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Thus, the stories of Ada, Countess Lovelace, and that of her mother, Annabella, Lady

Byron, have been significantly rewritten by feminism. They significantly enlivened the
intellectual life of early Victorian England, and, with Babbage, played a unique part in
computer history.

In future sessions we will further explore other “isms” and the idea of thymos, the
drive to win the respect and regard of others. On a personal level, their letters show
that Ada and Charles met this need for each other. Feminism, the idea that all
women deserve to be accorded equal dignity with men and have their achievements

recognised, has rescued Ada from obscurity. We will explore in future sessions how
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thymos helps us to understand other “isms” of the 19 century.

Ada, Charles and Annabella: last years
During Ada’s last years, she and Babbage remained friends. As Countess Lovelace, her
aristocratic status helped her to enjoy friendships with leading scientists and
intellectuals, including Dickens and Faraday. She also ran up debts betting on race

horses and had to be bailed out by her mother. During her last illness with ovarian
cancer, her mother, Lady Byron, moved in, and they fell out over who was allowed to
visit. Ada’s revenge was to insist on being buried next to her father, Lord Byron, at
Newstead Abbey. Her mother did not attend the funeral. Nor did Babbage, perhaps
not wishing to upset Lady Byron.

Annabella Lady Byron died of breast cancer on May 16, 1860. It was said that when
Lord Byron was on his deathbed in 1824, he spoke a message to his servant to be

communicated to Annabella, but unfortunately the servant couldn’t understand what
he’d said. It was also said that after Byron’s death, Lady Byron bought the manuscript
of his autobiography from the publisher, and destroyed it.

Charles Babbage worked on his Analytical Engine for the rest of his life. He never built
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it, and died aged 80 in 1871. He left enough plans, notes and models to enable 20
century experts to build two replica Difference Engines; they work.

Do computers have an inner life? So far, no computer has passed “The Lovelace
Test”.