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Contents
| CHAPTER | PAGE | |
| 1. | The Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Hucknall Torkard | 1 |
| Hochenale in Roman and Anglo Saxon times. Early Missionaries. The Village Cross. Two early coffin slabs. The Tower and the Manor House. Anglo-Saxon Foundations. The Danish invasion. Domesday Book. Ulchet and Ralph de Burun. Osmund, Ralph’s man. Geoffrey Torkard and the Crusader. Restoration and enlargement of the Church in 1872 and 1887-8. The stained-glass windows and other memorial gifts to the Church. | ||
| 2. | The Church and the Byron Family. 1066— 1852 | 14 |
| Ralph and Emeis de Burun. Hugh de Burun. John de Horestan. Robert de Byron. Sir John Byron. Nicholas Byron. Newstead Priory and its association with Hucknall Torkard. John of Hockendale, Prior of Newstead. Purchase of Newstead Priory. The treble bell of Hucknall Torkard Church. The three Sir John Byrons. Ladie Cicile Byron. The Byron Vault. The Tenor Bell of Hucknall Torkard Church. Richard, the second Lord Byron. William, the third Lord Byron and his wife Elizabeth Chaworth. The Byron Plate. William, the fourth Lord Byron and Mary Egerton his first wife. Entries in the registers of the baptism and burial of members of the Byron family. William, the fifth Lord Byron and his duel with Mr. William Chaworth. Vice-Admiral Byron and Sophia his wife. Captain John Byron and Lady Conyers. | ||
| 3. | The Poet’s Birth and Early Years. 1788— 1798 | 30 |
| Captain Byron and Catherine Gordon of Gight. Augusta Mary. The birth of George Gordon Byron. Mrs. Byron takes George Gordon to Aberdeen. The death of Captain Byron at Valenciennes. Mr. Bowers and Mr. Ross. The Grammar School. An attack of scarlet fever. A holiday in the Highlands. The death of George Gordon’s cousin and uncle. The sixth Lord Byron. | ||
| 4. | Newstead, Dulwich and Harrow. 1798— 1805 | 34 |
| Arrival at Newstead. Joe Murray. Disappointment. Castle Hill, Nottingham. Dulwich and Doctor Glennie. John Hanson and Lord Carlisle. An impossible mother. Harrow and Doctor Drury. Lord Clare. The Pechey tomb. | ||
| 5. | Tragedy. 1803 | 38 |
| Lord Grey de Ruthyn. Mary Chaworth and Annesley Hall. The lovers’ paradise. John Musters. A torn heart. The spirit of recklessness. The morning star eclipsed. | ||
| 6. | Southwell and Cambridge. 1804—1808 | 41 |
| Burgage Manor. John and Elizabeth Pigot. Fugitive Pieces. Poems on Various Occasions. Hours of Idleness. Cambridge. Extravagance. Edward Noel Long. In the hands of money-lenders. 16 Piccadilly, London. Jackson and Angelo. An appetite for reading. The Edinburgh Review. English Bards and Scotch Reviewers. | ||
| 7. | Residence at Newstead. 1808—1809 | 47 |
| The simple life. Boatswain. An invitation to dine at Annesley Hall. Mrs. Chaworth-Musters. “Mary, adieu! I must away.” Boatswain dies— an Epitaph. Old Joe Murray. Birthday celebrations. A seat in the House of Lords. Friends entertained at Newstead. The skull cup. Byron becomes an uncle. He sails from Falmouth with Hobhouse. | ||
| 8. | His First Pilgrimage. 1809—1811 | 53 |
| Lisbon. Cadiz. Gibraltar. John Galt. Malta. Albania. Pacha Ali. Childe Harold. A storm at sea. The Suliotes. Greece. Missolonghi. Patras. Athens. Teresa, Mariana and Katinka. Smyrna. Swimming the Hellespont with Ekenhead. Constantinople. Athens and the Monastery of the Capucins. Patras. Malaria. Hints from Horace. The Curse of Minerva. Returning home without a hope. | ||
| 9. | The Pilgrims Return. 1811 | 58 |
| Welcomed by Hobhouse and Dallas. Hints from Horace. The manuscript of Childe Harold. His mother’s death. Journey to Newstead. His mother buried in the family vault, Hucknall Torkard Church. The death of Charles Skinner Matthews. A sense of loneliness. The Morning Star of memory. | ||
| 10. | Ups and Downs. 1812—1814 | 62 |
| London again. Tom Moore. Byron’s first speech in the House of Lords. Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. A rapid rise to fame. Haunting memories. A way of escape. Lady Caroline Lamb. Lady Oxford. Lady Frances Webster. Playthings. Scandal. Melbourne House. Lady Bessborough. Friendship with Augusta. Six Mile Bottom. London. The Giaour. The Corsair. Letter from Mary. Newstead and Augusta. | ||
