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A Polite Exchange of Bullets: The Duel and the English Gentleman 1750-1850, by Stephen Banks; pp. vii + 317. Woodbridge and Rochester: The Boydell Press, 2010, £60.00, $99.00.
The last recorded fatal duel in England occurred in 1852, one year after the opening of the Great Exhibition and the laying of the first telegraph cable across the English Channel. It took place in Surrey and was between two Frenchmen who, according to Stephen Banks, may have been politically motivated, although ostensibly the challenge was issued because of an insult to a lady. One of the duelists was shot dead at first fire; three of the seconds were later found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to two months in prison. Eight years before this, at Gosport, two Englishmen quarreled in a card room, resulting in a duel in which one of them was mortally wounded. The survivor fled immediately to France, but eventually surrendered and was tried for murder on 16 July 1846. The Times reported that the jury returned a verdict of not guilty without even bothering to retire. In 1843, Colonel Fawcett was killed at first fire by his brother-in-law, Mr. Munro. The two seconds were tried for murder and found not guilty. Munro, who had absconded, gave himself up in 1847 and was ultimately tried for murder. He was found guilty, but the jury pleaded with the judge for mercy. A strongly worded editorial in The Times supported the recommendation for clemency, and Munro was given a sentence of twelve months in prison.
Why were English courts so reluctant to prosecute duelists for manslaughter? A gentleman...