Two French men fought a famous duel
The last perhaps on English soil.
October eighteen fifty two
They stood with pistols toe to toe.

A naval captain named Cournet.
And an engineer called Bartelmey.
The place a field at Englefield Green;
The men and their seconds; quite a scene.

Cournet fired first but his shot missed.
Bartelmey aimed the chance now his.
He took his time but I'll be damned
He took careful aim but the weapon jammed.

He aimed again but it still didn't fire
So perhaps they should have left it there?
But when it didn't fire Cournet offered his own.
Bartelmey took the gun and aimed again.

The gun went off ; got Cournet's arm.
He fell to the ground it had done him harm.
Bartelmey and his seconds made off
Sadly the gun had done its job.

They carried Cournet to the local inn
But sadly his wounds had done for him
He died that day at the Barley Mow
His own gun dealt the fatal blow.

From the Bells of Ousley they rode for help
Full gallop to Windsor they raced flat out.
A telegraph flashed to Waterloo
To detain three foreigners; we know who.

They arrested Bartelmey and charged him with murder
But a jury decided it was just manslaughter.
So they punished the crime and he went on trial
But detained him in prison just a short while.

The story is told on a ceiling beam
At the Barley Mow on the village Green.
A place to drink beer while watching cricket
And of the man who died while they held his jacket.