546 



Biographical Memoirs of Eminent Persons. 



[MAY, 



principal nobility. In the succeeding 1 year 

 (1767), she was married to the hon. Mr. 

 Craven. At the birth of her second daugh- 

 ter, two years after her marriage, Lord 

 Craven died, and her husband succeeded to 

 his title and estate. When she had been 

 married thirteen years, and had had seven 

 children, she perceived an unhappy change 

 in his lordship's conduct. In short, he had 

 been weak enough to form a connection 

 with a worthless and abandoned woman 

 whom he met with at an inn. A separation 

 shortly afterwards ensued, and Lady Eliza- 

 beth and her husband never met again. 

 Lord Loughborough, at that time lord 

 chancellor, advised her to prosecute Lord 

 Craven, and considered that the law would 

 allow her .4,000. or 5,000. a-year, and 

 the society of her daughters. Shrinking 

 from the idea of prosecuting her husband, 

 .she sent for Lord Thurlow, and, acting 

 upon his advice, she left her daughters with 

 Lord Craven, and withdrew to the Conti- 

 .nent, taking with her her youngest son. 

 Lord Craven's conduct seems to have been 

 altogether base and contemptible. 



At Paris, Lady Elizabeth was particu- 

 larly noticed by the Queen of France and 

 Madame Elizabeth ; and was frequently 

 visited by the Margrave of Anspach, who 

 had known her from her infancy. Leaving 

 France, she travelled through Italy, and 

 visited Vienna, Warsaw, St. Petersburgh, 

 Moscow, Constantinople, Athens, &c. Re- 

 garded as the adopted sister of- the Mar- 

 grave of Anspach, she was received with 

 high honours by the Emperor of Germany, 

 the King of Poland, the Empress of Russia, 

 and all the principal nobility of the respec- 

 tive countries. After her tour, she came to 

 -England, for the purpose of seeing her chil- 

 dren ; and then returned to Paris, intending 

 to take up her abode with the Margrave and 

 Margravine of Anspach. At the Margave's 

 court, she had full scope for the exercise of 

 her dramatic and histrionic powers. She 

 had a theatre constructed formed a com- 

 pany from the young nobility engaged an 

 excellent machinist employed the court 

 orchestra and managed, wrote, and acted 

 herself, to her own heart's content and 

 that of the Margrave's also. She also in- 

 stituted a little society for the encourage- 

 ment of arts and sciences; and endea- 

 voured, though unsuccessfully, to establish 

 a school and asylum for children. Although 

 she scrupulously refrained from the solici- 

 tation or acceptance of favours for her 

 friends and countrymen, the influence 

 which she notoriously possessed over the 

 Margrave excited a dislike towards her 

 amongst the people about the court. Mddle. 

 Clairon, the celebrated French actress, in 

 whose train of admirers the Margrave had 

 some time been, also conceived a furious 

 jealousy against her, but at length yielded 

 the palm. 



Twice, in the course of a five years' resi- 

 dence at Anspach, Lady Craven accompa- 



nied the Margrave into Italy. At Naples, 

 she experienced much attention and friend- 

 ship from the queen, with whom she passed 

 most of her evenings tete-a-tete. Skilful as 

 a horsewoman and as a huntress, she was 

 also a great favourite with the king, whom 

 she frequently accompanied in his field 

 sports. 



Subsequently to this, the Margrave, in 

 consequence of the suspicions which had 

 been raised against Lady Craven, resolved 

 to cede his dominions to the King of Prus- 

 sia. Lady C., by express invitation from 

 the King of Prussia, as his majesty's 

 adopted sister, accompanied the Margrave 

 to Berlin, to pass the carnival there with 

 the royal family. Previously to her de- 

 parture, the Margravine took a singularly 

 affectionate and impressive leave of her. 

 She died before her return. At Berlin, 

 Lady Craven was formally presented by the 

 king to the royal family as his adopted sis- 

 ter, and a palace was allotted to her for her 

 residence. The Duke of Brunswick Oels 

 was her cavalier. A change was now on 

 the point of taking place in her fortunes. 

 She received news of the illness of Lord 

 Craven, who, in six months afterwards, 

 died ; at Bareith, on her return from Ber- 

 lin, intelligence reached her of the death of 

 the Margravine ; and, at Lisbon, six weeks 

 after Lord Craven's decease, she became 

 Margravine of Anspach herself. This gave 

 great offence to her family in England ; 

 where, upon her arrival, she received a 

 letter, signed by her three eldest daughters, 

 informing her that, out of respect for their 

 father, they could not wait upon her. By 

 her eldest son, she was also totally neg- 

 lected. Her majesty, the late Queen Char- 

 lotte, refused to receive her as Margravine 

 of Anspach ; and, as she could not be re- 

 ceived at court as a princess of the German 

 empire, she resolved not to appear at all. 



Some time afterwards, the Margrave, at 

 her request, purchased Brandenburgh 

 House a residence since occupied by the 

 late Queen Caroline near Hammersmith. 

 Here, as at Anspach, she had a private 

 theatre. Once, the writer of this sketch 

 witnessed in that elegant retreat the per- 

 formance of " The Provoked Wife ;" in 

 which the Margravine, the late Mrs. Abing- 

 ton, and several of the junior branches, 

 male and female, of the Craven family, sus- 

 tained parts. The play was followed by a 

 pantomime, fabricated by the Margravine, 

 from the nursery tale of *' Puss in Boots." 

 The expenses of the Brandenburgh House 

 establishment, upon which there were thirty 

 servants in livery, with grooms, and a set 

 of sixty horses, were enormous. The din- 

 ners, concerts, theatricals, &c. were also 

 found to cost money, 



ADMIRAL SIR R. j. STRACHAN, BART. 

 Sir Richard John Strachan, a Nova Scotia 

 bark, grand cross of the Bath, and admiral 

 of the blue squadron of his majesty's fleet, 



