Violence in the Clasroom: James Figg, Champion of England

"Here I am Jeremy Figg from Thame,
I will fight any man in England."

That cry went out to the public of London on a day during the early 1700’s. James Figg, the soon-to-be renowned champion of England, had just opened the doors of his new academy of arms, and was eager to prove himself and his art. Standing at an imposing height of six feet and weighing a solid one hundred eighty five pounds, Figg cut an impressive stalwart figure and by looks alone, could more than back his claim. Soon he would win great fame and garner a reputation fitting a true Master-at-Arms. Yet despite Figg being a widely celebrated swordsman, pugilist and all around supreme fighter, few are aware of his life before and during his reign as ‘Champion of England’.



Born in February 1684 to a family of farmers, life did not seems to hold the promise of more than the mediocre existence of the lower English social class for James Figg. The youngest of seven children, James was no stranger to competition from his birth. His parents, Francis and Elizabeth Figg, could not have imagined that there son, a native of Thame, would eventually rise to a position far from his origins and win the praises of his countrymen.

Hailing form an impoverished background, his family being proficient only in the field of agriculture, Figg had few means to support himself. At a young age, Figg began to learn what he would eventually come to call the ‘Manly Arts of Self-Defense’. Within a rather short period of time, he had gain a fair amount of popularity as a prizefighter and a frequent attraction at many village and town fairs displaying his skill at arms. After moving away from his parent’s home and using the money he earned from the prize purse of several fights, Figg settled in the Greyhound Inn, located in Cornmarket, Thame (a small suburb of London).

Despite being close to the metropolis of London, Figg was still forced to travel in order to maintain his popularity as a fighter and, indeed even earn his living as such. Figg was a staple of London’s famous (or infamous as the case often was) Southwark Fair, where he kept a grand booth where he could show off feats of arms and martial cunning. It was here that he first began to gain nation wide support catch the eyes of many upper class citizens. Such repute grew tremendously when Figg claimed the title "Champion of England" (for pugilism) in 1719.

Among those, was the engraver William Hogarth who captured Figg perfectly in his engraving suitably entitled ‘Southwark Fair’. In the lower right hand corner of the engraving, a gallant Figg sits astride a stallion, holding a basket-hilted sword. Later in Figg’s career as a prizefighter, Master-at-Arms, and champion, Hogarth (who apparently had come to know Figg personally) drafted the Master’s "hand bill" (an equivalent to the modern business card).



Several other prominent figures of English gentry called upon Figg as his fame grew, enlisting him as a trainer and tutor of his art. It was in fact due to this rise in fame and demand within the higher echelons of society, that James Figg opened his two schools dedicated to the most honorable science of defense. Although he focused mainly on teaching his skills, Figg still accepted all challenges and fought all comers, a fact only support his claim to the title of ‘Champion of England’ until 1730.

Both of the schools opened by Figg catered to the various martial needs of the English population. At both schools, Figg taught the noble arts of sword and cudgel play, quarterstaff, wrestling, and (most predominantly) pugilism. The first school Figg opened catered mainly to he higher social classes, where one could spend a sizable sum to have exclusive training with the champion alone, something considered quite an honor and very noteworthy. Yet it his second school, the famous Figg’s Amphitheater that drew the largest crowds. The Amphitheater was open to very citizen of England, no matter their level of social standing. Many disputes were also settled within the walls of the Amphitheater, so much so that it became known as place to settle disputes as well as to learn how to do so in a "manly" way.

Despite his celebrity status and devoted teaching schedule, Figg would often participate in regular prizefights found in the taverns, greens and town centers around London and it’s surrounding area. Such locations, the Boarded House of Marylebone Fields in London for example, featured fighters from all over Ireland, Scotland and England. Still Figg often drew his own crowd (and challengers) to such locations, often making regularly scheduled appearances.



During his career, Figg is said to have participated in over two hundred and seventy fights with only a single defeat. The one defeat was to an Edward Sutton of Gravesend. It was reported that Figg was ill on the day of the match, thus awarding his challenger the victory by not being found at his full potential. James Figg did, however, request a rematch with Sutton in which he undoubtedly won in the third round. James Byrom, a writer for the contemporary magazine The Spectator, recorded Sutton and Figg’s re-match in verse format.

"Then after that bout they went on to another,
Rut the matter must end on some fashion or other;
So Jove told the gods he had made a decree,
That Figg should hit Sutton a stroke on the knee.
Tho' Sutton, disabled as soon as he hit him,
Would still have fought on, but Jove would not permit him;
'Twas his fate, not his fault, that constrain'd him to yield,
And thus the great Figg became lord of the field."
- James Byrom, The Spectator, 1726 (full text can be found here)

Figg continued to teach the ‘manly arts’ and fight until his death. James Figg died of natural causes on December 8th, 1734 at his home on Oxford Street in London, England. To have lived a life within such a violent profession and not have been worse for it physically and to have died of natural causes, was true testament to the ‘Champion of England’s’ skill. At the age of fifty, Figg left behind his wife and several children. Later one of his grandsons would follow his path and claim the title of ‘Champion of England’ for himself.



Of all the newspapers that reported the death of England’s celebrated pugilist and the treasured son of his native Thame, one article perhaps lives true to the spirit in which his life was lived.

"Last Saturday there was a Trial of Skill between the unconquered Hero, Death, on the one side and till then the unconquered Hero Mr James Figg, the famous Prize-Fighter and Master of the Noble Science of Defence on the other: The Battle was most obstinately fought on both sides, but at last the former obtained an Entire Victory and the latter tho' he was obliged to submit to a Superior Foe yet fearless and with Disdain he retired and that Evening expired at his house in Oxford Road."

Needless to say, he was never forgotten in his native county of Thame. A portrait of Figg hung behind the bar at the Greyhound Inn, his home for many years, and was proudly displayed by the landlords years after his death. Upon closer inspection, one can find a note, written by an unknown individual, on the back of the portrait. The note, although short, seems to capture the essence of James Figg and reminds us all of who he was;

"The Mighty Combatant, the first in Fame,
The lasting Glory of his native Thame,
Rash & unthinking Men at length be Wise
Consult you safety and Resign the Prize,
Nor tempt Superior Force; but Timely Fly
The Vigour of his Arm, the quickness of his Eye."