The Wellington-Winchilsea Duel took place on 21 March 1829 at Battersea, then in Surrey on the outskirts of London. It was a bloodless duel fought between the British Prime Minister Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington and the Earl of Winchilsea.
It was the second and last duel fought by a sitting Prime Minister following the 1798 Pitt–Tierney duel on Putney Heath.
The duel was sparked by the Wellington Government's introduction of Catholic Emancipation the same year. [1] This marked a shift in Wellington's position. [2] Although not unsympathetic to Catholics (having served alongside many during his military career), Wellington had previously opposed the proposed measures. However his pragmatic move to accept them angered many of his former supporters, who formed the Ultra-Tory movement. [3] [4]
Winchilsea, an aristocrat more than 20 years Wellington's junior, was opposed to Catholic relief. He attacked the Duke verbally and accused him in a letter to The Standard on 14 March 1829 of "an insidious design for the infringement of our liberties and the introduction of Popery into every department of the State". [1] [5] [6] Wellington wrote to him demanding a formal apology but Winchilsea, while privately admitting he had gone too far, felt he could not back down without losing his honour. Wellington then challenged him to a duel. He was likely irritated to find himself in such a situation, having avoided and opposed duels throughout his military career. [7]
The Duke appointed his old comrade Sir Henry Hardinge as his second while Lord Falmouth acted for Winchilsea. [8] John Robert Hume, the military surgeon who had served with Wellington in the Peninsular War and at the Battle of Waterloo, was in attendance. He produced a detailed account of the exchange. [9] [10]
The two participants met early in the day at Battersea Fields, with Wellington's party having crossed Battersea Bridge on horseback while Winchilsea's took a more roundabout route via Putney Bridge, [10] their coachman having mistakenly driven them to Putney instead of Battersea. [11] By common practice of the era, the combatants were to use duelling pistols rather than swords. The seconds exchanged conversation and it was clear that Falmouth was alarmed in case Wellington was killed or wounded and he should be blamed. [10]
Once the pistols were loaded, the two men took up position twelve paces from each other. Wellington remained silent and aloof during the build-up. [10] Once the command was given to fire Wellington raised his pistol and fired, missing Winchilsea. His opponent, having remained motionless, now raised his pistol and fired at the sky [6] [12] [13] (an act known as deloping).
Having faced Wellington's shot there was no longer any allegation of cowardice that could be thrown at Winchilsea. His second, Falmouth, eagerly accepted that Winchilsea had been on the wrong and was now able to apologise unconditionally. [12]
Newspapers, political commentators and popular opinion was scandalised by news of the duel. The Morning Post , for example, talked of the potential loss of the "first warrior of England", saying it was "too monstrous" that Wellington should risk his life "in compliance with this social superstition." [14] However, Wellington's reputation was enhanced, and he was seen to have outflanked his political opponents by impressing public opinion and stopping slanders undermining his government. [15] He said: "The atmosphere of calumny in which I had been for some time living cleared away." [15]
The Old King's Club, an alumni association of King's College School, holds an annual dinner marking 'Duel Day'. [16]
The duel was the second and last fought by a sitting Prime Minister following the 1798 Pitt–Tierney duel on Putney Heath.[ citation needed ]
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington was an Anglo-Irish army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, twice serving as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He is among the commanders who ended the Anglo-Mysore Wars when Tipu Sultan was killed in the fourth war in 1799 and among those who ended the Napoleonic Wars in a victory when the Seventh Coalition defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
1829 (MDCCCXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar and a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar, the 1829th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 829th year of the 2nd millennium, the 29th year of the 19th century, and the 10th and last year of the 1820s decade. As of the start of 1829, the Gregorian calendar was 12 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.
King's College London is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's became one of the two founding colleges of the University of London. It is one of the oldest university-level institutions in England. In the late 20th century, King's grew through a series of mergers, including with Queen Elizabeth College and Chelsea College of Science and Technology, the Institute of Psychiatry, the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals and the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery.
