John Ridout (Canadian duelist): Difference between revisions

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'''John Ridout''' (1799-1817), still a teenager when he died in 1817, died in a [[duel]] with [[Samuel Jarvis]].<ref name=Freedom24/><ref name=townofyorkModelCity/><ref name=Jduel/>  Both Ridout and Jarvis were from the small circle of privileged insiders called upon by the [[Lieutenant Governor]]s of [[Upper Canada]], to fill administrative posts, and sinecures, that [[William Lyon Mackenzie]] would later brand the [[Family Compact]].  Ridout's father, [[Thomas Ridout (politician)|Thomas Ridout]], was Upper Canada's Surveyor General.<ref name=DictCdnBioJarvis/> Jarvis's father, [[William Jarvis (Upper Canada official)|William Jarvis]], had been appointed Upper Canada's provincial secretary and registrar.
{{subpages}}
'''John Ridout''', still a teenager when he died in 1817, died in a [[duel]] with [[Samuel Jarvis]].<ref name=Freedom24/><ref name=townofyorkModelCity/><ref name=Jduel/>  Both Ridout and Jarvis were from the small circle of privileged insiders called upon by the [[Lieutenant Governor]]s of [[Upper Canada]], to fill administrative posts, and sinecures, that [[William Lyon Mackenzie]] would later brand the [[Family Compact]].  Ridout's father, [[Thomas Ridout]], was Upper Canada's Surveyor General.<ref name=DictCdnBioJarvis/> Jarvis's father, [[William Jarvis (Upper Canada official)|William Jarvis]], had been appointed Upper Canada's provincial secretary and registrar.


==Early life and military career==
During the [[War of 1812]] Ridout served as a ''"confidential clerk"'' to his elder brother [[Thomas Gibbs Ridout]], in the Army's Commissary Department.<ref name=DictCdnBioThomasGibbsRidout/><ref name=spacing2013-02-05/>  Ridout was studying law at the time of his death.


Ridout attended the [[Jarvis Collegiate Institute|District School]], the first public school in [[York (Upper Canada)|York]], in 1807.<ref name="Raible 70">{{Cite book |last=Raible |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WqN5AAAAMAAJ |title=Muddy York Mud: Scandal & Scurrility in Upper Canada |publisher=Curiosity House |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-9696418-0-3 |location=Toronto |pages=70}}</ref>
According to [[Mike Filey]], the author of a long-running local history column in the ''[[Toronto Sun]]'', this was the last duel in [[York, Upper Canada|York]], the capital of Upper Canada.<ref name=FileySketches7/>


During the [[War of 1812]] Ridout enlisted as a [[midshipman]] on the ''Royal George''.<ref name="Raible 70" /> He was also a ''"confidential clerk"'' to his elder brother [[Thomas Gibbs Ridout]], in the Army's Commissary Department.<ref name=DictCdnBioThomasGibbsRidout/><ref name=spacing2013-02-05/>
Jarvis, then 24, had owed debts to multiple individuals, including Ridout's father.<ref name=spacing2013-02-05/> When Ridout visited Jarvis to collect, blows were exchanged.  Jarvis challenged Ridout to a duel, at dawn, on July 12, 1817.  The rules for this particular duel were that Ridout and Jarvis would face away from one another, then each stride 8 paces, turn around, wait out a count of three, then fire.  Ridout fired early, at two - but missed.  This turned out to be a wrinkle the duelists seconds hadn't anticipated.  However, they agreed that Ridout would now have to stand, unarmed, while Jarvis took his shot.


==Duel and death==
While Ridout's autopsy would conclude that Ridout was killed immediately by a shot to his [[jugular vein|jugular]] and [[windpipe]], Jarvis and the seconds told authorities that Ridout had lived long enough to forgive Jarvis and absolve him of responsibility.<ref name=spacing2013-02-05/><ref name=legionmagazine2005-01-01/> Jarvis was initially charged with murder.  His charges were later reduced to manslaughter.  He was acquitted.  Twentieth Century commentators characterize Jarvis's acquittal as typical hypocrisy of privileged individuals, closing ranks to protect their peers.
 
On July 5, 1817, Ridout was working at his brother's law office. Ridout visited the office of [[Samuel Jarvis]] where they entered an argument.<ref name="Raible 72">{{Cite book |last=Raible |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WqN5AAAAMAAJ |title=Muddy York Mud: Scandal & Scurrility in Upper Canada |publisher=Curiosity House |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-9696418-0-3 |location=Toronto |pages=72}}</ref> The next Tuesday, Ridout and Jarvis met on the streets on York and had another argument. The next day Ridout attacked Jarvis with a [[Club (weapon)|bludgeon]] and they physically fought each other until it was stopped by the militia. In the following days, Ridout and Jarvis agreed to a duel.<ref name="Raible 73">{{Cite book |last=Raible |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WqN5AAAAMAAJ |title=Muddy York Mud: Scandal & Scurrility in Upper Canada |publisher=Curiosity House |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-9696418-0-3 |location=Toronto |pages=73}}</ref>
 
