Of Gentlemen and Hooligans

There are so many styles and subcultures now, that I feel nothing is shocking. I wonder if, throughout the centuries, everyone looked the same and had the same style. Were societies lacking in permutations? There must have always been some nonconformists out there.

Scuttlers

Scuttlers were neighborhood youth gangs in England that sprang up in the working class areas in and around Manchester during the late 19th century. They distinguished themselves from other young men in their neighborhoods by their distinctive clothing. They wore brass-tipped pointed clogs, bell-bottom trousers cut like a sailor's, and flashy silk scarves. Their hair was cut short at the back and sides, but they grew long fringes, known as "donkey fringes", that were longer on the left side and plastered down on the forehead over the left eye with oil or soap. Peaked caps were also worn tilted to the left to display the fringe. (1)

The gangs fought with a variety of weapons, but they all carried knives and wore heavy buckled belts, often decorated with pictures such as serpents, hearts pierced with arrows, or women's names. The thick leather belts were wrapped tightly around the wrist so that the buckle could be used to strike at opponents in a fight. The use of knives and belts was designed to maim and disfigure rather than to kill. (1)

A Scuttler gang photo (Greater Manchester Police Museum)

Bartitsu: The Gentlemanly Art of Self-Defense

If you've heard of bartitsu, the first thing that likely comes to mind is Sherlock Holmes. Bartitsu arose as a response to the problem of self-defense in an increasingly urban, industrialized society. It was adopted by the middle and upper classes, who were becoming alarmed by the emergence of street gangs like the Scuttlers. That, coupled with a current fascination with Asian warfare and a new obsession with "Physical Culture", contributed to its popularity. (2)

Bartitsu was the brainchild of Edward William Wright (later changing his name to Edward William Barton-Wright), who was born in 1860. As an adult he worked for a time in Japan, where he studied jiujitsu. He combined what he had learned from his martial arts studies into bartitsu, which incorporated the gentleman's walking stick as a weapon.

Bartitsu has been devised with a view to impart to peacefully disposed men the science of defending themselves against ruffians or bullies, and comprises not only boxing but also the use of the stick, feet, and a very tricky and clever style of Japanese wrestling, in which weight and strength play only a very minor part. (Barton-Wright, 1902)

Teddy Boys

The British "Teddy Boy" subculture arose in the 1950s, and was typified by young men wearing clothes inspired by the Edwardian era, such as long draped jackets (sometimes with velvet trim), white shirts with high-necked, loose collars, high-waisted narrow "drainpipe" trousers, and chunky crepe-soled shoes, or Brogues. The subculture became associated with American rock and roll music, and some groups formed violent gangs.

Boys smoking, Portland Road - photograph; photographic print; silver gelatine print

Two Teddy Girls, Battersea Fun Fair

(1) Sarah Chalmers. The First Hoodies. Daily Mail: pp. 60,61. January 17, 2009.

(2) A consequence of the Industrial Revolution was the decline in the physical condition of Britain's increasingly sedentary middle and upper classes. A new obsession with purely athletic sport and gymnasiums emerged as a result. Tony Wolf, Bartitsu.org. January 15, 2007.