As work continues on A Thousand Blows – a TV drama set in a fictionalised 1880s East London boxing world, starring a character loosely based on boxer Hezekiah Moscow aka Ching Hook – I have cause to occasionally pop Moscow’s name/s into the British Newspaper Archive and see if anything new has appeared since my… Read More A small and unreliable bit of information about the disappearance of Hezekiah Moscow
It’s been quite a year since my last post. To great excitement and lots of media interest this week, streamer Disney+ announced A Thousand Blows (a working title) – an epic new 12-part series set in the perilous world of illegal boxing in 1880s Victorian London. With even greater excitement, I finally get to tell… Read More Where Did You Go, Hezekiah Moscow? (Part V: A Thousand Blows announced by Disney+)
My articles on Hezekiah Moscow, who was better known by his ‘ring name’ Ching Hook or Ghook, are by far the most shared and read pieces so far produced – apologies to Mr Wannop – and last year led to conversations with the National Archives. My research now appears in their school educational materials, part… Read More Where Did You Go, Hezekiah Moscow? (Part IV: Ching Ghook Found)
I was recently invited to Carthorse Orchestra, a charming online evening gathering of intimidatingly creative and literary types hosted by the author David Collard. Each week David organises an eclectic programme of short readings, discussion, film and performance to entertain and connect people during lockdown. The night was themed ‘wrestling with French literature or wrestling,… Read More The Most Popular Man in New Cross (Introducing Jack Wannop to Carthorse Orchestra)
In my first article on Ching Hook I wrote briefly on the murder of Hook’s close friend and trainer Alexander Hayes Munroe, known as Alec or Aleck Munroe, Munro or Monroe. Born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1850 or ’51, he first appeared in east London boxing news in the late 1870s. He is listed on… Read More “Murdered in a thieves’ kitchen” – Finding Alexander Hayes Munroe
This is the third and final chapter of Ching Hook / Ching Ghook / Hezekiah Moscow’s story. You can read the first part (which includes information about why I’m researching him and what on earth all the name variations are about) here and the second part here. There has been a relatively huge amount of interest… Read More Where Did You Go, Hezekiah Moscow? (Part III: Some Final Thoughts)
A post-script to yesterday’s blog post. A newly found clipping that has left me rather shaken by these ghosts from 140 years past. Three months of research and this did not come up in a single British Newspaper Archive search until now. Here we have it: The Sporting Life, Wednesday 13 July 1892: Read Part… Read More CHING GHOOK WANTED
This is the second chapter of Ching Hook / Ching Ghook / Hezekiah Moscow’s story. You can read the first part (which includes information about why I’m researching him and what on earth all the name variations are about) here. The year 1888 started well for Ching Hook, with a week-long residency at the Sebright… Read More Where Did You Go, Hezekiah Moscow? The Life and Times of Ching Hook (Part II: 1888-96)
Search the internet for “Victorian boxers”, “British boxers 1800s”, or any of the related phrases comprising 90 per cent of my Googling history, and you will probably – hopefully – come across this photograph: It is held by the UK National Archives alongside pictures of boxers Toff Wall and Bill Hook (no relation), with all… Read More Where Did You Go, Hezekiah Moscow? The Life and Times of Ching Hook (Part I: 1882-87)
Grappling With History 