William Byron, 5th Baron Byron facts for kids

William Byron, 5th Baron Byron (born November 5, 1722 – died May 19, 1798) was a British nobleman and politician. He was the great-uncle of the famous poet George Gordon Byron, who later took his title. After his death, some people called him "the Wicked Lord" or "the Devil Byron" because of stories about a duel and his money problems.

Early Life of Lord Byron

William Byron was the son of William Byron, 4th Baron Byron, and Frances Berkeley. He became a Baron when his father passed away in 1736. He was only 14 years old at the time.

William had dreams of a military career. He joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman when he was 14. By age 18, he was a lieutenant on a ship called HMS Victory. He also helped start the Foundling Hospital, a charity that cared for abandoned babies. His mother had supported this charity too.

After a short time as a captain in the Duke of Kingston's Regiment during the Jacobite Rebellion, he married Elizabeth Shaw in 1747. They had four children together, but only two lived to be adults.

A month after his wedding, he became the Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge of England, a group of Freemasons. He held this position for several years. He also served as the Master of the Staghounds from 1763 to 1765.

The Chaworth Dispute

On January 26, 1765, Lord Byron was involved in a serious argument with his distant cousin, William Chaworth. They were at a tavern in London, disagreeing about who had more game animals on their land. The argument became heated, and they went into a dimly lit room to settle it.

During this unfortunate event, Lord Byron used his sword, and Chaworth was badly hurt. Chaworth passed away the next day. Lord Byron was put on trial for Chaworth's death. The court decided it was an accident, not a planned murder. He was found responsible for Chaworth's death but was only required to pay a small fine.

Stories and Myths About Lord Byron

Even before the Chaworth incident, Lord Byron had a somewhat difficult reputation. While he was waiting for his trial, many untrue stories about him started to spread. Some of these stories had a tiny bit of truth, but most were completely made up. For example, people claimed he had murdered a coachman or even his own wife, but these were not true.

Many more myths about him appeared long after he died, especially in the 1820s and 1830s. Some of these stories might have been invented by an American writer named Washington Irving. These myths included:

• That he became a loner at Newstead Abbey after the 1765 incident.
• That he purposely ruined his family's money and land to get back at his son.
• That he hung the sword he used in the Chaworth dispute on his bedroom wall.
• That he kept a swarm of crickets as pets and trained them to race on his body. People even said the crickets left his home the moment he died!

These stories were often repeated by people writing about his famous great-nephew, the poet.

Life After the Dispute

Lord Byron did not become a loner after the Chaworth incident. In fact, he planned a trip to Belgium with his wife and sister. His sister noticed that the couple spent money very quickly.

In the late 1760s, Lord Byron tried to solve his money problems. He wanted his son and heir, William, to marry into a rich family. However, his son William ran off and married his cousin, Juliana Byron, instead.

There is a myth that Lord Byron became very angry and tried to destroy his family's property as revenge. People said he cut down trees, sold artworks, and killed many deer. But the truth is, the family's estate fell into disrepair because Lord Byron simply could not pay his debts. He needed the money from a wealthy daughter-in-law, and that plan failed.

The estate became truly neglected after his son died in 1776. This meant Lord Byron could not sell parts of his land without an adult heir's permission. His grandson would not be 21 until 1793.

Around 1778, he had to sell most of his belongings at Newstead Abbey. This was called the "Great Sale" and included valuable art, furniture, and even small items like toothpicks. His wife Elizabeth left him shortly after this, taking their only surviving child, Caroline, with her. Caroline passed away in 1784, leaving them without children.

Later stories say he lived with a servant named Elizabeth Hardstaff. She was one of the few people he mentioned in his will.

Death and Legacy

Lord Byron also outlived his grandson, who was killed in battle in Corsica in 1794 when he was 22. After this, the title of Baron Byron was expected to go to his great-nephew, George Gordon Byron.

William Byron, 5th Baron Byron, passed away on May 19, 1798, at the age of 75. His great-nephew then became the 6th Baron Byron. Lord Byron is buried in the Byron family vault at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Hucknall in Nottinghamshire.