Tom Cribb & Tom Molineaux the Pugilists

Description

These dramatic Staffordshire figures capture a riveting moment in sporting history that happened over two centuries ago. They depict a contest imbued with racial and patriotic undercurrents. On the left we have Thomas Cribb, who had claimed Britain’s boxing championship in 1809. On the right we have the challenger Thomas Molineux, a former American slave who had won his freedom with his fists.

In 1810, Molineux challenged Cribb to a title fight. England’s attention was riveted on the Cribb–Molineux contest, for national self-esteem and identity were at stake. The Fancy, as boxing’s aficionados were called, wanted a white boxing champ. That Molineux was an American was hardly significant for, as the Sporting Magazine explained, “what alarmed the natives most was, the consideration that an African or a tawney Moor, was looking forward to the championship of England, and had even threatened to decorate his sooty brow with the hard-earned laurels of Crib. [sic]” On December 18, 1810, thousands of spectators braved torrential rain and waded through miles of knee-deep clay to reach the remote outdoor venue near East Grinstead where Cribb was to defend the national honor. The pugilists traded blow after blow in seemingly interminable rounds. Then around round twenty-eight—history has chosen not to record this accurately—Molineux felled Cribb. Clearly a black American was the new English boxing champ. But as Molineux claimed victory, Cribb’s second jumped forward, falsely charging that Molineux had held bullets in his fists. The resulting fracas gave Cribb time to recover and left Molineux shivering in the rain. When the fight resumed, Cribb outlasted Molineux, but only just. In round thirty-three, Molineux declared, “I can fight no more”—apparently, neither could Cribb. His claim to the English championship was validated, although its fairness could be questioned.

On September 28, 1811, Cribb answered Molineux’s challenge to a rematch at Thistleton Gap. By now the pugilists’ names were on every tongue, and even those who knew not the names of the great military heroes dying for England’s glory on the battlefields of Europe, knew of Cribb and Molineux. The motley crowd of twenty thousand that flocked to the remote field included peers and peasants, swells, and occupants of stews.  But this time, Molineux did not stand a chance. While Cribb had spent eleven weeks training with the famous Captain Barclay at his secluded country estate, Molineux had been forced to earn his keep at local sparring matches. Both men had lost weight, but whereas Cribb had shed fat, Molineux had lost muscle. It took a mere eleven rounds, and nineteen minutes and ten seconds, for Cribb to knock out Molineux. The challenger was heaved out the ring with his jaw and ribs fractured.

Cribb’s victory was an event of national significance and he returned to London in a beribboned coach, cheered along its route in the manner accorded the bearer of news of a military victory. A huge crowd awaited him at his home and delivered a greeting worthy of a champion. Nationwide, fortunes had been made and lost on the fight, and the Edinburgh Star admonished the country for wagering more on its outcome than had been given to aid British prisoners in France. The Fancy found a defeated Molineux admirable, and he became a popular boxer of secondary standing, notorious for his love of ladies, liquor, and spiffy clothing. In 1818, emaciated and estranged from his friends, he died in Ireland. Although Tom Cribb never again defended his title, he reigned as a respected and beloved champion, the biggest sports star of his era, until he retired in 1821.

These figures of Cribb and Molineux at 9″ tall, they have an imposing presence. Such Staffordshire figures are particularly rare and capture a moment in sporting, social, and ceramic history that continues to enthrall. Staffordshire figures of Cribb and Molineux were made in the 1820s—probably around the time of the next great boxing contest between Spring and Langan in 1824—but the earlier figures are especially lovely.

(Courtesy of Myrna Schkolne)