THE LORDS PROPRIETORS III
Gallant William Craven
«1/
WILLIAM S. POWELL
William Craven, whose father. Sir
William Craven, was lord mayor of
London, was born in 1606. Young
Craven is said to have been a member
of Trinity College. Oxford, but at the
age of sixteen he entered the service
of the Prince of Orange and disting¬
uished himself as a military officer.
After his return to England he was
knighted by Charles I on March 4.
later he was created Baron Craven of
Hampsted-Marshall. Berkshire, and a
short time later was named a member
of the permanent council of war.
Craven was one of the commanders
of the English forces sent to Germany
early in 1632 in an effort to restore
the deposed King and Oucen of Bo¬
hemia. The Oueen was Elizabeth,
daughter of James I. sister of Charles
I, and grandmother of George I. Crav¬
en was soon to devote himself wholly
to the service of the heroic Elizabeth.
In 1633 he scents to have been in Eng¬
land. however, for he was placed on
the council of Wales that year and
also created M.A. by Trinity College.
By 1637 he was again actively in the
service of the Oueen where he re¬
mained for the next quarter of a cen¬
tury. Me accompanied her two sons to
Holland from England and into battle
on the Lower Rhine. He and Prince
Rupert were captured and Craven re¬
mained a prisoner for two years.
Craven was most generous with his
personal fortune and had in large
measure financed the expedition
launched in an effort to restore the
Oucen of Bohemia. When her pension
from England was cut off by Parlia¬
ment at the execution of Charles I. he
seems to have contributed freely to her.
The Queen’s daughter. Princess Sophia
(mother of George I) readily ac¬
cepted Craven’s aid but ungratefully
made fun of him.
During the civil war in England.
Craven aided Charles I with money
and it has been estimated that he con¬
tributed as much as £50.000 to his
cause. When the exiled Charles II
was visited by the Oueen of Bohemia
and her daughters. Craven accompan¬
ied them. It was at this time that
Craven is said to have offered his
services to Charles against Parliament.
He also made a number of short jour¬
neys in the King’s service and was
subsequently declared by Parliament
to be an offender against the Common¬
wealth. Much of his property in Eng¬
land was seized and sold, but Combo
Abbey, his beautiful home near Cov¬
entry. was spared and still stands.
With Charles' return to England.
Craven also crossed the Channel and
was given many honors and offices.
He became colonel of several regi¬
ments. including the Coldstream
Guards, a lieutenant general, a mem¬
ber of the Privy Council, and was
created Viscount Craven of Uffington
and Earl of Craven. It was he who
arranged the return of Elizabeth, and
when Charles offered his aunt no resi¬
dence in England, Craven made his
own London house available to her.
During nearly all the remainder of her
life she was his guest and he frequent¬
ly attended her in her public appear¬
ances.
Many persons have since believed
that Craven was privately married to
the Oueen of Bohemia, but no evi¬
dence of the truth of this has ever
been found, not even so much as a
contemporary rumor. Rumor did cir¬
culate. however, that Craven wished
to marry her daughter who was only
seven years his junior.
During the plague and the great fire
Craven was especially active. It is said
that his horse could smell a fire from
a great distance and was in the habit
of immediately galloping off with him
to the spot.
In his lifetime numerous volumes
were dedicated to Craven and on the
basis of this slim evidence he is said
to have been a "patron of letters."
He was one of the early members of
the Royal Society of London, founded
in 1660 for the promotion of mathe¬
matical and physical science.
Craven died unmarried on April 9,
1697. the last of the eight original pro¬
prietors of Carolina. He was buried
at Binlcy near Coventry, where his re¬
mains rest with those of his relatives
in the vault of the church. His grand¬
nephew. William. Lord Craven, in¬
herited his title and interest in Carolina
which he held until his death in
1711. when they passed to his son,
William. Lord Craven, from whom the
share in Carolina was acquired by the
crown in 1729.
Craven County was named to honor
Lord Proprietor William Craven.
Just a Moment, Please
While the Operator Chances Reels
TO BE EXACT
The old lady wanted to send one of
those condolence cards to a friend who
had sustained some fractures in an au¬
tomobile smashup. So she looked
and looked over the collection, and
finally asked the clerk:
"Do you have one that says on it.
’Sorry you broke both yours legs and
a collarbone’?" — Harm’ll
Соши у
News.
DOUBT
A centipede was happy till a toad,
one day in fun —
Said. "Pray which leg moves after
which?”
This raised her doubts to such a pitch.
She fell headlong into a ditch.
Thinking how to run. — Coll World,
Pinchurst.
THE STATE. MAY 23. I9S3
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