George Gordon Noel Byron, sixth Baron Byron, was born on January 22, 1788, into a family of fast-decaying nobility. Captain "Mad Jack" Byron was a "gold digger," marrying Catherine Gordon chiefly for her annual income. After spending most of her money and fathering George, he died in 1791. George was left with an unbalanced mother, the contempt of his aristocratic relatives for the poor widow and her son, and a birth defect necessitating that he walk on the balls and toes of his feet for the res...