SKETCH
George Gordon, Lord Byron , was born in HoliesStreet, London , on the 22nd of January, 1788. Hisancestry was illustrious both on the father’s andon the mother's side. Through his father, hecould trace his pedigree up to the Norman Con-quest of England. In the Doomsday Book thereoccurs the name of Ralph de Burun (afterwardsmodified into Biron and Byron ), the alleged founderof the family, and ranking high among the Crowntenants of land in Nottinghamshire . The father ofthe poet was Captain John Byron, the son of thefamous admiral and circumnavigator. This CaptainByron was first married to the Marchioness of Car-marthen, who had been divorced from her first hus-band. On her death, the Captain, who was an ex-travagant and even dissolute man of fashion, mar-ried Miss Catherine Gordon, of Gight, in Aberdeen-shire . She wag an only child, an heiress, and, inaddition to the landed estate of Gight, she pos-sessed, in ready money, Bank shares, and othervaluables, no inconsiderable property. The ladyat first was deeply in love with Captain Byron 1but there can be no doubt that to him his wife’smoney was the principal, if not the sole, attraction.Mrs. Byron ’s lineage was even more illustrious thanher husband's. Through the celebrated Earls ofHuntley, she was descended in a direct line fromJames the First of Scotland; so that on themother’s side, Lord Byron could claim RobertBruce, the hero King of Scotland , as one of hisancestors.
Owing to Captain Byron ’s extravagant habits, theheiress of Gight’s property was speedily squan-dered, and at the end of three years’ miserable com-panionship, they separated, Mrs. Byron only retain-mg out of her fine fortune an annuity of about 150/.,^hich her husband could not touch. During a por-tion of their brief period of cohabitation, the poet’sparents lived in lodgings at the house of a person“amed Anderson, in Queen Street, Aberdeen .When they separated, the Captain for some time*£ok up his residence at the other end of the street.£ewould frequently accost the nurse and his sonn their walks, and expressed a strong wish to havechild for a day or two on a visit to him. Mrs.yron at first objected to this, but on the nursesuggesting that “if he kept the boy one night, he
would not do so another,” she consented to let himhave the child. The event proved that the nurse hadjudged rightly, for on her inquiring next morningafter the boy, the Captain told her that he had hadquite enough of him, and that she might take himhome again. At this time Mrs. Byron was in such,straitened circumstances as to be unable to keepmore than one servant. Captain Byron , who, toescape his creditors, had retired to the Continent ,died at Valenciennes , in 1791.
The death of his father was no great loss to thepoet; but neither was he fortunate in his mother,who was a woman of violent temper, and whoalternately smothered her son with caresses, orenraged him with blows. The boy partook of his -mother’s disposition; his temper was quick andviolent, sullenly passionate, and given, in his ownwords, to “silent rages,” tearing his frocks fromtop to bottom, and defying his nurse or mother todo their worst For these childish misdemeanourshe could plead the maternal example, for Mrs.Byron frequently served her own caps and gownsas her son served his frocks
"When about five years old, he was sent to a day-school at Aberdeen , kept by a man of the name ofBower, who received from the poet’s mother the sumof five shillings a quarter for such instruction as hecould impart to her illustrious son. At this schoolhe remained rather more than a year.
Byron was next placed under the care of aReverend Mr. Ross, a poor but well-informedScottish clergyman, of whom the poet always enter-tained a kindly remembrance. From the tuition ofMr. Ross he was transferred to that of Mr. Pater-son, the son of his own and Mrs. Byron ’s shoe-maker, who taught him a little Latin , and behavedwith great kindness to his proud, passionate, andirritable pupil. He was next sent to the FreeGrammar School at Aberdeen , then one of the verybest educational establishments in Scotland .
Hero he continued until the death of the fifthLord Byron—his grand uncle , whose heir he be-came—recalled him to England. Byron was thenonly a few months over ten years of age, the oldlord having died on the 19th of May. 1798, atNewstead, where he lived in a state of austere andalmost savage seclusion ever since he killed his