to Beeston to try to curb his drinking and avoid the Nottingham Lambs, but he only managed a few sober moments here and there, fishing by the Trent. Despite all these problems, at the age of 59 he managed to dive into the river to save three people from drowning. One time he pulled a woman from the river who offered him a reward. "Reward? I am the champion of England" he scornfully rejected the kind offer.

In 1872, Thompson attended a congregation held by the converted collier Richard Weaver. He was invited up on stage and although illiterate, delivered a powerful sermon. Much to the relief of the local magistrate, he was persuaded to join the Ebenezer Lodge of Good Templars and use his influence preaching. Taking up a boxer's stance he would turn to his trophies and declare, "See them belts? See them cups? I used to fight for those, but now I fight for Christ." During one sermon, it all got a little too much for him, and while the rabble at the back were shouting and heckling, singing songs about his past fights, Thompson was said to have closed his bible, put his hands together, looked up and prayed; "Good Lord, Thou knowest that since I gave up my wicked ways I have devoted my life to Thy service, and have given Thee the whole of my time. But now, seeing what's going on in this room, I'll take with Thy kind permission just five minutes off for me sen" before vaulting the pulpit into the crowd and restoring order the prize fighting way.

His popularity as a fighter soon attracted massive congregations to his sermons and there were hundreds left outside some meetings. At one of these open air congregations at Sneinton Market, Thompson was told that the men already on the stage were "infidels", To which he stripped off his coat and replied "what, them that don't believe in God? I'll clear the stage." Thompson spent the next few years touring the country preaching to crowds of thousands becoming even more of a household name, and eventually getting noticed by politicians; "that although he couldn't read the bible, his straightforward manly speech could be useful". People said that he was "better off going after the devil as he had no man left to fight".

Thompson died on 23 August 1880 aged 69, after falling down the stairs of his home in Beeston. The fall fractured ribs and punctured his lung but he hung on for seven more weeks before he finally died. His funeral procession was a mile long and thousands lined the streets, including many nationally famous people of the period. Even The Times newspaper published his obituary, which was normally reserved for very illustrious people. He was buried in his mother's grave, marked by a stone in the former burial grounds at Bath Street Rest Gardens (just near Victoria Leisure Centre). It is the only memorial not to have been moved during redevelopment and bears the inscription;

"In life always brave,
Fighting like a Lion;
In Death like a Lamb,
Tranquil in Zion".

Legacy

A public house in Sneinton

Sneinton

Sneinton is a south-eastern suburb of Nottingham, England. The area is bounded by Carlton to the north, Colwick to the south, Meadow Lane to the southwest and Bakersfield to the east.-Description:...

, Nottingham

Nottingham

Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...

 was named after its famous resident, the Old Wrestlers pub was converted to Bendigo's in 1957 and became a popular pub among Sneinton locals. Ironically the pub was forced to close in the late 1990s due to brawling and re-opened as The Hermitage in 1999. There are currently no plans to return to the original name, however locals still refer to the pub as Bendigo's and the concrete statue of him still stands above the public house, ready as ever for the next round. But again in 2009 the pub closed again due in part to the recession.

The area of Sneinton just north east of the pub falls within the Nottinghamshire Police beat called Bendigo. This covers the area from Kentwood Rd north east to Highcliffe Rd and part of Colwick Wood, including the north part of Racecourse Rd (opposite the entrance to Nottingham racecourse). Just off this road is a small new build housing area, the main road being Bendigo Lane.

One of the trams operated by Nottingham Express Transit

Nottingham Express Transit

Nottingham Express Transit is a light-rail tramway in the Nottingham area in England. The first line opened to the public on 9 March 2004, having cost £200 million to construct. The scheme took sixteen years from conception to implementation...

 carries the name of Bendigo Thompson.

The city of Bendigo

Bendigo, Victoria

Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...

 in Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 is indirectly named after Thompson. An early Australian shepherd on the Ravenswood Run was also a bare-knuckle boxer with a style reminiscent of Bendigo, and hence was given the same nickname, which was then applied to the area as Bendigo's Creek. The town that grew up around the area in the 19th century was named as Sandhurst but reverted to Bendigo in 1891.

In Bestwood, a suburban part of Nottingham, there is a small copse known locally as "Bendigo's Ring". Legend has it that his spirit haunts the place, trying to exact revenge on the children that taunted him when he was often found there drunk.

A character named Gonolph Bendigo, clearly meant to be analogous to William Thompson, appeared in the second series of Defoe

Defoe (comics)

Titus Defoe is a comics character in an eponymous story published in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD. He was created by writer Pat Mills and artist Leigh Gallagher and first appeared in Prog 1540....

, a comic anthologised in 2000AD. Although Defoe is set in the seventeenth, rather than nineteenth, century, the character owes a lot to the real-life boxer, being a retired bare-knuckle fighter of note whose nickname was also 'Bendy,' and who famously defeated a Ben Caunt.

External links

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/content/articles/2005/02/14/features_people_2005_02_bendigo_and_forest_tavern_feature.shtml
• http://www.leftlion.co.uk/articles.cfm/id/1175
• http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/sherwoodtimes/evangeli.htm