LETHAL reminders of the colourful life of one of the most notorious men of his time are about to go under the hammer.

The rare pair of gold-inlaid duelling pistols were made in 1796, for Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Thornton, one of the most flamboyant sportsmen of his age.

A Yorkshire gent whose estate was near Knaresborough, he divided his time between hunting, racing, shooting, angling and hawking – and was also wellknown for his many mistresses.

A renowned Francophile, he was acquainted with Napoleon and once presented him with a pistol.

His first mistress was Alicia Meynell, known as the Norwich Nymph, famous in her own right for her horse race against Captain Flint at York racecourse in 1804, and then again in 1805 on the Knavesmire when she beat Edward Buckle, the crack jockey of his day.

Thornton wagered 1,000 guineas on the first race which was lost and he reneged on the bet leading to an inconclusive court case.

He then put 2,000 guineas on the second race which Alicia won and that led to him being publicly horsewhipped by the disgruntled winner of the first race.

Thornton inherited what was then the Thornville Royal estate at Allerton, near Knaresborough, but his lifestyle taxed his finances and he was eventually forced to sell up.

He was a significant patron of sporting artists but his collection, including pictures by Rubens and Van Dyck, was auctioned to pay his debts in London in 1817.

In his own words he had a greater quantity of sporting apparatus of the most valuable and curious manufacture than any other sporting gentleman in England.

Among that collection were the pair of 40-bore flintlocks due to be sold by Bonhams at their antiques and armour auction in Knightsbridge.

The pair of guns have octagonal barrels and bear two French inscriptions: “Ne tirez pas sans raison...” – don’t fire without a reason and “Retournez pas sans honneur” – don’t come back without honour.

They are expected to fetch between £40,000 and £60,000 at the sale on November 30.