George Canning was a British Tory statesman. He held various senior cabinet positions under numerous prime ministers, including two important terms as foreign secretary, finally becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for the last 119 days of his life, from April to August 1827.
Earl of Winchilsea is a title in the Peerage of England. It has been held by the Finch-Hatton family of Kent, and united with the title of Earl of Nottingham under a single holder since 1729.
General Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox, 4th Duke of Aubigny, was a British peer, soldier, politician and Governor-General of British North America.
Field Marshal Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge, was a British Army officer and politician. After serving in the Peninsular War and the Waterloo Campaign he became Secretary at War in Wellington's ministry. After a tour as Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1830 he became Secretary at War again in Sir Robert Peel's cabinet. He went on to be Governor-General of India at the time of the First Anglo-Sikh War and then Commander-in-Chief of the Forces during the Crimean War.
Battersea Park is a 200-acre (83-hectare) green space at Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth in London. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea and was opened in 1858.
Events from the year 1829 in the United Kingdom.
Delope is the practice of deliberately wasting one's first shot in a pistol duel, an attempt to abort the conflict. The Irish code duello forbids the practice.
The Ultra-Tories were an Anglican faction of British and Irish politics that appeared in the 1820s in opposition to Catholic emancipation. The faction was later called the "extreme right-wing" of British and Irish politics.
The rivalry between King's College London and University College London has been a part of London life for nearly two centuries.
George William Finch-Hatton, 10th Earl of Winchilsea, 5th Earl of Nottingham was an English peer and politician known for participating in the Wellington–Winchilsea duel with the then Prime Minister, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington in 1829.
Edward Boscawen, 1st Earl of Falmouth, known as the Viscount Falmouth between 1808 and 1821, was a British peer and politician.
John Robert Hume (c.1781–1857) was a Scottish surgeon and physician. He is cited as an example of a 19th-century medical career that arrived at a high position in the profession, without early qualifications.
The history of King's College London, on its own, spans over 190 years since it was founded as a 'university college' by royal charter in 1829. However, its formation as a full 'university' would have to wait until 1836 as a part of the University of London. The full history, however, includes the medical schools that now constitute GKT School of Medical Education. This incorporates St Thomas's Hospital Medical School, one of the oldest medical schools in Britain, with a history of medical teaching that can be traced back to at least 1561. St Thomas' Hospital itself dates back to 1173, and has roots in the establishment of St Mary Overie Priory in 1106.
The Green Man is a public house in Putney in the London Borough of Wandsworth, on the edge of Putney Heath, parts of which date back to around 1700. The pub was once frequented by highwaymen and was a popular place for participants to fortify themselves before or after a duel on nearby Putney Heath.
The Castlereagh–Canning duel was a pistol duel between the British Minister of War Viscount Castlereagh and Foreign Secretary George Canning, which took place on September 21, 1809, at Putney Heath. The reasons for the duel were the rivalry between the two politicians and numerous disagreements between them over the conduct of the war against Napoleonic France in 1808 and 1809. These differing opinions ultimately led to Canning's demand for a new appointment to the War Office in the spring of 1809, accompanied by a threat of his own resignation. The incumbent Prime Minister, the Duke of Portland, was reluctant to lose either Canning or Castlereagh and delayed a decision for an extended period. Instead, the matter was discussed with various members of the Cabinet and also King George III without the knowledge of Castlereagh, who only became aware of the discussions in the late summer of 1809 and responded by challenging Canning to a duel a few days later. The duel, in which Canning was wounded in the leg by Castlereagh, resulted in the final collapse of the Portland government and the advancement of Spencer Perceval as the new Prime Minister. Castlereagh and Canning, meanwhile, spent several years on the backbenches, absent from any government responsibility.
The Pitt–Tierney Duel took place on 27 May 1798 when the Prime Minister of Great Britain William Pitt the Younger met his political opponent George Tierney in a duel with pistols on Putney Heath outside London.
