Pistols at Perth: The Wilson-Lyon Duel cover art

Pistols at Perth: The Wilson-Lyon Duel

Pistols at Perth: The Wilson-Lyon Duel

Listen for free

View show details

About this listen

 Episode 389: On a rain-soaked evening on June 13th, 1833, two young law students faced each other across a muddy field near Perth, Ontario, pistols in hand. John Wilson, a 20-year-old from humble farming stock, gripped his weapon with trembling fingers as rain dripped from his dark hair. Sixty feet away, 22-year-old Robert Lyon, handsome, aristocratic, and the son of a British officer, stood with the practiced composure of a gentleman born to privilege. Between them lay more than just distance: a bitter rivalry over the affections of Elizabeth Hughes, an English governess whose reputation had sparked this deadly confrontation. What had begun as whispered gossip in a lawyer's office in Bytown would end with one man dead, another's life forever changed, and a woman left to marry her lover's killer. This was Ontario's last fatal duel, a collision between Old World codes of honour and New World ambitions that would echo through Perth's streets for generations. Sources: A History of Perth | Perth RememberedPerth Military SettlementRobert Lyon 1812 - 1833 | Clark and Hogg Family HistoryWILSON, JOHN – Dictionary of Canadian BiographyWlison and Lyon Duel | Richmond HeritageDuel in Early Upper Canada by William Renwick RiddellARCHIVED - Criminal CodeDueling for Honour or (Il)legal Murder?: Two Case Studies | The Loyalist CollectionSword or Pistol: A Brief History of Duels | Believe it or Not | ÉducaloiEn Guard! A History of Canadian Duels - Academie Duello - Learn SwordplayDueling: the Violence of GentlemenLe matin du 22 mai 1838, le dernier duel du Canadapistol-provenance.pdfLast Fatal Duel Historical PlaqueHow a pair of men in St. John's survived the last duel fought on Canadian soil | CBC NewsUpdates to Canada’s criminal law will legalize duels and permit pretending to practise witchcraft Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.