Mr. Prothero tells us a great deal of Byron as a boy, and the influence his mother had in shaping his character. View Full Article in Timesmachine » Advertisement ...

It is even said that the mother's mistreatment was so much that she tried to beat him to death with fire tongs and even Byron's governess, May Gray, allegedly abused him when he was nine years old.

And despite the problems with his father, he had to put up with him so much that his mother Catherine Gordon hated him, so he called him a “lame bully” because of Byron's foot problems.