Cumbrian Surnames Provide Pointer to Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling’s Traditional Past and its Bright Future

The recent publication of the top surnames in Cumbria has helped underline the importance of Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling to the county’s heritage and culture, according to Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show.

When ‘Forebears’ revealed a list of the top 50 Cumbrian surnames[i], the Show took a look back at its show day records, as far back as 2004, to see if a similar pattern of surnames could be found in the winners’ lists.

What it discovered was that five of the top 10 surnames featured heavily amongst winners of the top accolades in Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling during this period. There was little reference to these surnames in fell running, with the fell races attracting competitors from much further afield.

The names from the Forbears top 10 that featured heavily in the record books for Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling were Wilson (the top Cumbrian surname), Thompson (5th), Brown (6th), Taylor (9th) and Hodgson (10th).   Beyond the top 10, the names of Armstrong (12th), Scott (17th), Clark (24th) Mason (43rd) and Gibson (46th) were prominent.

Some of these surnames most definitely relate to families with a heritage in the sport, with many of them being drawn from the Cumbrian farming community that nurtured the grass roots of Cumberland and Westmorland wresting for centuries.

Take, for instance, the Hodgson family, whose wrestling heritage is currently being upheld by Rosie Hodgson, the current All Weights Ladies champion, following in the footsteps of her sister Connie and other family members before that.

Other notable champions in recent times have borne one of these surnames.  Thomas Gibson was All Weights Men’s Champion in 2023, also taking a World Championship title home.  He competed in Pontivy in Brittany, earlier this year, winning the Seniors over 90kg’ weight class and then the ‘All Weights’ title, beating the 8-stone heavier Breton wrestler, Jeremy Hardouin, in the latter.

Josh Thompson took two third places at Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show last year.  Back in 2012, Donna Thompson was second in the All Weights Ladies.

Thomas Wilson was deemed the Best Overall wrestler in 2024 and was the Under-18s boys winner in 2023.

Meanwhile, Charlie and Tom Armstrong took second and fourth places in the Under-18 and 10-stone World Championship in 2024 and Charlie Armstrong was the 8 Stone Boys winner in 2023.

“Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling is an intrinsic way of life for some Cumbrian families, hence the predominance of the some of the county’s top surnames within our roll call of winners,” says Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show’s Chairman, John Hibbert.  

“But what we are also seeing is a new generation of surnames coming through in the sport, with notable new surnames being those such as Peacock, Stainton, Ackerley, Stewart and Norman.  Often, it is a direct result of the sport’s outreach into schools and local communities, which is helping to attract new blood into the highly traditional Cumbrian sport.  Children actually love Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling once introduced to it and this is breathing new life into clubs and events.”

Ellena and George Peacock are a brother and sister who more or less stumbled into the sport, just because it was something a friend of their father did.  George set a pathway which his younger sister then followed.  Ellena came second in the Under-15 girls contest at Grasmere Sports last year, despite only being aged 11, and George became the Under-18 boys champion and the most noteworthy male junior.  Both were winners in Pontivy.

Notably, the upswing in participation in this backhold form of wrestling is similar to that seen in its European counterparts.  Gouren is having a resurgence in Brittany, as is Glima in Iceland. 

Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show is determined to support Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling as far as it can, helping to continue to attract new ‘names’ into the sport.

“Whilst we love to see the same names winning accolades at Grasmere, the more new surnames we spot on the entry sheet, the more confident we will be that the sport has a long and bright future,” says John Hibbert.  

“The farming families have been fantastic guardians of the sport but they are the first to recognise that it can only survive if those who have not grown up with it in the family are attracted to the winter practice mats and outdoor events.  Many of these families are great ambassadors for the sport, in this regard, and are very welcoming to anyone who wants to have a go.  We would encourage anyone to get involved, wherever your surname originates, so that we can revitalise this fabulous sport and continue on the same trajectory as our European counterparts.”

Surnames that also made the winning list at Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show last year do also come from these areas that are bastions of backhold wrestling overseas, with surnames like Gudjonsdottir and Le Piolet, not likely to be found in Cumbria.  However, it is when names from Eastern Europe, Asia, the Philippines, Turkey and the Middle East start to appear on the honours list that Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show will know that its efforts, to help both the show and its traditional sports become more inclusive of the wider population, have started to succeed.

Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show will see many of these names in action at its 2025 event on Sunday August 24.  Early bird tickets are already on sale at www.grasmeresports.com

[i] https://www.lancs.live/news/local-news/50-most-common-surnames-cumbria-18200162

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Editors notes

Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show is an iconic event taking place in the heart of the English Lake District on the August Bank Holiday weekend. Its long historic roots date back to 1868 and it is renowned for its fell running, hound trails and Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling competitions, as well as being a fantastic family day out.