Byron was the son of Sir John Byron of Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire, and Anne Molyneux. His grandfather, another Sir
John Byron, had represented
Nottinghamshire in Parliament. The future first baron was educated at
Trinity College, Cambridge. He succeeded his father when the latter died on 28 September 1625. He was elected as MP for
Nottingham in 1624 and 1626. He was knighted in 1626 and was then elected as knight of the shire (MP) for
Nottinghamshire in 1628. He also served as
High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire for 1634 and then as
Lieutenant of the Tower of London, from December 1641 to February 1642. When the Civil War started, he joined the king at York and soon afterwards was commanding a troop of
Nottinghamshire Trained Band Horse at
Newark-on-Trent. He was engaged in the Royalists' cause throughout the Civil Wars and afterwards. After Byron distinguished himself at the
First Battle of Newbury King Charles created him
Baron Byron in October 1643 and made him commander of the Royalist forces in
Lancashire and
Cheshire. However, he was defeated at the
Battle of Nantwich in 1644 and forced to withdraw to Chester. He then marched with Prince Rupert's forces into Yorkshire and commanded the royalist right flank at the
Battle of Marston Moor in July 1644, but after his troops were routed by numerically superior parliamentarian forces he retreated to Carnarvon and resigned his command. He did, however, defend
Carnarvon Castle ably for the Royalist cause, withstanding long sieges before finally surrendering it to Parliamentary forces in 1646. Lord Byron died in 1652, childless, in exile in
Paris, and was succeeded by his next eldest brother
Richard Byron, 2nd Baron Byron (born 1606). ==Family==