John Craven, 1st Baron Craven of Ryton (baptised 10 June 1610 at

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– 1648), was an English peer and founder of the Craven

scholarships A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarshi ...

at Oxford and Cambridge.

Background

Craven was the younger surviving son of Sir William Craven,

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...

in 1610 and his wife Elizabeth Whitmore, daughter of William Whitmore.

William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven (1608–1697) William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven, PC (June 1608 – 9 April 1697) was an English nobleman and soldier. His parents were William Craven, born in a poor family in Appletreewick in North Yorkshire, who moved to London, became wealthy, and was ...

, was his elder brother.

Political career

Craven was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

in the

Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened for only three weeks during the spring of 1640 after an 11-year parliamentary absence. In Septem ...

for

Tewkesbury Tewkesbury ( ) is a medieval market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town has significant history in the Wars of the Roses and grew since the building of Tewkesbury Abbey. It stands at the confluence of the Riv ...

in November 1640 in an election which was declared void on 6 August 1641. In 1643 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Craven of Ryton by

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

, who held him in high regard.

Family

Lord Craven of Ryton married Elizabeth, daughter of

William Spencer, 2nd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton William Spencer, 2nd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton (christened 4 January 1591 – 19 December 1636) was an English nobleman, politician, and peer from the Spencer family. Life Spencer was the son of Robert Spencer, 1st Baron Spencer of Worml ...

and granddaughter through her mother Penelope of

Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, (pronunciation uncertain: "Rezley", "Rizely" (archaic), (present-day) and have been suggested; 6 October 1573 – 10 November 1624) was the only son of Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of So ...

, in 1643. He was childless and the title became extinct on his death in 1648.

Craven scholarships

Craven was noted for benevolence, and his

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

contained numerous charitable

bequests A bequest is property given by will. Historically, the term ''bequest'' was used for personal property given by will and ''deviser'' for real property. Today, the two words are used interchangeably. The word ''bequeath'' is a verb form for the ...

. The most significant was the bequest of his manor of Cancerne,

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, for the endowment of four poor scholars, two at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and two at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. The Craven scholarships still exist.

References

* ''(includes substantial section on John Craven, 1st Baron Craven, son of Sir William)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Craven of Ryton, John Craven, 1st Baron 1610 births 1648 deaths Barons in the Peerage of England

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Place of birth missing