Home > William Byron, 5th Baron Byron

Lord Byron inherited his title upon the death of his father on August 18 1736. A Lieutenant in the Royal Navy at the age of sixteen, he went on to marry Elizabeth Shaw , daughter and heiress of Charles Shaw of Besthorpe in Norfolk, on March 28 1747. The following month, he was elected Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge of Freemasons, a position he held until March 20 1752. He also served as Master of the Royal Staghounds from 1763Events February 10 French and Indian War: The 1763 Treaty of Paris ends the war and France cedes Canada to Great Britain. 15 February the Treaty of Hubertusburg puts an end to the Seven Years' War between Prussia and Austria and their allies March 1 Charl until 1765Events March 9 Judges in Paris find Jean Calas innocent, (after having been tortured and executed in 1762) of murdering his son, Marc-Antoine, who had committed suicide), mainly because Voltaire wrote a series of articles calling for the case to be re-ope, when he began a decent into madness and scandal.

On January 26January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 339 days remaining (340 in leap years). Events 1340 King Edward III of England is declared King of France. 1500 Vicente Yanez Pinzon become the first European to discover Brazil., 1765Events March 9 Judges in Paris find Jean Calas innocent, (after having been tortured and executed in 1762) of murdering his son, Marc-Antoine, who had committed suicide), mainly because Voltaire wrote a series of articles calling for the case to be re-ope, Lord Byron killed his cousin and neighbor, William Chaworth , in a duel at the Stars and Garters Tavern in LondonLondon is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England, and with over seven million inhabitants in the Greater London area, is the second-most populous conurbation in Europe (after Moscow). From being Londinium the capital of the Roman province of Bri. The fight resulted from an argument the two had been engaged in, allegedly over the best method in which to hang game. Lord Byron and his cousin retired to a dim room to resolve their disagreement and it was there that Lord Byron thrust his sword through Chaworth's stomach. Chaworth lived until the following day, expressing his disgust that he had not been of sound enough mind to insist they fight in a location outfitted with better lighting before finally succumbing to his injury. Lord Byron was tried for Chaworth's death, but under the statute of Edward VI he was found guilty only of manslaughter and forced to pay a small fine. Upon returning home to Newstead AbbeyNewstead Abbey originally an Augustinian foundation, is now best known as the ancestral home of Lord Byron. The abbey was founded in the 12th century by King Henry II of England, as one of many penances he paid following the murder of Thomas Becket. Follo, he mounted the sword he used to kill Chaworth on the wall in his bedroom. It was at this time in his life that he was nicknamed "the Wicked Lord", a title he very much enjoyed.

Following his trial, Lord Byron's eccentricity further evolved. In one incident, he shot his coachman during a disagreement then heaved the body into the coach on top of his wife and took over the reins himself. He had a miniature castle built in the woods at Newstead and held lavish parties within its walls. He also oversaw the construction of two forts on the property and used them, in conjunction with a small cannon, to stage naval battles. He hesitated to travel away from Newstead Abbey, but when travel became necessary he did so under the alias of Waters. It was during this period that Elizabeth left him. Upon her departure, Byron took one of the servants as his mistress. The woman's name was Hardstaff, but she was known primarily as "Lady Betty".

The ruin of the Byron family wealth and property began when Lord Byron's son and heir (also named William) eloped with Juliana Byron, the daughter of William's brother, John ByronJohn Byron ( November 8, 1723 to April 10, 1786) was a British vice-admiral. He was known as foul-weather Jack because of his frequent bad luck with the weather. Byron was the second son of the 4th Baron Byron. He joined the navy at a young age, accompany. Lord Byron felt that intermarrying would produce children plagued with madness and strongly opposed the union. He also needed his son to marry well in order to escape the debt that had been incurred in the Byron name. When defied by his son, he became enraged and committed himself to ruining his inheritance so that, in the event of his death, his son would receive nothing but debt and worthless property. He laid waste to Newstead Abbey, allowing the house to fall into disrepair, cutting down the great stands of timber surrounding it, and killing over 2000 deer on the estate. He also illegally leased the coalmines in RochdaleThis article is about the English town. For other Rochdales see, Rochdale (disambiguation Rochdale is a town in Greater Manchester in north-west England. It is the main town in the metropolitan borough of Rochdale, and gets its name from its position on t, an act that created an enormous financial burden for years to come.

His vicious plan, however, was thwarted when his son died in 1776. William also outlived his grandson, a young man who, at the age of twenty-two, was killed by cannon fire in 1794 while fighting in Corsica. The legacy of misery was then left to his great-nephew, George Gordon Byron, who became the 6th Baron Byron when Lord Byron died on May 21 1798, at the age of seventy-nine. Upon his death, it is said that the great number of crickets he kept at Newstead left the estate in swarms. Lord Byron is buried in the Byron vault at Hucknall Torkard in Nottinghamshire.