Lord Melbourne and the Marquess of Normanby prepare to shoot two pheasants with the heads of the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort, with Windsor Castle in the background. Coloured lithograph by H.B. (John Doyle), 1840.

There were reports that the Duke of Beaufort, during the parliamentary vacation, was planning to become the leader of rebel Tories. Lord Melbourne was rumoured to want to prevent this by offering him the position of "Lord Lieutenant of Ireland" inscribed on Normanby's gun, and his wife, "Mistress of the Robes", inscribed on his gun