The two men met at dawn, on July 12, 1817, at Elmsley's Farm north of York.<ref name="Raible 74">{{Cite book |last=Raible |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WqN5AAAAMAAJ |title=Muddy York Mud: Scandal & Scurrility in Upper Canada |publisher=Curiosity House |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-9696418-0-3 |location=Toronto |pages=74}}</ref> The two were instructed to stand eight paces away from each other and fire on the count of three. Ridout fired early at two accidentally and missed. He approached Jarvis to apologise but was sent back to his place. It was agreed that Jarvis would fire a shot at an unarmed Ridout, which hit Ridout.<ref name="Raible 74 - 75">{{Cite book |last=Raible |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WqN5AAAAMAAJ |title=Muddy York Mud: Scandal & Scurrility in Upper Canada |publisher=Curiosity House |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-9696418-0-3 |location=Toronto |pages=74–75}}</ref>
 
Ridout exclaimed that the shot was foul play but then forgave Jarvis for killing him and fainted. Jarvis and two others left him where he was while Ridout vomited blood. [[George Playter]] found Ridout who again exclaimed that he was shot in foul play. Ridout was taken to [[James Macaulay (Canadian physician)|James Macaulay]] to seek medical attention but died outside Macaulay's home. His last words were reported to forgive Jarvis again, a plea for his mother not to grieve and a desire to meet his sister in heaven.<ref name="Raible 74 - 75"/>
 
Ridout's autopsy concluded that Ridout was killed immediately by a shot to his shoulder, neck, [[jugular vein|jugular]] and [[windpipe]].<ref name=spacing2013-02-05/><ref name=legionmagazine2005-01-01/> According to [[Mike Filey]] this was the last duel in [[York, Upper Canada|York]], the capital of Upper Canada.<ref name=FileySketches7/>


==References==
==References==
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  |title      = Ridout, Thomas Gibbs, banker
  |title      = Ridout, Thomas Gibbs, banker
  |work        = [[Dictionary of Canadian Biography]]
  |work        = [[Dictionary of Canadian Biography]]
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  |url-status     = live
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|quote      = Following the examples of nepotism set by his own father and other members of the small government clique at York, Ridout, within a month of his own appointment, procured as confidential clerk his 14-year-old brother John.
}}
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  |author      = Adam Bunch
  |author      = Adam Bunch
  |date        = 2013-02-05
  |date        = 2013-02-05
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  |archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20190327224606/http://spacing.ca/toronto/2013/02/05/the-infamous-bloody-1817-duel-at-the-corner-of-yonge-college/
  |archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20190327224606/http://spacing.ca/toronto/2013/02/05/the-infamous-bloody-1817-duel-at-the-corner-of-yonge-college/
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|quote      = According to the autopsy, Ridout died pretty much instantly, but by the time the authorities arrived, Jarvis and the seconds were telling a different story. They claimed Ridout had lived just long enough to forgive them and absolve them of all responsibility. The ploy didn’t work: Jarvis was arrested and charged with murder.
}}
}}
</ref>
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  |archivedate = 2019-03-27
  |archivedate = 2019-03-27
  |accessdate  = 2019-03-27
  |accessdate  = 2019-03-27
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|quote      = Ridout’s premature shot was a terrible breach of the duelling codes. He was brought back by the seconds and a conference followed. The seconds agreed that Jarvis was entitled to his shot. Ridout stood in his place; the count resumed. On the word, “Fire!”, Jarvis brought up his pistol, took deliberate aim, and shot Ridout through the jugular and windpipe. <!-- Jarvis was arrested, tried for murder, and acquitted in defiance of both law and evidence. Although Ridout was almost certainly incapable of speech after the fatal shot, statements were entered that he had briefly stayed on his feet, remained conscious long enough to shake hands with all, and forgave Jarvis. This version, of course, was utterly self-serving—a good story to tell a jury already anxious to save a fellow “toff.” The near-incestuous nature of the Upper Canadian aristocracy is further demonstrated by the fact that, in 1818, Samuel Peters Jarvis married Mary Powell, daughter of the judge who had tried him. -->
}}
}}
</ref>
</ref>
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  |title      = A MODEL CITY
  |title      = A MODEL CITY
  |work        = [[Town of York Historical Society]]
  |work        = [[Town of York Historical Society]]
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|quote      = Samuel Peters Jarvis (1792-1857) spent his life battling with debt(1). His duel with John Ridout [site 37] was not so much because John was his enemy, but because Ridout was a reminder of his father’s debts and unlike a slip of parchment, Ridout was a living, breathing target. The money which Jarvis owed Ridout was one of many debts which for any aristocratic family lead to slander and dishonour.
}}
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<ref name=FileySketches7>
<ref name=FileySketches7>
{{cite book
{{cite book
| url        = https://books.google.com/books?id=Z_5A5TPu7aAC&q=%22Samuel+Peters+Jarvis%22&pg=PA22|title=Toronto Sketches 7: The Way We Were  
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| quote      = One other interesting fact about Samuel Peters Jarvis is that he holds the distinction of being the "winner" of Toronto's last duel.
}}  
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ridout, John}}
[[Category:Upper Canada]]
[[Category:1817 deaths]]
[[Category:Duelling fatalities]]
[[Category:Canadian duellists]]
[[Category:1799 births]]

