ELIZABETH CRAVEN AND HER WORLD

  Elizabeth née Skipwith, wife of 2nd Baron Craven. Painted by Godfrey Kneller.                  This attractive portrait of a lady from the reign of Queen Anne shows Elizabeth, wife of the 2nd Baron Craven, whose claim to fame is that she wrote a cookery book that survives in manuscript and is preserved in the library of Pennsylvania State U niversity in  America .     Elizabeth née Skipwith was born in 1677 or 1679. Her family lived at Newbold Hall in Warwickshire, not far from Coombe Abbey. She married the 2nd Baron Craven  on the 12th October 1697 and gave birth to two sons.    She belonged to a generation of women who were proud to preserve traditions of household management and herbal medicine from past centuries. Being a fine lady did not mean never going into the kitchen. She also liked to experiment with new ingredients such as chocolate. Her book of recipes, meticulously written, carefully attributes each recipe to the friend or relative who gave it to her. These friends incl

  STANCES. Je sommeille, & je touche au déclin de ma vie, Sans avoir réfléchi sur l'emploi de mes ans. Ah! Sortons à la fin de cette léthargie! Par de nobles travaux fixons l'aîle du tems. Laissons ces fleurs qu'en vain le zéphyre ca resse, & que l'air du midi fait à l'instant flétrir, Pourvoyons-nous plutôt des fruits de la sagesse, Le bonheur est promis à qui sait s'en nourrir. Si la nature avare a borné nos années, Suivons pour en user l'avis de la raison; Songeons qu'au bien public elles sont destinées, & qu'elles doivent rendre immortel notre nom. This short poem of only twelve lines is found in Nouvelles Fables, Fauques' collection of poetry published in 1772. It is introspective, and self-critical, as she chides herself for having achieved too little and resolves to endeavour to write something of lasting merit. How could these lines be translated into English? I  slumber, and I find my years fast vanishing Without du

The Berkeley family was always notorious for scandal and wild escapades. Elizabeth Craven's elder sister eloped when very young, and one of her aunts had done the same. The most scandalous episode in the family history took place in 1682 during the Restoration period, when Lady Henrietta Berkeley, daughter of the first earl, ran away with her sister's husband, Lord Grey. He was prosecuted for abduction by Lord Berkeley, despite the fact that Henrietta had consented to the flight. Lady Henrietta (Harriett) Berkeley From an original picture by Sir Godfrey Kneller, at Strawberry Hill.    This scandal left its mark on the literature of the period, as Aphra Behn borrowed elements of the story for her sensational novel,  Love Letters from a Nobleman to his Sister.    Ford, Lord Grey of Warke, w as a bold, irepressible rake, mixed up in more than one risky enterprise. He took a leading part in the Monmouth Rebellion, and wherever there was trouble, he was likely to be found.    Grey