Captain Mavrogordate's Mystery Duel in 1848.

Whilst clearing out the workshops yesterday, a process we do to keep on top of all the accumulated bits and pieces and keep the work benches looking reasonably clear and tidy. An old cabinet was moved and this framed notice fell out of the back where it must have been lodged for many years.

By Simon Clode

We have no idea about the history of this duel and disgraceful events which followed. If anyone can shed some historical light on Captain Mavrogordate and this duel I am sure it will be of interest!

By Simon Clode

6 Comments

Neill on June 18, 2016 at 7:26 pm

Love the history, wonder what the "disgraceful events" were?

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Tim Wilkes on June 20, 2016 at 10:22 pm

This was very close to when duelling in the UK came to an end. It may well be that the duel never took place and that the 'disgraceful events' occurred, either as a result or subsequently.

I could find no reference to the said Captain after doing several trawls through the internet. Anyone else able to solve this fascinating mystery?

Tim

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- Simon Clode on June 20, 2016 at 10:53 pm
  
  It would be fun if someone can undo this mystery! We had 2 workers in the 70's cleaning Indian pistols in the attic. They had a duel at lunch having got a ti of primers and after many shots one went off and injured the one man in shoulder! Shocked the life out of them and of course cost us a bunch!
  
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Vance Daigle on June 21, 2016 at 7:24 pm

Hey Simon,

It sounds like the duel of Westley Richards was more of an event that the one you have posted. I am sure that the one at Westley Richards is well documented with an insurance company and perhaps police...HAHA!!! In a hundred years or so it will be interesting to read about the duel at WR. By then it will be a duel of honor and most likley about the love of a woman....HAHA!!!
Way to keep diggin em up!!!!

BTW: do you still have the pair of pistols? We know for fact that those two were used in a duel....

In Christ
Vance

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Larry on June 22, 2016 at 5:17 pm

Interesting story! I did a bit of research through the Royal records and found quite a bit about Captain Mavrogordate; but he was around much later; late 19th into the early 20th centuries. Later in his career he was charged with managing a team dedicated to locust extermination in India!

I must assume it's not the same Capt, though perhaps a later relative!

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The Hunting Baron on June 26, 2016 at 7:02 am

The Mavrocordat or Mavrogordatos family has been an extremelly wealthy family and extremelly afluent in Eastern Europe with their claim to fame in the 18th century when they purchased the thrones of Moldavia and Wallachia (Romania) today and acted as de facto country rulers as princes. They were Greek merchants and creditors serving the Ottoman Empire, and when the nationalism wave of 1820-1850s swept the Balkans they came to an end their offspring came to greener pastures like Britain. Educated but often boistreous as the Balkans in their blood doesnt surprise me to see their name in dueling scandals.

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