Latest revision as of 06:00, 6 September 2024

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John Ridout, still a teenager when he died in 1817, died in a duel with Samuel Jarvis.[1][2][3] Both Ridout and Jarvis were from the small circle of privileged insiders called upon by the Lieutenant Governors of Upper Canada, to fill administrative posts, and sinecures, that William Lyon Mackenzie would later brand the Family Compact. Ridout's father, Thomas Ridout, was Upper Canada's Surveyor General.[4] Jarvis's father, William Jarvis, had been appointed Upper Canada's provincial secretary and registrar.

During the War of 1812 Ridout served as a "confidential clerk" to his elder brother Thomas Gibbs Ridout, in the Army's Commissary Department.[5][6] Ridout was studying law at the time of his death.

According to Mike Filey, the author of a long-running local history column in the Toronto Sun, this was the last duel in York, the capital of Upper Canada.[7]

Jarvis, then 24, had owed debts to multiple individuals, including Ridout's father.[6] When Ridout visited Jarvis to collect, blows were exchanged. Jarvis challenged Ridout to a duel, at dawn, on July 12, 1817. The rules for this particular duel were that Ridout and Jarvis would face away from one another, then each stride 8 paces, turn around, wait out a count of three, then fire. Ridout fired early, at two - but missed. This turned out to be a wrinkle the duelists seconds hadn't anticipated. However, they agreed that Ridout would now have to stand, unarmed, while Jarvis took his shot.

While Ridout's autopsy would conclude that Ridout was killed immediately by a shot to his jugular and windpipe, Jarvis and the seconds told authorities that Ridout had lived long enough to forgive Jarvis and absolve him of responsibility.[6][8] Jarvis was initially charged with murder. His charges were later reduced to manslaughter. He was acquitted. Twentieth Century commentators characterize Jarvis's acquittal as typical hypocrisy of privileged individuals, closing ranks to protect their peers.

References

  1. ↑ mean streets. The Rational Post (2005-06-05).
  2. ↑ A MODEL CITY, Town of York Historical Society. Retrieved on 2019-03-27. “Samuel Peters Jarvis (1792-1857) spent his life battling with debt(1). His duel with John Ridout [site 37] was not so much because John was his enemy, but because Ridout was a reminder of his father’s debts and unlike a slip of parchment, Ridout was a living, breathing target. The money which Jarvis owed Ridout was one of many debts which for any aristocratic family lead to slander and dishonour.”
  3. ↑ William Renwick Riddell (July 1915). "The Duel in Early Upper Canada". Journal of the American Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology 6 (2): 165–176. DOI:10.2307/1132814. Research Blogging.
  4. ↑ Douglas Leighton, Robert J. Burns. Jarvis, Samuel Peters, militia officer, office holder, and lawyer, Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved on 2019-03-27.
  5. ↑ Ridout, Thomas Gibbs, banker, Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved on 2019-03-27. “Following the examples of nepotism set by his own father and other members of the small government clique at York, Ridout, within a month of his own appointment, procured as confidential clerk his 14-year-old brother John.”
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Adam Bunch. The infamous, bloody 1817 duel at the corner of Yonge & College, Spacing magazine, 2013-02-05. Retrieved on 2019-03-27. “According to the autopsy, Ridout died pretty much instantly, but by the time the authorities arrived, Jarvis and the seconds were telling a different story. They claimed Ridout had lived just long enough to forgive them and absolve them of all responsibility. The ploy didn’t work: Jarvis was arrested and charged with murder.”
  7. ↑ Mike Filey (2003). Toronto Sketches 7: The Way We Were. Dundurn Press. ISBN 1-55002-448-5. “One other interesting fact about Samuel Peters Jarvis is that he holds the distinction of being the "winner" of Toronto's last duel.” 
  8. ↑ Hugh A. Halliday. Hand Me My Pistol, Please, Legion magazine, 2005-01-01. Retrieved on 2019-03-27. “Ridout’s premature shot was a terrible breach of the duelling codes. He was brought back by the seconds and a conference followed. The seconds agreed that Jarvis was entitled to his shot. Ridout stood in his place; the count resumed. On the word, “Fire!”, Jarvis brought up his pistol, took deliberate aim, and shot Ridout through the jugular and windpipe.”
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