pub at St Martin's Lane, a business that made him very prosperous until the premises were destroyed in a fire that killed two of his children. In his final fight on 21 September 1857, Caunt fought Nat Langham at Home Circuit, where after 60 rounds both men were too exhausted to continue and a draw was declared. Death and legacy Caunt died of pneumonia on 10 September 1861 at an address in St Martin's Lane in London. He is buried outside the north transept of the Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene in Hucknall close to the grave of his two children who died in the Coach and Horses fire. It is said that Big Ben, the hour bell of the clock-tower of the Palace of Westminster, is named after this English Heavyweight Champion. The origin of the name is contested with Westminster's Chief Lord of the Woods and Forests, Sir Benjamin Hall. A large and ponderous man known affectionately in the House as "Big Ben", he is said to have given an impressively long speech on the subject. When, at the end of this oratorical marathon, Sir Benjamin sank back into his seat, a wag in the chamber shouted out: "Why not call him Big Ben and have done with it?" The house erupted in laughter; Big Ben had been named. This, at least, is the most commonly accepted story. However, according to the booklet written for the old Ministry of Works by Alan Phillips (1959): References 1815 births 1861 deaths 19th-century English people Bare-knuckle boxers English male boxers Deaths from pneumonia in England People from Hucknall Sportspeople from Nottinghamshire Burials at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Hucknall