The Reverend T. Moriarty of Dingle purchases Hair -Trigger Duelling Pistols!!!

 

                                           These pistols not associated with the Reverend.

                                          Waterford Chronicle 26th April 1845

                                                  (British Newspaper Archive)

The question is... who would call him out?... or more importantly... who would the Reverend call out? 

He may have engaged divine intervention... which could have been a severe disadvantage to any opponent.

I would suggest it's better than being called out by a Canon with a cannon or a Vicar with a Vickers!!

However, 1845 was a period when duelling was in decline and Queen Victoria had made it known that she didn't approve of her officers taking pop shots at each other and this was expressed in the House of Commons by Sir Henry Hardinge (British Secretary of War) in March 1844.

Interestingly, it is well known that many men of the cloth are keen gun collectors. One of the more well known being the Hon. Canon Noel Boston M.A., F.S.A. who penned "Old Guns & Pistols" in 1958.  Boston put together a very respectable list of British and American Gunsmiths when written information on arms and armour was extremely scarce.

                                                                         (1910-1966)

                                                       David Stroud. ramrodantiques.co.uk