Purring

[ancientnloyal]

Anyone know anything about purring or clog fighting? Saw an exhibition at the History Shop the other day and it's quite interesting, yet brutal.

[jobo]

I was told that they used to hold the fights at night time during the annual Wigan Fair. They'd strip to the waist and take turns at kicking lumps out of each other whilst wearing clogs with the metal tips. First one to flinch lost the fight. I was told that huge bets would be placed and the fights often degenerated into all out scraps and very often, when the police tried to restore order, they to would get a hiding.

[devon jim 1]

Anyone know anything about purring or clog fighting? Saw an exhibition at the History Shop the other day and it's quite interesting, yet brutal.

We knew it has Porring. It was a 'game' executed by Miners(Pit men) they would stand face to face,hands on each others shoulders one arms length apart and commence 'porring'(kicking) each other till one gave up. The word 'Porr' carried over to the school playground where say during place kicking practice in the sports rugby lesson I,for one,being slight in stature would be told by the big lads 'give it a good porr Jim lad you'll need to to get it over the sticks'

[cpwigan]

The best exponent of these past times was a prisoner at Hindley (?) who was shall we say 'incredibly challenged'. Apparently you could leave his shins / legs blood red and he would not flinch / oblivious to pain.

[ancientnloyal]

If anyone has time pop down to the History Shop on Library Street a good exhibit and 20 mins worth of your Saturday afternoon shopping.

Anyone remember the clog shop in Hindley?

[Fujiman]

If anyone has time pop down to the History Shop on Library Street a good exhibit and 20 mins worth of your Saturday afternoon shopping.

Anyone remember the clog shop in Hindley?

bill Hurst iirc

[devon jim 1]

If anyone has time pop down to the History Shop on Library Street a good exhibit and 20 mins worth of your Saturday afternoon shopping.

Anyone remember the clog shop in Hindley?

bill Hurst iirc

It's a distant memory but I seem to remember a cobblers diagonally opposite to St Peter's church? just past the traffic lights in direction of Wigan. I also think I remember a shop/stall just has you entered the Wigan Market Hall(Bus Station End)It was first on right.I believe this was Bill Hursts (walked with a stick seemed like he may have had a 'cubbed'foot. Sorry If I'm wrong,It's such a vague memory and much water passed under bridge since then.

[ragman]

If anyone has time pop down to the History Shop on Library Street a good exhibit and 20 mins worth of your Saturday afternoon shopping.

Anyone remember the clog shop in Hindley?

bill Hurst iirc

It's a distant memory but I seem to remember a cobblers diagonally opposite to St Peter's church? just past the traffic lights in direction of Wigan. I also think I remember a shop/stall just has you entered the Wigan Market Hall(Bus Station End)It was first on right.I believe this was Bill Hursts (walked with a stick seemed like he may have had a 'cubbed'foot. Sorry If I'm wrong,It's such a vague memory and much water passed under bridge since then.

It was Walter Hurst who had the Cobblers / Clogmaking shop. He died a few years ago, and was quite the character himself

[magsrads]

I had a pair of clogs made by Walter Hurst when I was a little girl in the 70's ... think they were red or a browny red ... credit them for still having decent feet

[Kittwazzer]

Anyone know anything about purring or clog fighting? Saw an exhibition at the History Shop the other day and it's quite interesting, yet brutal.

If you are a reader, there is a lot of this researched and contained in a novel called 'Rose' by Martin Cruz Smith. Its set in Wigan circa 1860 and the author has really done his homework. The main character comes up from London and is booked into a hotel on Wallgate called the Minorca. Several references to battles with the Irish on Scholes Bridge and the pits around Haigh Hall feature prominently.

Its available for around a fiver on Kindle and a must read for any Wiganer interested in the town's history!