William, 1st Earl of Craven | |
|---|---|
_by_Gerrit_van_Honthorst.jpg) William Craven, 1st Earl of Cravenc. 1647 | |
| Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex | |
| In office 1670–1697 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 June 1608 (baptised) |
| Died | 9 April 1697(1697-04-09) (aged 88) |
| Resting place | St Bartholomew's Church, Binley |
| Parent(s) | William & Elizabeth Craven |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Soldier and courtier |
| Military service | |
| Battles/wars |
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William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven,PC (26 June 1608 – 9 April 1697) was one of the wealthiest peers inEngland, who spent much of his fortune supporting the exiledElizabeth of Bohemia.
Although he did not participate in theWars of the Three Kingdoms, Craven was sympathetic to theRoyalist cause, and lent large sums of money toCharles II of England prior to theStuart Restoration in May 1660. He was rewarded with a variety of government posts, includingLord Lieutenant of Middlesex. He died inLondon on 9 April 1697, and was buried inBinley, Coventry.
William Craven was born inLondon and baptised on 26 June 1608, eldest son ofWilliam Craven (1545-1618),Lord Mayor of London in 1610, and his wife Elizabeth (died 1624), sister ofGeorge Whitmore, Lord Mayor in 1631. In addition to William, they had two sons and three daughters, including Mary (1599-1634), Elizabeth (1600-1662), andJohn (1610-1648).[1]
Craven never married. On his death, his titles and estates were inherited by a distant relative,William Craven, 2nd Baron Craven.
The elder Craven became immensely wealthy lending money to the Crown, and when William inherited his fortune in 1624, he became of the wealthiest men inEngland.[1] Like many of his contemporaries, Craven was a firm supporter of theProtestant cause inEurope, especially that of the exiledFrederick V of Bohemia. He enteredTrinity College, Oxford in 1623, but left shortly after to serve in theEighty Years War between theDutch Republic andSpain.[2]
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In March 1632, Craven was seriously wounded in the capture ofBad Kreuznach, where his courage was recognised byGustavus Adolphus of Sweden.[3] At theBattle of Vlotho in October 1638, he was wounded and taken prisoner along withPrince Rupert of the Rhine.[4] Later ransomed for £20,000, Craven remained in Europe during theWars of the Three Kingdoms, but supportedCharles I financially. This meant following their victory in 1646,Parliament confiscated his property atCaversham Park inOxfordshire. After the May 1660Stuart Restoration, Elizabeth of Bohemia remained in the Netherlands, while Craven accompanied Charles II to London, charged with looking after her interests.[5] He planned building a vast palace for her atHamstead Marshall in Berkshire with a hunting lodge nearby atAshdown House, Oxfordshire,[6] but she died before construction began, leaving Craven her paintings and papers.[7]
After the Restoration, he was rewarded with several court offices and given an earldom. He was granted a share in theColony of Carolina and served as one of its Lords Proprietors.Craven County, North Carolina, is named for him.
As a Privy Councillor, he seems to have been diligent enough:Samuel Pepys in his Diary regularly mentions his attendance at the committee forTangier and his chairing of the Committee on Fisheries. In the latter role Pepys was rather shocked by his bawdy language which Pepys thought improper in a councillor (though perhaps natural in an old soldier). In 1678, we read of his presence at the historic Council meeting whereTitus Oates first publicised thePopish Plot. In December 1680, Craven was sent to investigate and seize 'Papist Arms'.[8] Pepys's attitude to Craven varies in the Diary – on the one hand, he calls him a coxcomb and criticises his chairing of the Fisheries Committee; at other times he is glad that Craven is his "very good friend".
Whatever Pepys's opinion of him, Craven earned the lasting respect and gratitude of the people of London during theGreat Plague of 1665 when, unlike the great majority of noblemen, who fled to the country, he remained in London, helping to maintain order and donating property for burial grounds. He set upThe Earl Craven's Pest House Charity, with a dedicated isolation hospital in Soho. By 1687, it was operating as apoorhouse. After Craven's death, and with the plague years past, the house was sold and the funds used to support other charitable projects.[9]
During theGlorious Revolution, on the evening of 17 December 1688, Craven, as colonel of theColdstream Guards, was on guard duty with his soldiers, protecting KingJames II atWhitehall Palace, whenHendrik Trajectinus, Count of Solms, commanding three battalions loyal tothe Prince of Orange, came to take military possession of the surroundings of the palace. Craven swore that he would be cut to pieces rather than submit, but James, when he heard what was happening, ordered Craven to withdraw.[10]
Craven died on 9 April 1697 aged 88 in London.[1]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)| Military offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Colonel of theColdstream Regiment of Foot Guards 1670–1689 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Custos Rotulorum of Berkshire 1634–1689 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Custos Rotulorum of Middlesex 1669–1689 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex 1670–1689 | |
| Peerage of England | ||
| New title | Baron Craven 1626–1697 | Succeeded by |
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