John Murray Publishers, in same location since Byron’s time.
In what some describe as the biggest literary crime in history, after Byron’s death, his friends and his publisher, John Murray, decided that the memoirs they acquired after Byron’s death were so scandalous that they should never reach the eyes of the reading public. And so, they were burned.
The episode is reimagined in my story, which like in Emily’s Secret, has a side-by-side tale of Byron’s life and liaison with Caro and other aspects of his life. The result is My Lady Caroline, a ghost story.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. When Bonnie and I landed at Gatwick airport, we were greeted by Alistair Scott, who turned out not to be a serial killer, not even a lunatic, but a lovely man with a passion for Caroline Lamb, Lord Byron and their history. He drove us directly to Brockett Hall, which is located on the opposite side of London.
Harrow on the Hill, attended by Byron.
En route, we learned that Alistair taught tennis at Harrow-on-the-Hill, the school Bryon attended. A bit of a Renaissance man, he also played in a band and had a musical persona, “Johnny Casanova.” He and his mum were consummate hosts and graciously invited Bonnie and me to stay with them while in London, and one night during our stay, we all went dancing at a club where he played.
Alistair was a member of one of London’s famous mens clubs, the In and Out, and invited Bonnie and I to dinner there during our stay. After dinner, in a private room, we experimented with a séance to try to contact Caro’s spirit, which was said to haunt the neighborhood, since her aunt, the Duchess of Devonshire, had lived nearby. I used this experience in writing My Lady Caroline, letting Caro appear to Allison in a séance. For Bonnie and me, we had no encounter with the spirit, but she communicated with Alistair after she shooed us out of the room. True!
Alistair also made arrangements for us to visit the publishing house of John Murray, still located at 50 Albemarle Street in Mayfair. In addition to publishing Byron’s works, the house published works by Sir Walter Scott, Jane Austen, and in later times Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Herman Melville, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Charles Darwin.
Bonnie next to the fireplace where Byron’s memoirs were burned.
Needless to say, we were in awe as we entered this literary sanctuary, in which hangs the famous portrait of Byron, directly over the fireplace where his memoirs were incinerated.
Besides feeding the muse, this journey left me with new understanding of this episode in England’s history, and a new friend in Alistair Scott.
From here, Bonnie and I headed north to Edinburgh in search of my next tale.
My Lady Caroline is available as an e-book, and also can be heard on Audible.
Alistair and me at Bryon memorial at Harrow.
Byron carved his name at the school.
Alistair and Margaret Scott, our hosts.
Alistair, second from left, rocks out with his band.