[8] On 19 May 1845, the Hawkeys and James Seton attended a ball in the King's Rooms, Southsea, a gathering that was held weekly.

[9] Early the next morning, Hawkey was visited in his lodgings by a half-pay[10] naval officer, Lieutenant Rowles.

[8] Later, he bought a new pair of duelling pistols from another shop, claiming to the shopkeeper he needed them for a shooting match.

No other people were present even though it was customary for a doctor or surgeon to be in attendance at duels; both parties were likely anxious to keep the affair secret to avoid intervention by the authorities.

The surgery appeared to go well, but signs of an infection soon became apparent and Seton's condition quickly began to deteriorate.

The inquest jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against Henry Hawkey and Charles Lawes Pym and a warrant was issued for the arrest of both men.

His funeral was a significant local event; it passed through the town of Ringwood where nearly all the shops were closed as a mark of respect.

[17] Around nine months after the duel, in March 1846, Lieutenant Pym was charged as an accessory for murder at Winchester assizes, but was acquitted.

Defended by Alexander Cockburn QC, he was found not guilty after Cockburn delivered a two-hour speech to the jury, in which he claimed Hawkey had been deeply provoked by Seton's conduct to his wife, and that Seton's death was largely caused by the medical treatment he had received.

[10] The last fatal duel in the United Kingdom took place some seven years later, on 19 October 1852, at Priest Hill, between Englefield Green and Old Windsor.

It was fought by two French political refugees, Lieutenant Frederic Constant Cournet and Emmanuel Barthélemy.