| Duelling on Primrose Hill, 1790-1837 |
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Thursday, 18 October 2012, 19:30 - 21:00 |
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| Martin Sheppard, a new member of the CHS Council who will be taking over the arrangement of CHS talks from Peter Woodford as of April next, has kindly offered to give this talk in place of Dr David Taylor, who has had to withdraw because of health problems (he hopes to give his talk sometime in 2013). Martin is an expert on many aspects of the history of Primrose Hill.Most early duels were fought near to the centre of London, Hyde Park being a favourite place for encounters. As London grew, duellists moved towards the periphery of the city. Primrose Hill, easily reached by carriage from the West End, became a well-known venue. Indeed, it was described in 1806 as ‘a place not less famous for duels than Parnassus for poetry’. Between 1790 and 1837 there were twenty-five exchanges of fire and seven deaths on or near the hill, including that of Byron’s drinking companion Lord Falkland. Another death, in 1803, followed a quarrel between the dogs belonging to two officers who had never previously met. Three years later the poet Thomas Moore fought Francis Jeffrey, the editor of the Edinburgh Review, on the hill. Sensational at the time, as well as today, duels often attracted extensive and detailed coverage in contemporary newspapers and other accounts.
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Location: Burgh House, New End Square, London NW3 1LT
Contact: Martin Sheppard |
| Non-members welcome; one pound at the door. |
