Jem Mace
| Jem Mace | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Career Snapshot | ||
| Born | April 8, 1831 | |
| Died | November 30, 1910 | |
| Total Fights | 37* (3 No Decisions) | |
| Won | 25* | |
| Lost | 4 | |
| Drew | 5 | |
| Knockouts | N/A | |
| Titles Won | Heavyweight (world),
Middleweight (England) | |
Jem Mace (April 8, 1831 in Beeston, Norfolk - 1910 in Durham; buried in Liverpool) was a British heavyweight champion boxer.
Nicknamed "Gypsy" because of his Roma (Gypsy) ancestry, he was known for fighting against his opponents with his dancing, fast fists and defensive tactics. He is regarded as the last boxer to hold the English heavyweight championship under the London Prize Ring rules. He first gained the heavyweight title in 1861 when he defeated Hurst. He successfully defended the title in 1862 against Tom King, but was defeated by King the following year. King then retired refusing to give Mace a rematch, despite Mace challenging him in the street. The title then fell vacant until Mace regained it in 1866. He retained it until 1871.
In 1869 he appears to have retired from English boxing, travelling to the USA where he toured with the celebrated American boxer John C Heenan giving exhibition fights. In 1870 he defeated Tom Allen in a match billed as the "Heavyweight Champion of England" versus the "Heavyweight Champion of America". He twice fought the American champion Joe Coburn in 1871 in matches described as the "Heavyweight Championship of the World". On the first occasion in 1871 Police broke the proceedings up before a blow could be struck, and on the second Mace injured his hand in the 5th round and the match was declared a draw.
He was listed as a "Pioneer" of boxing International Boxing Hall of Fame and was often acclaimed as the World Champion. In 1877 he toured Australia giving exhibition matches, and in 1882 toured New Zealand. In 1883 he was back in the USA demonstrating his skills. In 1890 he fought one of his last competitive bouts in a match for the "Heavyweight Championship of England" against the Glaswegian Charlie Mitchell of whom Mace had been critical. Mace lost this match after it was broken up by the police. Following this he only fought in exhibition matches, again touring the USA, his last recorded entry into the ring was in 1904 when he was 73 years of age.
He followed many of the traditions of the old London Prize-Ring, but promoted the use of gloves and helped to popularize the sport in the United States and Australia. He held many exhibition matches in New Zealand and Australia. He is also called the "Father of Modern Boxing", being the most prominent fighter promoting the then new Marquess of Queensberry rules.
Jem Mace as Circus performer
A "forgotten" aspect of the career of Jem Mace (and boxers in general during the Mace era) is that he supplemented his income with exhibition work, chiefly in the Circus. In fact, Mace was almost unique among his peer group, in that he became a Circus proprietor in his own right (Sayers also briefly indulged). In other words, for a brief period he owned a tent and all the trappings of a travelling show, he employed artists, engaged a band and travelled widely. Obviously, he was the star attraction, but his exhibitions formed only a fraction of what his Circus would have presented.
What follows has been culled from newspapers of the period, chief among which is Bell's Life in London. Mace appears to have been fond of this newspaper. Why? Boxing in his day was not a full-time occupation. Mace was a London publican, who ran a gym above the bar. Reporters from Bell's Life liked recording the goings-on at the pub and Mace was a regular advertiser in the newspaper.
This is typical of the advertisements Mace placed in Bell’s Life in London during 1861 (this one on April 14th 6/6):
"JEM MACE – Champion of the middle-weights and candidate for the Championship, is at home to vend the good things of this life at his famed hostelrie. His harmonic meetings take place every Wednesday evening, when a grand galaxy of talent appear. The picture and portrait gallery open every day. All sporting papers taken in. Private lessons given by Jem himself at any time in his gymnasium. Public sparring every Saturday and Monday evening, when Mace’s troupe set-to. M.C Jack Brooks. Everything will be found to be first class at the Old King John, Holywell Lane, Shoreditch, one minutes walk from the Eastern Counties Railway."
[The Eastern Counties Railway Company was incorporated in 1836 to build a line from Shoreditch to Yarmouth via Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich]
Circus in the Victorian period was notorious for latching on to "fads" in general society. One such was pugilism in the 1860s. Suddenly, every Circus had to have a boxer for exhibition work. The higher the profile of the boxer, the higher the demand for his services. Jem Mace joined the Howes and Cushing Circus (who already had Tom Sayers travelling with them) almost immediately after beating Sam Hurst to become British Champion in June 1861. Howes & Cushing were a huge American concern that dominated the British Circus scene for the duration of their prolonged stay.
With Mace on the bill, Bell’s Life in London (June 30th 1861 and July 14th 1861) records the progress of Howes & Cushing, roughly, as follows:
Monday, July 1st, Southport; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, July 2nd, 3rd and 4th, West Derby Road, Liverpool; Friday 5th, Birkenhead; Saturday 6th, Chester; Monday 8th, Warrington, Tuesday 9th, Wigan; Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, July 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th, Manchester. Monday, July 15th, Staleybridge; Tuesday, 16th, Stockport; Wednesday, 17th, Congleton; Thursday 18th, Hanley; Friday 19th, Stafford; Saturday 20th, Wolverhampton; Monday 22d, Wednesbury; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 23rd, 24th, and 25th, Redditch, Worcester, Cheltenham, Berkley, and Bristol.
