Richard Byron, 2nd Baron Byron (1606 – 4 October 1679) was an English nobleman,

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

, politician, peer, knight, and supporter of

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

Life

Byron was the son of John Byron (died 1652) and Anne Molyneux, and grandson of parliamentarian Sir

John Byron (died 1623) Sir John Byron (c. 1562–1623) of Colwick and Newstead, Nottinghamshire, and Clayton, Lancashire, was a Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire in 1597. Byron was the son of Sir John Byron (died 1600) and his wife Alice Strelley. He marrie ...

. He fought in the

Battle of Edgehill The Battle of Edgehill (or Edge Hill) was a pitched battle of the First English Civil War. It was fought near Edge Hill, Warwickshire, Edge Hill and Kineton in southern Warwickshire on Sunday, 23 October 1642. All attempts at constitution ...

as a "Valiant Colonel", and was knighted in 1642. He also graduated from

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

, in 1642 with a Master of Arts (MA). He held the office of Governor of Newark,

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

. He held the office of Governor of

Appleby Castle Appleby Castle is in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland overlooking the River Eden (). It consists of a 12th-century castle keep which is known as Caesar's Tower, and a mansion house. These, together with their associated buildings, are set ...

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland''R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref>) is an area of North West England which was Historic counties of England, historically a county. People of the area ...

. He succeeded to the title of 2nd

Baron Byron Baron Byron, of Rochdale in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1643 by letters patent for Sir John Byron, a Cavalier general and former Member of Parliament. The peerage was created with ...

in 1652 upon the death of his brother

John Byron, 1st Baron Byron John Byron, 1st Baron Byron (1599 – 23 August 1652) was an English nobleman, Royalist, politician, peer, knight, and supporter of Charles I during the English Civil War. Life Byron was the son of Sir John Byron of Newstead Abbey, Nottingh ...

. Lord Byron died in 1679 and was succeeded by his son

William Byron, 3rd Baron Byron William Byron, 3rd Baron Byron (1636 – 13 November 1695) was an English nobleman, peer, politician, and a poet. Life Byron was the son of Richard Byron, 2nd Baron Byron and Elizabeth Rossell. He succeeded to the title of 3rd Baron Byron i ...

(born 1636).

Family

Lord Byron married Elizabeth Rossell, daughter of Gervase Rossell and Margaret Whalley. They had six children, including

(1636–1695) and Hon. Catherine Byron, who married Sir William Stanhope He married Elizabeth Booth, daughter of Sir George Booth, 1st Baronet and Katharine Anderson, after 1651. No children resulted. One of Lord Byron's younger brothers was the Royalist soldier Sir Robert Byron.

References

Richard Byron, 2nd Baron Byron
at thepeerage.com (accessed 26 November 2009) {{DEFAULTSORT:Byron, Richard Byron, 2nd Baron 1606 births 1679 deaths 17th-century English nobility

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

Alumni of the University of Oxford Cavaliers Barons Byron