Sir Thomas Parkyns' 1713 wrestling manual, "the Inn-Play or Cornish-Hugg Wrestler", is the first known English-language text-book on unarmed combat. "Inn-Play" refers to the style of close-contact grappling advocated in the Cornish tradition, as distinct from the "out" or "loose" play of the Devonshire style, which included kicking attacks.

Although dealing primarily with sportive wrestling for recreational purposes, Parkyns' manual, as with many earlier works on the subject, also covers the use of unarmed combat in self-defense. Especially interesting from a research point of view is his advice on how a grappler may counter a boxer's attack.

Inn-Play links

There is a transcription of the Parkyns manual here

Ken Pfrenger's article on Cornish wrestling is available here