William Perry / The Tipton Slasher (21st March 1819 to 18th January 1881)

There aren’t many gravestones with “Champion Of England” carved into them. Here I am behind St John’s church in Dudley where the "Tipton Slasher" was buried. William Perry was a successful prize fighter in the 19^th century - only 6 foot tall and 13 stones but hard as flint. I must have eaten too many jelly babies as I walked around this cemetery four times before I found the stone.

William was born in Tipton, one of five children to a miner and by 16 was working as a navvy down in London. It was at this age he began his career as a bare-knuckle heavyweight boxer and had his first recorded fight. It happened opposite The Ship pub in Mortlake over seven rounds. It was interrupted by the police so they moved to a common and had another seven rounds after which William won. Aged 17 he won a fight lasting nineteen rounds, winning a huge £10 and the nickname "The Tipton Slasher."

I won’t go into his career but he first claimed the English heavyweight championship by defeating Tom Paddock in twenty-seven rounds on in 1850 (after which he challenged anyone to fight him for between £200 to £500.) The next big fight was in 1851 against Harry Broome but William lost after a controversial referee's decision (he struck Broome whilst he was on his knees.) After this leading contenders of the day refused to fight William and he reclaimed the English title until Tom Sayers defeated him in a championship bout in 1857. According to official records he only had 11 fights over about twenty years but he fought scores of times in pub yards, fields and by canals.

He'd run pubs over the years but after losing his title of Champion of England he became landlord of the Bricklayer's Arms pub in Wolverhampton. He became an alcoholic and died aged 61 of pulmonary congestion (when lungs fill with fluid) at his home in Bilston. A bronze statue of the local hero now sits in Coronation Gardens in Tipton near the Fountain Inn pub which he used as his headquarters. His stuffed pet baboon is in the Black Country Museum.

This grave fell into disrepair and would have probably been swallowed by overgrowth but a vicar launched a public appeal to raise money for the stone you can see now. It was laid in 1925 and still looks pretty good. No mention of William's wife or son though. Are they here too? Who left the red flowers? I did a salute and left.

Looking for the grave. He's here somewhere...

Thought to the William on the left...

His pet baboon...

The pub used as his headquarters...