The Byron Chronicle a History ef THE BYRON and BYROM FAMILIES 1066 - 1800 by MARK BENNETT BYRON III Published by Mark Bennett Byron III The Byron Chronicle By the same author DESCENDANTS OF HENRY BYROM OF VIRGINIA TO HELEN NOW A BYRON ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To list all those on both sides of the Atlantic who have given of their time, thought and effort to make this book possible would require more pages than the text. Many I have known personally, others I hope to meet. Some are no longer with us but deserve mention. Helen Byrom Griggs (1869-1947) of Penn Yan, N.Y. Her father, born near Wigan, Lancashire, England, assisted in her thorough studies of 16th and 17th cen­ tury records. Her corrections in the genealogy of the Byrom families pre­ pared for the Chetham Society by Canon Raines were most helpful. Seymour Byrom of Byromville, Ga. With infinite patience he has been collecting family data since 1912. Now in his 85th year his interest and perception are as keen as ever. Sad news: Seymour Byrom died 31 July 1965. Professor W.H.Thomson B.A. of Man­ chester, England. Now in his 85th year he is the author of two volumes on "The Byroms of Manchester." Lt. Col. J.L.B.Leicester-Warren of Tabley House, near Knutsford, Cheshire, England. This book is more interesting because of his kind permission to repro­ duce the portrait of Sir John first Lord Byron by Dobson and the emblems from King Charles' standard carried at the Battle of Edgehill. R. Sharpe France, Lancashire Record vi Office, Preston, Lanes., England. A willing and careful reporter of facts transmitted with an economy of words that made his letters most welcome. Rev. John Mills, Anglican Vicar of Prescot Parish, Lanes., England. He provided vital statistics on 17th cen­ tury Byroms despite the difficulty in deciphering old records. To these go my thanks for their gra­ cious assistance and constructive sug­ gestions: Oliver Millar, Dep. Surveyor, Queen's Pictures, St. James Palace, Lon­ don. Claude Blair, Victoria & Albert Musuem, London, Philip Barbour, Newtown, Conn., author of "The Three Worlds of Captain John Smith" for research assistance. Hester Chapman, London, author of "Trag­ edy of Charles II." W. Reid, The Armouries, H.M.Tower of Lon­ don. W.R.Ward, Sec. Chetham Society, Manches­ ter, England. Miss Mary Pettman, National Portrait Gallery, London. Miss Angela Rowe, British Travel Associ­ ation, London. A.C.Cooper, Ltd., Photographers, London. Harry Milligan, photographer for Man­ chester Public Libraries, Manchester, England. Robert E. Wilkinson, Norwalk, Conn. for photographic and research assistance. Mrs. Marion Platt Mcilwain, Wilton, Conn. This book is more acceptable to readers because of her careful attention to punctuation and accurate typing. Librarians everywhere have been a nev­ er ending source of information cheer- vii fully given. Some I know only through correspondence, others I have met and respect for their intelligent assist­ ance: Miss Eleanor Street, Westport Public Library, Westport, Conn. and her able staff, Miss E. Ruth Adams, Miss Elsie B. Eagles, and Mrs. Susan Pitkin. Stanley Crane, Head Librarian, Pequot Library, Southport, Conn. Harry P. Harrison, Yale University Li­ brary, New Haven, Conn. David E. Gerard, City Librarian, Not­ tingham, England. C.P.Bowem, Central Library, Guildford, Surrey, England. E.H.Lowe, City Librarian, Central Public Library, Lancaster, England. H.C.Caistor, Chief Librarian, Central Library, St. Helens, Lanes., England. W.D.Grant A.LA. Cheshire County Library, Bredbury, England. M. Carrick and Miss Winefred Price, Liver­ pool Public Library, Liverpool, England. Miss Mary Lemmon, Local History Librari­ an, Manchester Public Library, England. Miss Hilda Lofthouse, Chetham's Library, Manchester, England. To all of these I am grateful. So many have contributed so much that I feel less like an author and more like an early scribe must have felt transcribing in ancient records the names and dates provided by others. I found very few errors in these records and hope my read­ ers may say the same. Mark Byron Weston, Conn. 1 October 1965 viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments vi Preface 1 Part I The Feudal Barons 3 Part II Byron 21 Part III Byrom Origin 75 Part IV Byrom of Byrom 81 Part V Byrom of Salford 123 Part VI Byrom of Manchester 139 Part VII Byrom of Parr 165 Part VIII Byrom of Cheshire 173 Part IX Byrom of Virginia 175 Appendix 213 Bibliography 215 Index 219 ENCLOSURES folded to book size A 1610 Map of Lancashire and Byron Pedigree B Byrom of Byrom and Byrom of Manchester Pedigrees C Byrom of Salford, Byrom of Parr and Byrom of Virginia Pedigrees ix CHANGES IN SPELLING THE NAME Undergoing changes about 1200, Burun became Byron and Byrom. After 1600, By­ rom was sometimes spelled Byram, mostly in New England. After 1750, many in North Carolina