I was lucky enough to meet Bartley a few times in the early 90's when I interviewed him for my dissertation on the travelling community.

Bartley Gorman V was the son and grandson of famous knuckle men and from his teenage years had his heart on taking the title King of All Gypsies. As someone who lives in a country with travellers and who has a negative view of them in general and their culture I can honestly say I was astouned after only a few pages about the depth of culture this man had and by extension travallers in general. As renowned in the shadowy world of illegal fighting as Muhammad Ali in boxing, he reigned for twenty years as the bareknuckle champion of Great Britain. A rare glimpse into a secret world,” Bareknuckle celebrates one man’s mastery of fighting in its purest form and heralds the rebirth of one of the oldest combat sports in history ( The Independent on Sunday ). A great read I could not put down, a man of principle and values little seen in today society, holding a title hard fought and hard to keep were the whole world comes looking for you.Several of Gorman's relatives have become professional boxers, including Nathan Gorman, [2] [3] Hughie Fury and Tyson Fury. Gorman built a house on his own land in Uttoxeter, and lived there till his death on 18 January 2002. Seller has stated it will dispatch the item within 1 working day upon receipt of cleared payment - opens in a new window or tab .

The feelings I got as the book progressed was a sense that the idyllic imagery of fairplay and the past in general was overtaken by violence, disrespect and the need for weapons, where as Bartley was true to his heritage, morals and faith which he kept with him to the end. Read more about the condition Very Good: A book that has been read and does not look new, but is in excellent condition. It would be trite coming from almost anyone else, but like a bare-fisted version of Muhammad Ali, Bartley Gorman has a way of taking what should sound like a nursery rhyme and making proper poetry out of it. No missing or damaged pages, no creases or tears, no underlining or highlighting of text, and no writing in the margins.Gorman explains a great deal about the culture of his folk, the "travelling men," and the differences between types of Gypsies (for example: some people consdier Gypsy an epithet and Romany the proper word, but the Romany are only one type of traveller, and he uses the words "traveller" and "Gypsy" interchangeably). Description for King of the Gypsies: Memoirs of the Undefeated Bareknuckle Champion of Great Britain and Ireland Paperback.