John Murray VII, chairman of the publishing house, said claims Lord Byron fended off women with dog fur have been kept alive since the poet died in 1824, The Times of London reported Sunday.

Murray said the hair "sometimes belonged to his beloved dog Boatswain. Byron was devoted to Boatswain and to send the women his hair was his little joke."

Archives from the publishing house, which was founded 1768, are examined in a book to be published in July titled "The Seven Lives of John Murray," the Times said.

It is reported the archives feature at least 100 locks of hair that belonged Byron's female admirers.