Changing Faces of St Marylebone

Augustus Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (née Byron), lived in St Marylebone and her father, Lord Byron, was baptised in the third parish church building. Before becoming a resident Ada was a frequent visitor to the homes of Charles Babbage at 5 Devonshire Street and 1 Dorset Street.

Lovelace was unusually well-educated for a girl of her time, particularly in science and mathematics. Her passion and aptitude for maths led to her work on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, now recognised as an early model for a computer. She was the first person to recognise that the machine could be used for more than pure calculation. The algorithm she wrote for it may be the world’s first computer programme.

Lovelace was clearly a woman of great passions. Apart from her life’s work of science she was fascinated by betting on horses and formed a syndicate with male friends. She used her mathematical skills to create a model for successful large bids. Unfortunately it didn’t work and she incurred £3,000 of debt, a huge amount in the 1840s. Lovelace died aged only 36, of uterine cancer.