Baron Byron, of
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
in the
County Palatine of Lancaster
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
, is a title in the
Peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. From that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were closed to new creations, and new peers were created in a single Peerag ...
. It was created in 1643 by
letters patent
Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...
for
Sir John Byron, a
Cavalier
The term ''Cavalier'' () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of Charles I of England and his son Charles II of England, Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum (England), Int ...
general and former
Member of Parliament. The peerage was created with remainder to the heirs male of his body, failing, to his six brothers: Richard, William, Thomas, Robert, Gilbert, and Philip, and the heirs male of their bodies. Lord Byron died childless and was succeeded according to the special remainder by his next eldest brother
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...
, the second Baron.
The latter's great-grandson, the
fifth Baron, killed his cousin and neighbour William Chaworth in a duel on 26 January 1765. He was brought before his peers in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
but under the statute of
Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...
he was found guilty only of
manslaughter
Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...
and forced to pay a small fine. Byron henceforth became known as "the Wicked Lord" and "the Devil Byron".
He was succeeded by his great-nephew,
George Gordon Byron, the sixth Baron, the famous
Romantic poet. He was the son of
John "Mad Jack" Byron, son of
Vice-Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral.
Australia
In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...
John "Foulweather Jack" Byron, second son of the fourth Baron and the younger brother of the fifth Baron. Lord Byron died without male issue and was succeeded by his first cousin,
the seventh Baron, who was an
admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
in the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
.
On the death of his great-grandson, the
eleventh Baron (who had succeeded his first cousin once-removed in 1949), this line of the family expired. The late Baron was succeeded by his distant relative (his fifth cousin), the
twelfth Baron. He was the great-great-great-grandson of Reverend Richard Byron, third son of the fourth Baron. As of 2009, the title is held by his second son, the
thirteenth Baron, who succeeded in 1989.
From the 16th century until 1818, the family residence of the Lords Byron was
Newstead Abbey in
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
. Most of the Byrons—including the sixth baron's daughter, the famed mathematician
Ada Lovelace
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (''née'' Byron; 10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852), also known as Ada Lovelace, was an English mathematician and writer chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-pur ...
—are buried in the family vault in the nearby
Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Hucknall.
Barons Byron (1643)
*
John Byron, 1st Baron Byron (1599–1652)
*
Richard Byron, 2nd Baron Byron (1606–1679)
*
William Byron, 3rd Baron Byron
William Byron, 3rd Baron Byron (1636 – 13 November 1695) was an English nobleman, peer, politician, and a poet.
Life
Byron was the son of Richard Byron, 2nd Baron Byron and Elizabeth Rossell. He succeeded to the title of 3rd Baron Byron i ...
(1636–1695)
*
William Byron, 4th Baron Byron
William Byron, 4th Baron Byron (4 January 1669/70 – 8 August 1736) was an English nobleman, politician, peer, and Gentleman of the Bedchamber to Prince George of Denmark.
Early life
Byron was the only surviving son of William Byron, 3rd ...
(1669–1736)
*
William Byron, 5th Baron Byron
William Byron, 5th Baron Byron (5 November 1722 – 19 May 1798), was a British nobleman, peer, politician, and great-uncle of the poet George Gordon Byron who succeeded him in the title. As a result of a number of stories that arose after a ...
(1722–1798)
*
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...
(1788–1824), the English
Romantic poet
*
George Anson Byron, 7th Baron Byron (1789–1868)
*
George Anson Byron, 8th Baron Byron (1818–1870)
*
George Frederick William Byron, 9th Baron Byron (1855–1917)
*
Frederick Ernest Charles Byron, 10th Baron Byron (1861–1949)
*
Rupert Frederick George Byron, 11th Baron Byron (1903–1983)
*
Richard Geoffrey Gordon Byron, 12th Baron Byron (1899–1989)
*
Robert James Byron, 13th Baron Byron (b. 1950)
The
heir apparent
An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...
is the present holder's son, Charles Richard Gordon Byron (b. 1990).
Family tree
References
External links
Biography of George Anson Byron senior*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byron, Baron
1643 establishments in England
Baronies in the Peerage of England
Byron family
Noble titles created in 1643
Peerages created with special remainders