Duels in Hyde Park.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXVI, Issue XVI, 20 April 1901, Page 741

Duels in Hyde Park.

In some respects Hyde Park, the great fashionable parade of London, has altered but little during the past hundred years, while in other respects time has alteied it considerably. In those days young gallants were fond of settling their little disputes here by the aid of swords and pistols, and many fatal encounters are recorded. We read that Richard Brinsley Sheridan repaired to Hyde Park with Captain Matthews to fight a duel, but finding the crowd too great, they went to the Castle Tavern, Covent Garden, instead, and there fought with swords, both eventually being wounded. The quarrel was about the beautiful Miss Linley, the singer, to whom Sheridan was already secretly married.

Another duel in Hyde Park took place between Mr George Garrick and Mr Baddeley. Mr Garrick having received his opponent's fire, discharged his pistol in the air, which produced a reconciliation. Mr Garrick was the brother of the great tragedian David Garrick, and the memory of Mr Baddeley is preserved by a sum of money which he bequeathed for the purchase of a Twelfth Cake, still drawn for annually by the performers at Drury Lane Theatre.

In 1780 a duel was fought in the Park between the Earl of Shelbourne and Colonel Fullarton; and three years later Lieut.-Cclonel Thomas and Colonel Gordon met here in deadly combat, when the former was killed. Tn 1797 Colonel King and Colonel Fitzgerald fought, the cause of dispute being a lady, a near relation of the former, who had been wronged by his antagonist. Fitzgera’d was killed.