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, research ...

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 Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

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, Privy Council of England, PC (26 June 1608 – 9 April 1697) was a courtier and soldier from London. One of the wealthiest peers in England, he spent much of his fortune supporting the exiled Elizabeth of Bohe ...

, was his elder brother.

Political career

Craven was elected Member of Parliament in the

Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an Parliament of England, English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660, making it the longest-lasting Parliament in English and British history. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened f ...

for

Tewkesbury Tewkesbury ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town grew following the construction of Tewkesbury Abbey in the twelfth century and played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses. It stands at ...

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 (1591 – 19 December 1636) was an English nobleman, politician, and peer from the Spencer family. Life Spencer was the second son of Robert Spencer, 1st Baron Spencer of Wormleighton, and hi ...

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 Sou ...

, 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 devise is the act of giving real property by will, traditionally referring to real property. A bequest is the act of giving property by will, usually referring to personal property. Today, the two words are often used interchangeably due to thei ...

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

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

, for the endowment of four poor scholars, two at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

and two at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. 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 * Second E ...

Place of birth missing