Famous 19th century Romantic poet George Noel Gordon Byron - more commonly known today as ‘Lord Byron’ - was once described by novelist Lady Caroline Lamb as “mad, bad, and dangerous to know”, and there is no greater proof of this than the man’s choice of animal companion during his time studying at Trinity College Cambridge.
On the back of a rule imposed by the university stating that pet dogs were banned from the campus, Lord Byron thought outside of the box. A lover of animals, Byron studied the rules and found the ultimate loophole: there were no rules against keeping a pet bear on campus!
Lord Byron located and purchased a tame bear - thought to have been trained for the circus - and could often be seen walking them around the university campus, or taking them on day trips and coach rides (wearing one of Lord Byron’s hats!). Despite the university’s regulations, Lord Byron’s flouting of the rules worked out in his favour and the bear remained with him during his time at Cambridge. He was even known to joke about making the bear a student, suggesting they should either sit for or be awarded a fellowship at the university due to their frequent attendance!
After Lord Byron’s time in education, they eventually made their home together in Newstead Abbey, with plenty of room for the bear to roam free across the gardens! Although there is no record of the bear being formally named during Lord Byron’s time, they have since become known as either ‘Bruin’ or ‘Daisy’, and Lord Byron’s defiance allowed them to become one of the most well known bears in history!
Photo from susannahfullerton.com.au