Weathered plaque on the Tom Spring memorial

Image: © Jeremy Bolwell Taken: 4 Aug 2012

'Tom Spring' was born locally as Thomas Winter in 1795 at Witchend, Fownhope and as a young man became a butcher, boxing and training in his spare time. He had his first recorded boxing contest in 1812, and probably had several unrecorded before that maybe, but in 1814 met Tom Cribb, a nationally famous bare knuckle boxer who took young Tom to London to make him famous as an upcoming pugilist and on national exhibition bouts all around the country. Tom Spring was the professional name he adopted and by 1821 he was designated the new heavyweight champion of all England, fighting in defence of this title in 1823 against Bill Neat, winning in a bout lasting 37 minutes and against Irish Jack Langan twice before retiring, still champion, in 1824. On his retirement Tom Spring became the landlord of the Castle Inn, Holborn, London, where many boxing matches were arranged and the early sport was developed. Tom Spring died in London in 1851, a very wealthy man.

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