STRANGE BUT TRUE

The duel that failed

Many activities have taken place around St Peter’s Pool in Bourne over the centuries but none has caused quite so much excitement as that which occurred early one morning almost 200 years ago.

Duelling was widespread at that time, a confrontation between two men to settle a dispute, fought not always to kill the opponent as to gain satisfaction, that is to restore one's honour by demonstrating a willingness to risk one's life, often with a sword as the chosen weapon and later pistols. But the risk to life and limb was ever present and so the practice was illegal with the result that planned encounters were held clandestinely at secret locations to avoid attracting the attention of the law.

The protagonists on this occasion were two chimney sweeps who had fallen out over something which we know not but on Saturday12th June 1830 they kept an arranged rendezvous on the banks of St Peter’s Pool, then better known as the Wellhead, “to settle an affair of honour in a polite way”, as they termed it, accompanied by two gentlemen from their own profession to act as seconds.

On arrival, the ground was marked out and agreed and the necessary ceremonies observed, the men having chosen pistols to settle their quarrel without bloodshed, the act of participating and firing a single shot in the direction of their opponent being sufficient for their satisfaction, and this is the way it would have ended but for the occurrence of an unforeseen accident.

One of the duellists had borrowed his pistol from a friend, a dealer in old iron, but had neglected to ascertain whether it was full-proof [safe to use] and having loaded it with sufficient charge to confound his antagonist with the loudness of the report, fired his shot but unfortunately the explosion burst the pistol which such force that his arm was badly shattered and he was knocked unconscious.

“The duellists, having neglected to provide themselves with a surgeon”, reported the Stamford Mercury, “conveyed the wounded man to the poor house to have his fractured limb dressed while the opponent and seconds were so much alarmed that they instantly decamped.”

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