Adieu Most Amiable Mamma…
In the hagiography which often passes for the writing of Byron’s life, Catherine Gordon Byron is somewhat of a ‘Marmite’ figure for you will either love OR hate her!
All posts tagged: Hobhouse – John Cam 1st Baron Broughton (1786-1869)
A Hero’s Epic Swim.
On this day in 1810 – Byron swam across the Hellespont in search of his own Hero and while not seeking confirmation of his conjugal powers – his epic swim certainly affirms his prowess in the water.
Let Me Have Implora Pace! Please?
In 1824, the church of St Mary Magdalene in the town of Hucknall in Nottingham welcomed the safe arrival of Byron’s remains for burial after his death at the age of 36 on April 19 in the town of Missolonghi in Greece…
Stone Me! Such a Pretentious Poseur!
One wonders if he had to try hard to persuade his ‘dearest friend’ to actually sit for Thorvaldsen as the first meeting between the artist and Byron was one of wry amusement on the part of one and studied indifference by the other…
To the Vale of Graves…
And one glorious afternoon in October I took a stroll through this fabulous cemetery to the grave of Byron’s spouse…
Bravo! Artful BUT Perfectly Incompatible!
In January 1816 having left her spouse Annabella returned to the protection of her parents.
Cheers! I Could Murder a Drink!
By autumn 1815 and as the bailiff beckoned along with the sale of his precious library – he got drunk AND frequently!
A Rage Against the Machine?
On this day in 1812 – our poet spoke out in ‘A Rage Against the Machine’ in support of the Luddite cause and claiming to be as penniless as those he supported, he voiced his opposition to the introduction of the death penalty.
The Power of Persuasion? I Congratulate You!
The ONLY persons in the world best suited to each other? Don’t make ME laugh!
Still Life at Newstead Abbey?
On this day in 1811, Lord B was firing off a letter to his close friend Hobhouse as he languished inside his crumbling ancestral seat at Newstead Abbey – home to the notorious and profligate Byron family since the Reformation and which lies in the heart of Sherwood Forest in Nottingham.
A Visit to the Pilgrim of Eternity…
It was as I was photographing the wonderful tribute to Byron that I suddenly became aware of a huge, crashing noise and which turned out to be the most torrential thunderstorm and as the storm threatened to bring down the very rafters of the church, I thought it all rather prophetic that I should find myself confined to a place within feet of Byron who had breathed his last as mother nature had raged around the town of Missolonghi on this very day in 1824…
A Regency Recondite 