I caught up on Ripper Street this evening, and aside from going all squee at seeing Gina Bellman (from Leverage) and the Isis-Urania temple of the Golden Dawn getting a little cameo, I was wondering about something else from the most recent episode.
Sgt. Drake, aka Bronn from Game of Thrones, has left the force because he’s guilt-tripping about his wife dying in the previous episode. Way back in the pilot, he was a bare-knuckle fighter, so when Rose went to find him in some sort of arena, I assumed he was back to that. So I was shocked when instead it turned out to be… Well, they tied him to a pole, and people bet on how many hits he could take before he (I assume) lost consciousness. :eek:
Was this really a thing back in Victorian times? I mean, if I had my choice of seeing an unlicensed, unregulated, completely legal bare-knuckle fight and just watching some dude get beat on until he passed out (or, as it happens, until he’d taken more punches than anyone had bet on and the house called it), it wouldn’t even be a choice. Hell, considering what was on offer in Victorian times, I’d rather go watch rat-fighting, cock-fighting, or bull- or bear-baiting. I just can’t see the appeal of going to bet on some defenseless guy getting the shit beat out of him.
I never heard of *Ripper Street *until precisely yesterday, when I saw a DVD set in a charity shop window. It was advertised as grisly and grim, so apart from my antipathy to the BBC, I shall not be indulging. I have no time for cruelty.
I’m fairly familiar with Victorian times, and hell, again yesterday was looking up the Victorian homicide rate sparked by seeing that ( around 400 a year for England and Wales: it was 1.1 in 100,000 in 1890 ) ( 1890 Chicago was 5, and 1990 Chicago looks to be 33 [ graph ] ) [ Chicago’s rates have just been falling, due it is said by experts to the increased amount of guns: a variety of studies have pointed to a link between an increased number of firearms in society and a reduction of violent crime. ] and I gave never heard of this, despite hearing of many vile things. Whilst a Victorian — or any other — mob can be as fully capable of insane horror as any government agency and often more since more unpredictable, I would suggest that following on from queer Georgian mores this would have been regarded as unsporting and bad form. Although those people of the 18th century had no problem exercising People’s Power on their fellows trussed in a pillory.
Late Victorian London was fairly safe except in places, although a different opinion is here on the Victorian Web, all I know is that one of my female forebears would frequently cross London completely alone a decade later, at the age of 10. There were/are cities where this would be unwise.
Well i haven’t heard of it but you are talking about a time where bear/bull/badger baiting was treated as a opportunity to bet.
I’ve read fairly extensively on Victorian history, and I’ve never heard of such a thing. Apart from anything else, it’s going to be very hard to bet on exactly when someone loses consciousness.
Victorian London wasn’t exactly violence-free, but the Ripper Street take on it is definitely a bit over the top.
Sgt Bennet Drake is a bit of an iconic figure around here: “Hit him again, Sergeant!”
Courtesy the Ripper Street Irregulars.
Mmmmmmm, Gina Bellman. Was there more to the OP?
