William Congreve Alcock and John Colclough, Fight a Duel in Front of the County Sheriff

During the election for County Wexford in 1807, a political rivalry turns deadly when candidates William Congreve Alcock and John Colclough engage in a duel—fought in full view of the county sheriff, sixteen magistrates, and a large crowd of spectators.

The duel, sparked by heightened tensions during the campaign, results in Alcock fatally shooting Colclough. Despite the killing, Alcock is elected to Parliament. He is later tried for murder, but acquitted, reflecting both the legal leniency often shown to duellists of high social standing and the blurred lines between politics and personal honor in early 19th-century Ireland.

The incident remains one of the most dramatic examples of dueling in the context of electoral politics in Irish history.