| 11. | An Experiment. 1814-1816 | 69 |
| Marriage as a possible means of redemption. Annabella. A proposal. A marriage arranged. The marriage settlement. The wedding at Seaham. The honeymoon at Halnaby. Return to Seaham. Visit to Augusta. 13 Piccadilly Terrace. The Siege of Corinth. Parisina. The birth of Augusta Ada. Money troubles. Strained relations. Mrs. Clermont. Annabella with Augusta Ada leaves London. Kirkby Mallory. | ||
| 12. | The Experiment Fails. 1816 | 76 |
| Affectionate letters. Doctor Baillie makes a report. A separation. Ostracism. A last charge. Goodbye to England. | ||
| 13. | Exile. 1816 | 80 |
| Brussels. Waterloo. The Third Canto of Ckilde Harold. Switzerland. The Shelleys and Clare Clairmont. The Villa Diodati. The Prisoner of Chillon. The Dream. Hobhouse and Scrope Davies. Manfred. Assailed by his enemies. | ||
| 14. | Venice. 1816—1819 | 85 |
| Marianna Segati. The Armenian Convent. An attack of malaria. Visit to Rome. Return to Venice. La Mira. The fourth Canto of Childe Harold. Margarita Cogni. In the depths. The sale of Newstead. A credit balance. Visit from Hansom The death of Lady Melbourne. The birth of Allegra. The Palazzo Mocenigo. Richard Hoppner. Failing health. | ||
| 15. | Teresa Guiccioli. 1819 | 90 |
| The Conversazione. Mio Byron. Ravenna. Teresa’s illness. The Palazzo Guiccioli. The Prophesy of Dante. Bologna. Don Juan. Byron and Teresa returp to Venice. La Mira. Tom Moore. Thwarted plans. The return to Ravenna. | ||
| 16. | Political Troubles. 1819—1821 | 95 |
| The Count and Teresa Guiccioli separate. Political troubles in Italy. The Gambas identified with the revolutionary party and banished. Allegra goes to Bagnacavallo. Clare Clairmont protests. A visit from Shelley. Don Juan and other poems. Leigh Hunt. A visit to Allegra. The Palazzo Lanfranchi at Pisa. | ||
| 17. | Bereavement. 1821—1822 | 99 |
| Lord Clare. Samuel Rogers. Shelley. Captain Williams. Prince Mavrocordato and Thomas Medwin. The death of Allegra. Burial in Harrow Church refused. Byron joins the Guiccioli at Montenaro, near Leghorn. The arrival of Leigh Hunt. The Liberal. Edward John Trelawny. The wreck of The Ariel. The death of Shelley. The cremation of his body. The Liberal fails. The Gambas banished from Tuscan territory. Genoa. | ||
| 18. | The Valley of Decision. 1822—1823 | 103 |
| Genoa. The Casa Saluzzo. The Hunts. Memories of lost opportunity.. The time for action. Lady Blessington and Count Alfred d’Orsay. | ||
| 19. | The Man of Action. 1823 | 107 |
| The Greek Committee in London. The success of the insurgents in Greece. Byron invited to join the Committee. Byron decides to help the Greek cause. Difficulties overcome. The Hercules and Captain John Scott. Cephalonia and Colonel Napier. Arrival at Argostoli. Delay. The Island of Metaxata. Dr. Kennedy. Byron finances the Greek Cause. Colonel Stanhope. A perilous voyage. Arrival at Missolonghi. | ||
| 20. | The Tangled Skein. 1824 | 113 |
| Preparations. The Suliotes. Unfavourable weather conditions. Byron’s birthday. An affecting poem. The arrival of William Parry. Plans to attack Lepanto. Insubordination. Frustrated plans and disappointment. A serious collapse. | ||
| 21. | Heights of Glory. 1824 | 118 |
| A Greek loan floated. Byron’s spirit revives. A fatal ride. An attack of fever. Dr. Milligen and Dr. Bruno. No improvement. Anxiety. Dr. Treiber and Dr. Lucca Vaya. Byron fails to respond to treatment. Easter Day. His last words. The death of Byron. Honour for the dead. The place of burial. His body is embalmed, and sent back to England on the Florida. News of his death reaches London. The grief of his friends. Arrangements made for interment in the family vault at Hucknall Torkard. Funeral procession. The journey to Nottingham. His body laid to rest—July 16th, 1824. | ||
| 22. | The Byron Vault | 128 |
| The position of the vault. The opening of the vault. The size of the vault. The three stacks of coffins. The identification of Byron’s coffin. The chest containing the Urn. The coffin of Lady Lovelace. The Coronets. Inscriptions. The coffins of The Wicked Lord, William the fourth Lord Byron, and Frances his wife. Joe Murray. | ||