Anecdotes of the Aristocracy
by Bernard Burke (9781458812889)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE DUEL BETWEEN LORD BYRON AND WILLIAM CHAWORTH, ESQ., OP ANNESLEY HALL. The fatal result of this celebrated duel engendered a bitter feud between the neighbouring families of Chaworth and Byron; and, in more than half a century after, cast a baneful influence over the fate of the immortal bard of Newstead. His lordship's early, unrequited love for the beautiful Mary Chaworth, and the hostility that had severed the friendship of their Houses, are thus pathetically lamented by him: " Our union," writes the poet, " would have healed feuds in which blood had been shed by our fathers; it would have joined lands broad and rich; it would have joined at least textit{one heart, and two persons not ill-matched in years; and, and and what has been the result ? " Singularly enough, there was the same degree of relationship between Lord Byron, the poet, and the nobleman who killed Mr. Chaworth, as existed between the latter unfortunate gentleman and the heiress of Annesley. The duel we are about to relate occurred on the 26th of January, 1765. On that day, Lord Byron, Mr. Chaworth, and several gentlemen of rank and fortune from the county of Nottingham met, as they usually did once a week, to dine together at the Star and Garter Tavern, Pall Mall. In the course of the entertainment, everything went off good- humouredly; but, about seven at night, a dispute arose whether Lord Byron, who took no care of his game, or Mr. Chaworth, who was a strict preserver, had most on his manors. Mr. Chaworth remarked, ' that he believed there was not a hare in that part of the country but what was preserved by himself or Sir Charles Sedley. On this, Lord Byron offered a wager of 100 that he had more game on his estate than Mr. Chaworth had on his. The wager was accepted, and the particulars ...

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