John "Mad Jack" Byron

Captain John Byron (7 February 1756-2 August 1791) was the son of Vice-Admiral Hon. John Byron and Sophia Trevannion [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=sRYYAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA791#PPA792,M1 "Bibliotheca Cornubiensis: A Catalogue..."] ] and grandson of William Byron, 4th Baron Byron of Rochdale.

He married, firstly, Amelia Osborne, Marchioness of Carmarthen and Baroness Darcy (de Knayth), daughter of Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness and Mary Doublet, on 1 June 1779 at London, England. He married, secondly, Catherine Gordon heiress of Gight in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, daughter of George Gordon and Catherine Innes, on 12 May 1785. She was the mother of Lord Byron. [Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 1. Hereinafter cited as Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th edition.] In order to claim his wife's estate in Scotland, Captain Byron took the surname "Gordon". After he had squandered most of her fortune and deserted her, Mrs. Byron took her infant son to Aberdeen, Scotland, where they lived in lodgings on a meager income.

He died on 2 August 1791 at age 35, at Valenciennes. Later, Byron would tell friends that his father had cut his own throat. It is more likely he died from tuberculosis or an overdose. Captain John Byron also went by the nick-name of 'Mad Jack'. He was educated at Westminster School. He gained the rank of Captain in the service of the Guards. [Charles Mosley, editor, page 630, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition.]

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