George Gordon Byron was born in 1788, the son of British Capt. John (“Mad Jack”) Byron and Catherine Gordon, a Scottish heiress. After John Byron squandered most of her fortune, Catherine Byron and her son lived on a meager income in Scotland. In 1798, at age 10, George unexpectedly inherited the title and estates of his great-uncle William, the 5th Baron Byron. His mother then took him to England, to Newstead Abbey, which had been presented to the Byrons by King Henry VIII. Byron attended Harrow School, one of England’s most prestigious schools, and later Trinity College, Cambridge.