William Byron, 5th Baron Byron William Byron, 5th Baron Byron William Byron, 5th Baron Byron (5 November 1722 – 19 May 1798), was a British nobleman, peer, politician, and great uncle of the poet George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron who succeeded him . As a result of a number of stories that arose after a duel, and then because of his financial difficulties, he became known as "the Wicked Lord" and "the Devil Byron". Byron was the son of William Byron, 4th Baron Byron and his wife Hon. Frances Berkeley, a descendant of John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton. He inherited his title
Lord Byron in popular culture plays con-man/thief-turned-FBI consultant Neal Caffrey, working under cover as substitute English teacher Mr. Cooper. During a class, Mr. Cooper has the class close their books and then recites Lord Byron's poem, "She Walks In Beauty"... Byron was the subject of a 1908 play, "Byron", by Alicia Ramsey, and its 1922 film adaptation "A Prince of Lovers", in which he was played by Howard Gaye. Tom Stoppard's play "Arcadia" revolves around a modern researcher's attempts to find out what made Byron leave the country, while Howard Brenton's play "Bloody Poetry" features Byron, in addition to Polidori, the Shelleys and Claire Clairmont.