Ada Lovelace

Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852), born Augusta Ada Byron, World's First Programmer.

Authors


Written 2010 by Will Johnson
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Numbers assigned below in the headings, using the Ahnentafel system

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Ancestor Jump Table
Ancestor Jump Table
1 Ada Augusta Byron 2 George, 6th Lord Byron 3 Anna, Baroness Wentworth 4 John Byron 5 Catherine Gordon
6 Ralph Noel, of Halnaby, 6th Bnt 7 Judith Noel  8 John Byron
 9 Sophia Trevanion
 10 George Gordon of Gight
 11 Katherine Innes
 12 Ralph Milbanke, 5th Bnt
 13 Elizabeth Hedworth
 14 Edward Noel, 1st Viscount Wentworth
 15 Judith Lamb

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1 Ada Augusta Byron
Ada Augusta (Bryon) King
Countess of Lovelace
Source:Wikimedia.org

Ada Augusta Byron was born 10 Dec 1815 at Piccadilly Terrace, London, the daughter of George Gordon Byron (1788-1824), 6th Lord Byron (from 1798) and his wife Anne Isabella "Annabella" Milbanke (1793-1860), Baroness Wentworth suo jure (from 1856).  She was baptized on the 20th at St George's, Hanover Square.

Her father George was that author Lord Byron who had recently become quite famous due to the publication of the first part of his long poem "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage", through the efforts of his literary agent and relative Robert Charles Dallas.  Certainly his best-known work of that time, first published in March of 1812, but eventually superseded by his much later poem "Don Juan", which scandalized England.

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Ada's mother Annabella was fond of theology and mathematics and a writer of poems,  Byron describes her as having fair skin, a perfect figure and modest manners.

Ada never knew her father.  Her parents had married in Jan 1815 at Seaham, her father's residence.  Initially very happy, their marriage broke down within a year.  Just a month after Ada was born, Annabella and Ada went back to her parent's home at Kirkby Mallory, and Byron a few months later left England for the Continent, never to return again.  Although Byron is said to have had other children, she was his only legitimate child.  (cf: DNB, Vol VIII, pp132-155, "Byron, George Gordon")  Annabella believed Byron might be insane and had a list of symptoms examined.  A much later story that they separated because he had been having an affair with his half-sister, which did not come out until after Annabella's death, is belied by letters from Annabella herself.  The more likely cause is simply Byron's conflicted mind, which at times caused rages, and his misanthropy to actual women, juxtaposed with his vision of perfection.  Byron died in 1824 in Greece, but his body was brought back to England, and buried at Hucknall. (cf: The Complete Peerage Vol 2, p99 "Byron")

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From an early age, Ada studied mathematics, an interest which she would retain her entire life.

On 8 July 1835 at Fordbrooke in Ealing, co Mdx (the residence of her mother), she married as his first wife, William King (b. 1805), 8th Baron King, created later, in 1838 1st Earl of Lovelace. They lived at Ockham Park, Surrey and also in London.  Upon her marriage she was styled "Lady King" and after William was elevated, she became the Countess of Lovelace.  Ada and William had three children:

"During a nine-month period in 1842–43, Lovelace translated Italian mathematician Luigi Menabrea's memoir on Babbage's newest proposed machine, the Analytical Engine. With the article, she appended a set of notes.  The notes are longer than the memoir itself and include (Section G), in complete detail, a method for calculating a sequence of Bernoulli numbers with the Engine, which would have run correctly had the Analytical Engine ever been built. Based on this work, Lovelace is now widely credited with being the first computer programmer and her method is recognized as the world's first computer program." (Wikipedia)

Ada died v.m. on 29 November 1852, age 36 at Marylebone, London, from uterine cancer and bloodletting.

