±«Óãtv

Susannah Harker reads from the story of how, within three generations, the illustrious family of poet Lord Byron disintegrated into adultery, debt, elopement, coercion and murder.

In 1798, a small, bewildered boy of ten from Aberdeen – whom the world would later come to know as Lord Byron, the Romantic poet, soldier, and adventurer – first laid eyes on Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire, the Byron family seat he had just inherited. His family, he would come to learn, had in recent decades become infamous for almost unfathomable levels of scandal and impropriety, from elopement, murder, and kidnapping to adultery, coercion, and thrilling near-death experiences at sea. Just as it had shocked the society of Georgian London, the outlandish and scandalous story of the Byrons – and the myths that began to rise around it – would influence his life and poetry for posterity.

In this third episode,we hear the story of Lord Byron’s great aunt Isabella whose glittering life as Countess of Carlisle and chatelaine of Castle Howard disintegrated into adultery, elopement, scandal and debt.

A clever and attractive woman, at 21 Isabella married the fantastically wealthy 48 year-old Henry, Earl of Carlisle who was already a grandfather. Despite rumours of Isabella’s flirtations, it was a happy marriage, but after Henry’s death, Isabella’s turbulent love life and poor judgement led her into a life of spiralling debt and infamy in Britain, France and Italy.

Written by Emily Brand
Abridged and produced by Jane Greenwood
Read by Susannah Harker
A Loftus Media production for ±«Óãtv Radio 4