Phillip James Burslem

In the rigid social hierarchy of the 18th-century British military, "honor" was a commodity often guarded with lethal intensity. For Phillip James Burslem, a young officer in the Leicestershire Militia, a moment of heated advocacy for a colleague led to a premature end that shocked the garrison at Plymouth. His story serves as a somber illustration of the fragility of life in the Georgian era—a life of potential extinguished at just seventeen years of age over a point of camp etiquette.

Early Life and Military Appointment

Phillip James Burslem was born circa 1763 to William Burslem and Mary Curzon, a family with deep roots in the Leicestershire and Staffordshire gentry. He was baptized on March 15, 1763, in Coleorton, Leicestershire.

As was common for young men of his standing, he sought a career in the provincial military. In 1780, he was appointed as an Ensign in the Leicestershire Militia. It was a year of movement for the regiment; they marched to Bristol in May and were later ordered to Plymouth on August 21, 1780, where they were joined by their colonel, the Duke of Rutland.

The Tragedy of the Marquee

The event that defined Phillip’s brief legacy occurred on October 8, 1780. While the regiment lay at Plymouth, a dispute arose within the Duke of Rutland’s own marquee. A Lieutenant Brown reportedly spoke disrespectfully of the regimental surgeon, Mr. Pack. Phillip, perhaps with the impetuousness of youth or a deep-seated sense of loyalty, rose to the surgeon's defense, using "very opprobrious language" toward Brown.

In the 18th-century officer corps, such an exchange could rarely be settled by apology alone. Within hours, the two officers met in an adjoining field to settle the matter with pistols. Phillip was attended by Lieutenant Grundy, while Brown was supported by Lieutenant Farmer. The exchange was not a mere formality; after both men had fired a brace of pistols, Phillip was struck. A bullet entered his right breast and lodged in his body.

The Verdict and Legacy

The death of the young Ensign produced a great sensation in Plymouth. The subsequent trial at Exeter, held before Mr. Baron Perryn, reflected the era’s ambivalent relationship with dueling. Despite the initial murder charge, the jury returned a verdict of manslaughter against Lieutenant Brown. In a striking display of the period's legal leniency toward "affairs of honor," Brown was fined the nominal sum of 6s. 8d. and discharged, while the seconds were acquitted.

Phillip’s death on October 8, 1780 (or shortly thereafter during his lingering) was so sudden that he was omitted from his father’s will, drafted on January 4, 1781. His absence from the document stands as a silent testament to a family already in the depths of mourning for a son lost to a field of honor.

Fast Facts for Historical Reference