and Tennessee used Byrum. All were of the same family origin. CALENDAR DATES Until the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1588 the new year began on March 25 and the dates between January 1 and March 25 were expressed in this man­ ner: (1) 4 Jan. 1590/1 (2) 6 Feb. 1596/7 (3) 10 March 1602/3 It was not until 1751 that acceptance and usage of the New Style dating in England permitted the omission of the reference to the Old Style date. To avoid confusion, New Style dating is followed throughout this book omit­ ting any reference to the earlier year. Thus, example #3 shown above would be expressed as 10 March 1603. HISTORICAL REFERENCES Wherever possible, excerpts from the actual pages of historical references have been photographically reproduced as shown on a number of the following pages. As you read these older references you are, in effect, looking over the author's shoulder and seeing them first-hand. X PREFACE Before we study our early English ancestors who were of Norman descent it might be well to delve deeper into his­ tory for a better understanding of this race who conquered and at one time held large areas of early Europe. The early Normans were Norsemen who in the 7th and 8th centuries came out of the North, entered the Seine River and periodically ravaged what is now north­ ern France. This brief description will help us to know them better. EARLY NORMANS In 911 Rolf, Chief of the Normans was a descendant of the Danes who had conquered_ Normandy a hundred years ear­ lier. He died in 927 and was succeeded by his son William who was assassinated in 942 by the Count of Flanders. During the minority of his successor, Duke Richard, King Louis IV made an expedi­ tion into Normandy and was captured by the inhabitants of Rouen and handed over to Hugh the Great. In 958 Duke Richard married Hugh the Great's daughter and.died in 996. His son, Richard II rule~ Normandy from 996 to 1026 and was succeeded by his son Richard III who was poisoned in 1027 presumably by his brother, Robert the Magnificent who succeeded him and ruled until 1035. In that year Duke Robert 1 died on a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem leav­ ing as his heir his illegitimate son William. In 1054 William the Bastard married Matilda, daughter of Baldwin, Count of Flanders. (Enc.Brit. 1911 Ed.) In 1066 Duke William crossed the Eng­ lish Channel and defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings. His followers were rewarded with land grants in all parts of England and many of them named their children for their liege lords. During the time of William the Con­ queror important families took their names from the areas they ruled or the lands they held. The Normans in England continued to identify themselves with their lands thus we find Sir John Byron of Clayton and Sir Henry Byrom of Byrom following this custom. 2 Part! De Burun The Feudal Barons This intrdduction to the early ances­ tors of the Byron and Byrom families is taken from "Hucknall Torkard Church, Its History and Byron Associations" by T. G. Barber wherein he writes: "The association of the Byron family with Hucknall Torkard dates back to the 11th Century. Two members of the family came over with William the Conqueror, and settled in England. "Of Erneis de Buron, who held lands in York and Lincoln, we hear little. Ralph de Buron, the ancestor of the Poet, is mentioned in Domesday Book (1088) as a landowner in Hochenale (Hucknall Torkard). The entry is as follows:-- "Ralph de Burun's Land (Manor).-­ In Hochenale Ulchet had 12 bovates of land to the geld. Land for 2 ploughs. There Osmund, Ralph's man, has one plough, and 5 vil­ leins have 3½ ploughs. Wood for pannage (pig's food), one league in length, and half a league in breadth. In King Edward's time it was worth 30 shillings. Now it is worth 15 shillings.'" Hucknall Torkard is six or seven miles north of Nottingham and about fif­ teen miles from Derby. This area was the scene of numerous historical events in which the Byrons participated provid­ ing many interesting ·and valuable refer- 3 Church of St. Mary Magdalene Built at the end of the eleventh century it was restored and enlarged at the end of the nineteenth century. 4 ences for this distinguished family. A much older reference is found in Thoroton's "Antiquities of Nottingham­ shire" published in 1677 wherein he com­ ments on the early Byrons: "The first was Ralph de Burun shown in the book of Domesday, Section XI, made in the latter part of the reign of King William the Conqueror to have had in Derbyshire the manors of Westune, Horseley, Denebi, Halum and Herdebi: in the park of Horseley there was a castle, some of the ruines whereof are yet visible, called Horestan Castle which was the chief mansion of his next successors." Horestan Castle in Horsley Park, held by Ralph de Burun, was later known as Horsley Castle.