Anne Isabella Noel Byron (1792-1860)

Anne Isabella (Annabella) Noel Byron (née Milbanke) was an English mathematician. She married (and subsequently separated from) the poet Lord Byron and was mother to their daughter, Ada Lovelace whom she encouraged in the study of mathematics. Before their marriage, Lord Byron gave Annabella the nickname 'The Princess of Parallelograms'. 

Lady Byron was an extremely religious woman who supported prison reform and the abolition of slavery. She was one of very few women to attend the World Anti-Slavery Convention in 1840. She established Ealing Grove School for boys in 1833. 

"…who is an intimate friend of Mrs Stowe's"

In a letter written to Sampson Low on 3rd Janury 1860, four months before her death, Lady Byron refers to part of a letter written by the author Eliza Lee Cabot Follen (1787-1860) to Harriet Beecher Stowe and encloses a shilling owed. There are additional notes added on the back of her letter written by two others who seem unsure of the contents. 

Lady Byron and Harriet Beecher Stowe became friends and shortly before she died, Lady Byron shared the story of her life and marriage with Lord Byron to Mrs Stowe. At the time Mrs Stowe advised her to keep the information secret. In 1870 Mrs Stowe published Lady Byron's account in a controversial book titled 'Lady Byron vindicated: a history of the Byron controversy, from its beginning in 1816 to the present time'. It was published by Sampson Low but was criticised for indency and Mrs Stowe's popularity was damaged by its publication. 

View Lady Byron's letter [opens in a new window]

Image Rights: © National Portrait Gallery. By Walker & Boutall after Charles Hayter photogravure (1812) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/