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Newcastle Emlyn History Society

Old Library

Market Hall

Market Square

Newcastle Emlyn

SA38 9AQ

 

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Hanes Emlyn

 

Town Bridge 1790

 

Market Hall

 

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John Beynon accepted the challenge and two days later in the early morning of Saturday Sep-tember 10th the two men, together with their seconds, John Walters and James Hughes and also a surgeon, John Williams, met in Dan-warin fields through which ran a stream.

Standing one on either side of the stream, with their backs towards each other, they prepared to walk the ten statutory paces, before turning and firing. John Beynon only walked five paces before turning and shooting Heslop in the back, mortally wounding him.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by John Williams the surgeon who had witnessed the duel.

John Beynon was prosecuted and appeared before his betters in Cardigan Court. The Judges notes (National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth) for that day state :

Rex. versus John Beynon, John Walters and James Hughes on a charge of Manslaughter. John Beynon for shooting Thomas Heslop on Saturday September 10th with a leaden bullet discharged from a pistol and John Walters and James Hughes present for abetting and assist-ing in the shooting.

John Beynon was found guilty of manslaughter, but was only fined, probably due to the kind words expressed by his solicitor friends and string pulling by the local Justices of the Peace.

This verdict did not go down at all well in Adpar and Newcastle Emlyn the local people knew that an injustice had been done and were after Beynon’s blood and he had to go into hiding in a cellar in a house near the bridge in Newcastle Emlyn before escaping to America. Nothing more was heard of him.

Not so Thomas Heslop, he was buried by the Rev. John Williams, the vicar of Llandyfriog, in the Churchyard on Monday 12th September 1814. This is duly recorded in the Church Burial Register, Entry 22.

 

More on The Last Duel in Wales

 

The story so far related is as per the folktale told for many years. Recent research by Ken Jones showed that this was a mixture of wayside tittle tattle and the truth.  Heslop was NOT shot in the back and there is no credence to the “barmaid” story.  His Book “Alas Poor Heslop” ISBN 9780955662508  is available from the Alternative Information Outlet, Market Hall, Newcastle Emlyn SA38 9AQ  01239 711333 or Copycats, Sycamore Street, Newcastle Emlyn. Or details are available from hanesydd@newcastleemlyn.info