Bell’s Life reports in a subsequent issue that Mace left the show at Bristol, following his performance on August 6th. He then toured with Pablo Fanque's Circus for over two months at the end of that summer. References are as follows:
Jem Mace announces tour with Pablo Fanque’s Circus, to begin on August 25th (Bell’s Life in London, August 18th 1861 7/6).
Jem Mace with Pablo Fanque’s Circus at Hyde, Glossop, Chesterfield and Sheffield (Bell’s Life in London, September 15th 1861 6/5).
Jem Mace with Pablo Fanque’s Circus at Rochdale (The Era, September 15th 1861, 12/2).
Jem Mace with Pablo Fanque’s Circus at Rotherham (The Era, September 29th 1861, 12/2).
Jem Mace with Pablo Fanque’s Circus at Barnsley (The Era, October 13th 1861, 11/2).
Jem Mace with Pablo Fanque’s Circus at Burton-on-Trent (The Era, October 13th 1861 11/2).
Jem Mace with Pablo Fanque’s Circus at Derby (Bell’s Life in London, October 20th 1861 6/5).
Mace then toured with Ginnett's Circus, before starting his own show. References are:
Jem Mace with Ginnett's Circus at Portsmouth (The Era, May 25th 1862 12/3).
Jem Mace with Ginnett's Circus at Exeter (The Era, June 15th 1862 12/1).
Jem Mace announces his intention of starting a Circus (The Era, June 22nd 1862 front/1).
Jem Mace advertises for musicians (The Era, June 29th 1862 front/1).
Jem Mace advertises for an ‘agent in advance’ (The Era, June 29th 1862 front/1).
Jem Mace Circus at Brighton (The Era, August 17th 1862 11/3).
Jem Mace Circus at Amersham (The Era, August 31st 1862 front/4).
Jem Mace Circus at Watford (The Era, August 31st 1862 front/4).
Jem Mace Circus at Bishop Stortford (The Era, October 5th 1862 11/2).
Jem Mace Circus at Ipswich (The Era, October 5th 1862 11/4).
Jem Mace Circus at Norwich (The Era, October 12th 1862 12/2).
Jem Mace Circus at Diss, Norfolk (The Era, November 9th 1862 front/2).
Jem Mace Circus at Grantham (The Era, December 21st 1862 13/4).
Jem Mace Circus at Nottingham (The Era, December 21st 1862 14/2).
Jem Mace Circus at Rotherham (The Era, December 21st 1862 14/3).
Jem Mace Brass Band advertise, saying they will soon be at liberty and require further engagements (The Era, December 28th 1862 front/1). They give their location as Barnsley (Monday), Wakefield (Tuesday), Bradford (Wednesday).
Jem Mace announces he has “given up tenting until next summer.” (The Era, December 28th front/1).
Jem Mace Circus at Bradford (The Era, January 4th 1863 11/4).
Jem Mace Circus at Barnsley (The Era, January 4th 1863 12/1).
Jem Mace Circus and Stud up for auction (The Era, January 11th 1863 11/3) at Bradford. This turns out to be either a partial sale, or a sale of excess stock.
Jem Mace Circus at Bradford (The Era, January 11th 1863 12/1).
Jem Mace Great National Circus advertises for “artists in all branches" (The Era, February 8th 1863 front/1).
Jem Mace advertises for musicians (The Era, February 22nd 1863 front/3).
Jem Mace asks engaged artists to attend rehearsal at Bradford (The Era, March 22nd 1863 front/1).
Jem Mace begins tenting season at Bradford (The Era, March 29th 1863 11/3).
Jem Mace Circus at Carlisle (Carlisle Journal May 12th 1863).
Jem Mace Circus at Sunderland (The Era, May 31st 1863 6/2).
Jem Mace Circus at Middlesboro (The Era, June 7th 1863 12/2).
Jem Mace Circus at Hartlepool (The Era, June 14th 1863 11/4).
Jem Mace Circus at Middlesboro (The Era, June 14th 1863 12/1).
Jem Mace Circus at Scarborough (The Era, June 14th 1863 12/4).
Jem Mace Circus at York (The Era, June 21st 1863 12/1).
Jem Mace Circus at Dudley (The Era, June 26th 1863 11/3).
Jem Mace Circus at Dudley (The Era, August 2nd 1863 11/4).
Jem Mace Circus at Swansea (The Era, August 30th 1863 12/3).
Jem Mace Circus at Nottingham Goose Fair (The Era, October 4th 1863 12/2).
Jem Mace announces “establishment will be sold by auction on Thursday Octoer 22nd, at Manchester.” (The Era, October 11th 1863 front/1).
Jem Mace Circus at Swinton (The Era, October 18th 1863 12/3).
The auction mentioned, to all intents and purposes, ended Mace's Circus career. However, the following are interesting:
Jem Mace advertises as being “open for engagements” (The Era, January 17th 1864 front/1).
Jem Mace advertises as being “open for engagements” again (The Era, July 17th 1864 front/1).
See also:
Jem Mace at the Alhambra Circus, Portland Street, Manchester (The Era, January 15th 1865, 13/3) for a "set to" with Patsy Reardon.
Jem Mace at Theatre Royal, Bolton (The Era, April 2nd 1865, 12/1) for “fistic tournament.”
Jem Mace at Theatre Royal, Blackburn (The Era, April 16th 1865, 12/1) for “fistic tournament.”
Jem Mace at Theatre Royal, Bolton (The Era, April 16th 1865, 12/1) for “fistic tournament.” Separate report from above.
If anyone can add to the above, please do!