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External Links
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2 George Gordon Byron, 6th Lord Byron
George Gordon, Lord Byron
Source: Wikimedia.org


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3 Anna, Baroness Wentworth
Anne Isabella "Annabella" Milbanke was born 17 May 1792, the daughter of Sir Ralph Milbanke, Bnt., and Lady Judith Noel, the sister and co-heir of Thomas Noel, the last Viscount Wentworth.  Anne was her parent's sole heiress.  She was fond of theology and mathematics and a writer of poems,  Byron describes her as having fair skin, a perfect figure and modest manners.  In her obituary she is called "... an elegant blonde with a pleasing countenance...."

She married on 2 Jan 1815 at Seaham, her father's residence.  Initially very happy, their marriage broke down within a year.  Just a month after their only child Ada was born, Annabella and Ada went back to her parent's home at Kirkby Mallory. Byron a few months later, left England for the Continent, never to return again.  Although Byron is said to have had other children, she was his only legitimate child.  (cf: DNB, Vol VIII, pp132-155, "Byron, George Gordon")  Annabella believed Byron might be insane and had a list of symptoms examined.  A much later story that they separated because he had been having an affair with his half-sister, which did not come out until after Annabella's death, is belied by letters from Annabella herself.  The more likely cause is simply Byron's conflicted mind, which at times caused rages, and his misanthropy to actual women, juxtaposed with his vision of perfection.  Byron died in 1824 in Greece, but his body was brought back to England, and buried at Hucknall. (cf: The Complete Peerage Vol 2, p99 "Byron")  Anne never re-married.

"The remainder of her life was passed in works of active charity and enlightened benevolence. ... liberal to munificence.... constant, sincere, and warm-hearted.... Undeterred by prejudice..." (Obit.)

She died 16 May 1860 "at her house in" St George's Terrace, Regent's Park, Middlesex; aged 67, of a bronchial infection.  In her obituary, she is styled "Right Hon. Anne Isabella, Lady Noel Byron, Baroness Wentworth."

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External Links

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4 John Byron

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5 Catherine Gordon

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6 Ralph Noel, of Halnaby, 6th Bnt
Ralph Milbanke was the eldest son of Ralph Milbanke, 5th Baronet. Knighted. Changed surname to Noel.  Sixth baronet of Halnaby in Darlington, co York.

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7 Judith Noel

8 John Byron

9 Sophia Trevanion

10 George Gordon of Gight

11 Katherine Innes

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12 Ralph Milbanke, 5th Bnt
Ralph Milbanke was born in 1723, the eldest son of Ralph Milbanke, 4th Baronet.  Knighted. Fifth baronet. MP Richmond. High Sheriff Yorkshire 1753.  He died 8 Jan 1793 and was buried at Croft.

13 Elizabeth Hedworth

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14 Edward Noel, 1st Viscount Wentworth
Edward Noel was born 1715.  He was Baron Wentworth from 1745 and then created 1st Viscount Wentworth of Wellesborough in 1762.  He died in 1774.

15 Judith Lamb

16 William Byron, 4th Lord Byron
17 Frances Berkeley
18 John Trevanion
19 Barbara Berkeley
20 Alexander Gordon, of Gight
21 Margaret Duff
22 Alexander Innes, of Rosieburn
23 Katherine Abercromby

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24 Ralph Milbanke, of Halnaby, 4th Baronet
Ralph Milbanke, married firstly to Elizabeth Darcy who died Oct 1720.  He married secondly, shortly afterward to Anne Delaval.  They were the parents of Ralph Milbanke, 5th Bnt and also of Mark Milbanke, Governor of Newfoundland.

25 Anne Delaval
Anne Delaval was baptized 8 Sep 1702.  She married shortly after Oct 1720 to Ralph Milbanke of Halnaby, co York; 4th Baronet.  They were the parents of Ralph Milbanke, 5th Bnt and also of Mark Milbanke, Governor of Newfoundland.  Anne died 21 Mar 1765.

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26 John Hedworth, of Chester-le-Street
John Hedworth, esq and MP; of Chester-le-Street in Durham.

27 Unknown Woman
28 Unknown Man
29 Unknown Woman
30 William Lamb, of Wilby
31 Unknown Woman