Joseph Boruwlaski recalled an evening party in Durham in which a veteran of the Peninsular campaign, nettled by his wife’s abrupt attempt to shift the topic of conversation onto ladies’ fashions, responded pointedly by launching into a blow-by-blow account of the Battle of Salamanca in 1812 in which he highlighted the courage of his lieutenant.

The veteran captain’s wife again interrupted his flow, this time to remark that the hero lieutenant was now in Durham gaol for debt. This intelligence so upset the Revd Mr Baverstock that he sought out the lieutenant and, after establishing his bona fides, paid off his debts, though the amount was so high that it required help from a friend.

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