Elizabeth Medora Leigh
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Medora Leigh was the third daughter of Augusta Leigh
. It is widely speculated that she was fathered by her mother's half-brother Lord Byron
, although her mother's husband Colonel George Leigh was her official father.
Three days after her birth, Byron visited Augusta and the baby. He later wrote to a friend, Lady Melbourne
: "Oh! but is 'worth while' — I can't tell you why — and it is not an Ape and if it is — that must be my fault." There was a folk belief, common in the 19th century, that a child born of incest
would be an ape. (Benita Eisler, Byron: Child of Passion, Fool of Fame 1999: 423). Byron was forced to go into exile as a result of the scandal surrounding his break-up from his wife Annabella Milbanke and his relationship with Augusta.
The child's middle name was taken from the heroine of Byron's poem The Corsair
. In the family, she was known as Elizabeth or "Libby", but she also later used the name Medora.
Medora Leigh's later life was a troubled one. As a teenager, she had an affair with her older sister Georgiana's husband Henry Trevanion, and ran away with him. Trevanion fathered her daughter Marie Violette, (19 May 1834 - 1873), who became a Roman Catholic nun
in France
in 1856 under the name "Sister St. Hilaire". Leigh and her daughter were supported financially and emotionally for a number of years by Byron's former wife, Annabella Milbanke and by Byron's only legitimate
daughter Ada Lovelace
. Milbanke told Lovelace that Leigh was her half-sister and had been fathered by Byron.
Leigh later had an affair with a French officer who abandoned her. She ultimately ended up with his servant, a former sergeant called Jean-Louis Taillefer with whom she went to live in south Aveyron (a hilly region in southwestern France) in Versols et Lapeyre (near St. Affrique and Sylvanes
). She bore Taillefer a son, Elie, (27 January 1846 - 29 January 1900). Leigh married Taillefer on 23 August 1848, legitimizing both children. She died in France on 28 August 1849 in Versols-et-Lapeyre
, where the grave can be visited.
Augusta Leigh
Augusta Maria Byron, later Augusta Maria Leigh , styled "The Honourable" from birth, was the only daughter of John "Mad Jack" Byron, the poet Lord Byron's father, by his first wife, Amelia Osborne .-Early...
. It is widely speculated that she was fathered by her mother's half-brother Lord Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, later George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron, FRS , commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was a British poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement...
, although her mother's husband Colonel George Leigh was her official father.
Three days after her birth, Byron visited Augusta and the baby. He later wrote to a friend, Lady Melbourne
Elizabeth Lamb, Viscountess Melbourne
Elizabeth Lamb, Viscountess Melbourne was an English political hostess and the wife of Whig politician Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne. She was the mother of William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne who became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom...
: "Oh! but is 'worth while' — I can't tell you why — and it is not an Ape and if it is — that must be my fault." There was a folk belief, common in the 19th century, that a child born of incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
would be an ape. (Benita Eisler, Byron: Child of Passion, Fool of Fame 1999: 423). Byron was forced to go into exile as a result of the scandal surrounding his break-up from his wife Annabella Milbanke and his relationship with Augusta.
The child's middle name was taken from the heroine of Byron's poem The Corsair
The Corsair
The Corsair was a semi-autobiographical tale in verse by Lord Byron in 1814 , which was extremely popular and influential in its day, selling ten thousand copies on its first day of sale...
. In the family, she was known as Elizabeth or "Libby", but she also later used the name Medora.
Medora Leigh's later life was a troubled one. As a teenager, she had an affair with her older sister Georgiana's husband Henry Trevanion, and ran away with him. Trevanion fathered her daughter Marie Violette, (19 May 1834 - 1873), who became a Roman Catholic nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1856 under the name "Sister St. Hilaire". Leigh and her daughter were supported financially and emotionally for a number of years by Byron's former wife, Annabella Milbanke and by Byron's only legitimate
Legitimacy (law)
At common law, legitimacy is the status of a child who is born to parents who are legally married to one another; and of a child who is born shortly after the parents' divorce. In canon and in civil law, the offspring of putative marriages have been considered legitimate children...
daughter Ada Lovelace
Ada Lovelace
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace , born Augusta Ada Byron, was an English writer chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer, the analytical engine...
. Milbanke told Lovelace that Leigh was her half-sister and had been fathered by Byron.
Leigh later had an affair with a French officer who abandoned her. She ultimately ended up with his servant, a former sergeant called Jean-Louis Taillefer with whom she went to live in south Aveyron (a hilly region in southwestern France) in Versols et Lapeyre (near St. Affrique and Sylvanes
Sylvanès
Sylvanès is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France.-Population:-External links:**...
). She bore Taillefer a son, Elie, (27 January 1846 - 29 January 1900). Leigh married Taillefer on 23 August 1848, legitimizing both children. She died in France on 28 August 1849 in Versols-et-Lapeyre
Versols-et-Lapeyre
Versols-et-Lapeyre is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France.-Geography:The hamlets of Versols and Lapeyre lie on the right bank of the Sorgues, which flows northwest through the middle of the commune.-Population:-References:*...
, where the grave can be visited.
See also
- Allegra ByronAllegra ByronClara Allegra Byron , initially named Alba, meaning "dawn," or "white," by her mother, was the illegitimate daughter of the poet George Gordon, Lord Byron and Claire Clairmont, the stepsister of Mary Shelley....
- George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron ByronGeorge Gordon Byron, 6th Baron ByronGeorge Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, later George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron, FRS , commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was a British poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement...
- Augusta LeighAugusta LeighAugusta Maria Byron, later Augusta Maria Leigh , styled "The Honourable" from birth, was the only daughter of John "Mad Jack" Byron, the poet Lord Byron's father, by his first wife, Amelia Osborne .-Early...
- Annabella Milbanke
- Ada LovelaceAda LovelaceAugusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace , born Augusta Ada Byron, was an English writer chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer, the analytical engine...