You know Lord Byron even if you’ve never read his work. He’s a lovable rogue who shocked and inspired.
Known taking a pet bear to Oxford, Byron is remembered for his stunning poetry (as well as his staunch support for an independent Greece). It really comes as no surprise that the poet was heavily influenced by the adventures of Foul-Weather Jack (Vice-Admiral John Byron), a tenacious and kindhearted man that faced insurmountable, often impossible odds.
This man also happened to be Byron’s grandfather.
Before the Moniker: John Byron’s Early Life
In 1740, midshipman John Byron set sail onboard the HMS Wager at just sixteen years old. During his time on the ship, which lasted until May 1741, Byron would face unstable leadership, treacherous weather, and a disease which turned the skin black and reopened old wounds. John Byron’s time aboard this boat was deeply unpleasant, and although he was considered a ‘gentleman’ he was still only a boy. His position in society did nothing for his experience, and he was worked as hard as everyone else. It was said that the souls on the boat had to work as one body in order to overcome the worst of the seas. But as funerals increased, the ship remained the same size. The workload only got heavier for those that were still able to carry the burden.
The subsequent shipwreck took place off the coast of Patagonia in what would be called Cheap’s Bay on Wager Island, a dark and dangerous land filled with deep twisting forests and rolling mountains. In total, the crew of HMS Wager would remain on the Island for seven months. They would manage to build a makeshift community from the shipwreck complete with buildings and roads, with a structure that mirrored the one expected from them by the Navy.
Despite this, the reality was that they would all perish if not for reaching civilisation. Rations were slim, and the crew could not get over the idea that they were being stalked by a wild - yet illusive - beast that the men reported to have heard circling the camp. Most of what they had were what was salvaged from the ship, as well as any morsels of food that they could scavenge. John Byron himself would write that the castaways were “reduced to the most dreadful extremity of hunger…” and that they were “…forced to eat whatever we could pick up along the shore, such as shellfish, seaweed, and sometimes seals…”
And when there was nothing, or not enough, the most taboo of all human endeavours was considered. Something that would go on to inspire these lines from his grandson:
Moreover, Wager Island would go on to be considered haunted. It was said that a crewmember, murdered early on and left unburied, turned fortune itself against them. It wasn’t until Byron and Captain Cheap attempted to escape but were forced to return to the island, that the poor soul was buried once and for all.
It was only now that their fortunes would change. Byron and Cheap would come across an indigenous group, locals that guided that guided them to the nearest settlement, wherein they would soon become prisoners of the Spanish in various colonies across the continent. It wasn’t until hostilities had died down, that Spanish governors allowed the pair to go home.
A liberated John Byron and Cheap, the captain to which he had been loyal for so many years, finally made it back to England.
The unlucky midshipman was now twenty-two.
Court Martial
During their time on the island, murder and mutiny had occurred, in which fingers were pointing in all directions. One group that has separated from Cheap and left him for dead on the island had made it back to England some years prior. The leaders had spun their own narrative of the captain’s incompetence, declaring that the mutiny was completely legal and above board. But not Cheap was back, the admiralty called for a court martial, and no one was safe.
Tensions built until the day finally arrived. The crew, who really didn’t know which way things would go were faced with an admiralty reluctant to make much noise, brushing most of the accusations under the rug.
If anyone looking for a comprehensive understanding of the events surrounding HMS Wager and how anybody could have survived, I would recommend ‘The Wager’ by David Grann, which is available for £10.99 at Waterstones at the time this article was published.
Becoming Foul-Weather Jack
After the court martial, Byron was kept on with the Navy. He would steadily climb the ranks, and became known for his endurance, ability to adapt, and notably for treating the men underneath him extremely well in comparison to his counterparts. Eventually Byron was tasked with Circumnavigating the globe, which he accomplished, making sure to stop in Patagonia to search for survivors of The Wager that may have never made it out of the region.
It was whilst circumnavigating the globe that he became known as Foul-Weather Jack, as his expeditions were continually met with terrible weather and straight-up bad luck.
Despite this, he would become incredibly successful, including in his capturing of the Falkland Islands for the British Empire.
Muse to the Poet
Foul-Weather Jack’s life would become a point of fascination for Lord Byron, who poured over his grandfather’s personal records of shipwreck and conquest. The vice-admiral’s life inspired many of the characters in Byron’s work – including Don Juan.
I find it fascinating how chance has a hand in almost all things. If John Byron hadn't survived the shipwreck and subsequent imprisonment, we wou;dn't have had the poet, the poems, or the poet's daughter: Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer.