another transportation! my greatx5 granny, hannah parkes, probably a nailor, had a brother, this is a bit of his story.
here is a bit of one of his sons story. this is after john parkes and family have been robbed of a couple of chickens by armed robbers, been granted fifty acres of woodland and started chopping.
William Parkes alias Fighting Bill Sparkes was born on the 9th April 1818, the eighth child and fourth son of John and Margaret Parkes. It is of interest to note that William was just eight days old when the robbers so badly terrorised his family at Petersham on the 17th April 1818. Bill was eleven years of age when the family moved to Parkes Camp, and in those days would have beer considered old enough to begin his apprenticeship in the timber industry as a sawyer, an ideal occupation to prepare him for his future career as an Australian champion athlete. Bill was a fitness fanatic, and at an early age entered the Sporting arena as a very successful runner, and by the time he was eighteen he was mixing freely among the sporting fraternity. Bill's father John Parkes died in 1839 when Bill was 21 years old, and shortly after Bill took Betsey Pithers as his first wife. Betsey bore Bill two children, William in 1840, and Jane in 1841, before what was believed to have been a de facto relationship broke up. Bill Perry was a very talented negro bare-knuckle fighter, and posed such a threat in English fighting circles with his science and hitting power, that the English "Fancy" not relishing the prospect of a negro as English Champion, had him "Framed" by planting counterfeit coins in his rooms. Perry was arrested, charged and sentenced to seven years at Botany Bay. The white Australia Policy had not yet been adopted, and Perry became a favourite with the military officers at the army barracks, where he was in "The manly art". Perry's modest bearing and great demand as a teacher of inoffensive disposition soon earned him a "Ticket of leave", and the opportunity to pass his unique skills on to the clamouring "Currency lads". Among Black Perry's first pupils were Bill, Isaac and Tom Parkes, who were quick to successfully adopt the "Perry touch", and from Perry's teachings sprang the first crop of high-class colonial fist fighters. Bill, Isaac, and Tom Parkes all rose to be champion bare-knuckle fighters, though "Fighting Bill Sparkes" was by far the most talented, as is borne out by his impressive record. Bill's rise to world-class in the fighting game was nothing short of meteoric; following a long succession of fights in Australia, and still undefeated, he visited New Zealand to do battle with Dave Gibson and win for his backers a purse of 100 pounds. Triumph followed triumph culminating in Bill being crowned Australian champion after defeating the then champion Bill Davis in a 63 round contest.
BILL SPARKES V NAT LANGHAM.
In 1846 Bill encouraged by an immigrant fighter named Bungaree, who had gone back to England the year before, decided to try his luck in England. Following is an extract from the "Evening News", a Sydney newspaper published on Saturday the ninth of July 1921, in which "Nimrod" a sporting writer who knew Bill Sparkes writes of the Australian champion's fight in England with the English champion Nat Langham:
Extract from the "Evening News" Sat. 9th. July 1921. by Nimrod
"Chatting recently with some country folk at Ourimbah, the boxing contest for the World's Championship between Dempsey and Carpentier came into discussion. Afterwards, the question was put to me, "Who did I think, of all the Australians I knew, took part in the hardest fought contests?" That was a question that could be quickly answered, so far as my opinion was concerned -- Patrick Slavin and William Sparkes. Of course, the great glove fight between Pat Slavin and Peter Jackson is so modern that when reminded, the questioner was quite satisfied as to Slavin's claim. It was a wonderfully hard battle that he put up against the coloured Champion. To my way of thinking, it was one of the gamest and best efforts that stand on record, in connection with, what may be termed modern fistic battles.
Who was Sparkes?
After agreeing with me in respect to Slavin, they put the question: "Who was Sparkes, and when did he fight?"
That they had never heard of game old Bill Sparkes is not surprising. Born out at Cook's River in 1818, William Sparkes and his brother Tom, who first saw the light in 1825, were two of the most notable men of their day. The former was a lot heavier that his younger brother. William's weight, when in form, was 10st. 121b, while Tom could go into the ring at 9st. 81b.
After beating Charles Wooten 25 Pounds aside, Joe Marshall 50 Pounds aside, Bill Davis of Liverpool 100 Pounds aside (and a belt): and Tom the Brewer 100 Pounds aside; Bill Sparkes in 1846 decided to make the trip to England to tackle the best man to be found. The game Australian worked his passage, so he told me, in a sailing vessel, and when he landed in the Old Country sought out Johnny Broome; Broome at that time, was in high favour with the leading "Corinthians" (sporting men of the day).
Johnny Broome commended the athletic Australian, who was not only a good boxer, but also a first-class runner, as just the sort of man to polish off Nat Langham, who at that time was Champion of England.
Fight with Nat Langham.
Following much haggling with Langham's camp, the date for the great fight was set for May the 4th. 1847. The approaching contest created a lot of interest, and on the day at an early hour, the steamer "Nymph", chartered for the voyage, took a party from the Hungerford Market Pier, and dropped down to Blackwall, where on the Brunswick Pier, a goodly muster of the "Fancy" had assembled. There was also a coal tug or two, laden with "Cheapside" customers, waiting to follow the flagship.
"Owing to some misunderstanding Tom Spring and Peter Crawley, with a following of Sports:", took passage on the Gravesend boat. Johnny Broome, who was in command the "Nymph" down to Charlton, where Langham was taken on board (he was trained Robinson, who was Ben Caunt's pet), near Dartford: Sparkes went on board at Hungerford. As there was evidently a split in the camp, Broome decided to cut the "Secessionists" out of the game, and turning the boat back, went to Nine Elms, embarked, and taking a South-Western train, proceeded to Woking Common, Surrey, e the ring was pitched.
The Fight.
It would take up too much space to give details of this memorable encounter, so I will generalise the leading facts: The men entered the ring at 2 o'clock. Langham, esquired by D'Orsay, Turner and Barnash; his colours were Blue bird's-eye. Sam Simmons, of Birmingham, and Joe Rowe, seconded Sparkes; Sparkes's colours were white with a scarlet border. In the description of the men, old scribe wrote of Sparkes that he was the more powerful of the two, and stood with his left arm straight out from the shoulder, with his right hand well up, his body being inclined backwards in a most extraordinary manner. The first knock down, credited to Sparkes in the second round. The fighting was extremely fast, no lasting more than half a minute, up to the 14th round. It was a very even to up to the 36th round, when Sparkes knocked Nat clean off his legs, and for following three rounds the Englishman was very careful. In the 50th round Sparkes for the fourth time, sent his man to the grass. The losing turn of the fight was in the 62nd round. Langham got home on Sparkes's neck, who returned on the ribs. A 'Close' followed, in, which was down with Sparkes on top. Sparkes unfortunately had his right arm, under his man, and as it turned out, the bone of the forearm was broken. From this the 67th round, Sparkes fought with one hand. With such a handicap, Johnny Broome decided much against the Australian's will, to give up, and threw his hat into the ring. Even then, it is said, Sparkes's seconds had hard work to prevent him rushing at his man to have another "shy".
"The Old Historian" says: "A gamer or more fearless boxer never entered the ring".