Nomansland Common
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Nomansland Common is an area of common land in Hertfordshire, England to the south of Harpenden and the south-west of Wheathampstead.
Nomansland common
The climbing tree on Nomansland Common, popular with local children
Simon Byrne
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Simon Byrne, nicknamed "The Emerald Gem", was an Irish bare-knuckle prize fighter. The heavyweight boxing champion of Ireland, he was drawn to England by the larger sums of prize money on offer and hi
Nomansland Common
…the body of Jeffrey Howe, who had been stabbed to death and dismembered before his severed body parts were dumped across two counties. On 2 June 1833 Simon Byrne, the famous bare-knuckle fighter, died after a particularly bloody encounter at Nomansland which lasted no less than 99 rounds. His opponents, the…
The only known image of Simon Byrne, a poster advertising the match between Alexander McKay (left) and Simon Byrne (right)
A typical 19th-century boxing match, often held in warehouses, courtyards of inns, or in open fields away from the eyes of local authorities. This painting was by Byrne's friend Jem Ward.
Newspaper report of rioting against the Irish population of Dundee following McKay's death