THE RULES
A code and two seconds
An Irish code of 1777 set out 26 'commandments', and each party chose seconds who tried to settle the dispute and, failing that, arranged the meeting.
Walk through a duelA SHORT HISTORY
Honour at
twelve paces.
Duelling was illegal, and yet gentlemen kept doing it.
1829 a prime minister's duel
172+ duels Duels recorded in the reign of George III
- Seconds tried to settle it
- Rules set the terms
- Courts were lenient
- A custom that ran out of friends
For two centuries a quarrel between gentlemen could end at dawn on a London common. Killing in a duel was formally murder, but courts were lenient. By the mid-1800s public opinion had turned, and the custom faded away.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Common at the start,
scandal by the end.
Three facts frame the story.
Each comes from archive and reference sources.
THE PLACES
Commons near London
Favourite grounds included Hampstead Heath, Chalk Farm and the commons south of the Thames, where a windmill was a popular meeting point.
The duelling grounds
THE END
Out of favour by 1850
Duelling had largely fallen out of favour in England by the mid-19th century. The last known fatal duel in England was in 1852.
See the numbersWALK THROUGH A DUEL
What happens
next?
Pick a stage of a 19th-century English duel to see how it worked. The bar shows how close the parties were to actually firing.
Based on King's College London archive exhibition pages and reference accounts of duelling practice.
WHERE AND HOW THEY MET
Close to town,
far from trouble.
Duellists needed somewhere near London but out of sight. King's College London's archive describes why certain places were chosen.
Near the city
Hampstead Heath, Chalk Farm and the commons over Battersea, Putney and Wimbledon were all within easy reach of London.
Out of sight
The grounds were remote enough to avoid interruption. In 1829 the party even jumped a drainage ditch to escape a group of workmen.
An easy exit
In the event of a death, the grounds were conveniently close to roads out of London.
Pistols, not swords
From about 1770 English duellists took up the pistol, and sword duels dwindled. Wealthy men commissioned special cased pairs.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
A violent heyday,
then a quick decline.
One figure from the custom's peak,
one on when it finally ended in England.
172+ duels
Duels recorded in the reign of George III
Over 172 duels were recorded in George III's reign, accounting for 69 deaths and 96 people seriously wounded.
THE HEYDAY · KING'S COLLEGE LONDON
1852
Year of the last known fatal duel in England
It was fought near Englefield Green between two French political refugees. The last fatal duel between Englishmen in England was at Browndown, near Gosport, in 1845.
THE END · REFERENCE
In both of those last cases the winner was tried for murder: one was acquitted and the other convicted only of manslaughter, serving seven months in prison.
THE PRIME MINISTER'S DUEL
Battersea,
21 March 1829.
The Duke of Wellington, then prime minister, was accused in a newspaper letter by the Earl of Winchilsea over Catholic Emancipation. The quarrel led to a duel, and they met at Battersea, then on the edge of London, with seconds and a doctor present.
Wellington fired and missed; Winchilsea fired into the air and then apologised. Newspapers and the public were scandalised that the 'first warrior of England' had risked his life. It was the second and last duel by a sitting prime minister, after Pitt's in 1798.
Questions
Questions people ask
Was duelling legal in England?
No. Killing in a duel was formally judged as murder, but courts were generally lenient because they were sympathetic to the culture of honour.
What did a second do?
Seconds carried the challenge, tried to settle the dispute, and if that failed arranged the time, place, weapons and terms of the duel, often aiming to limit the risk of death.
What is deloping?
Deliberately firing to miss, for example into the air. It allowed honour to be satisfied, though it could also imply the opponent was not worth shooting.
When was the last duel in England?
The last known fatal duel in England was fought in 1852 near Englefield Green between two French refugees. The last fatal duel between Englishmen in England was in 1845.
Did a prime minister really fight a duel?
Yes, two did while in office: William Pitt in 1798 on Putney Heath and the Duke of Wellington at Battersea on 21 March 1829.
Where the facts come from
Updated