CRAVEN, Lt-Cdr Rupert Jose Evelyn (1926-2025)

[colinp]

Stephen Kershaw has very kindly sent me confirmation that Lt-Cdr Rupert Craven the hp to the Earldom of Craven  died last month aged 99.  Indeed he appears to be the only heir to the earldom - the present Earl is 36 and unm.

From the Northern Times:

CRAVEN Lt Commander Rupert Craven R.N. Retired, of Swordly West, Bettyhill [Caithness], died peacefully on 11th May, 2025, aged 99 years. Much loved uncle, grandfather and friend. Funeral service on Tuesday, 10th June, 2025, at noon, at Bettyhill Church of Scotland; followed by internment at Clachan Cemetery. Family flowers only please and donations, if desired, to RNLI (209603).

CRAVEN

He was the s of Maj Hon Rupert Cecil CRAVEN OBE (1870-1959), 2nd s of the 3rd Earl and his 2nd w (m 1925) Josephine Marguerite REIXACH (d 1971). He m (1) 1955 Margaret Campbell SMITH (d 1985) and (2) 2000 Susan Lilian Margaret EATON (d 2019).  No issue. The reference to his being a grandfather perhaps relates to stepchildren.

The last DPB print edition also refers to an heir (John Edmund Craven b 1946 of Queensland) to the 1666 Craven barony (by special remainder) but this block of collaterals has been omitted from the online database.

[bx...@yahoo.com]

Thanks for the update, colinp.

I would imagine he must have been the oldest hp to any title ever, but does anyone know for certain?

Thanks.

Brooke

[Paul Theroff]

"The last DPB print edition also refers to an heir (John Edmund Craven b 1946 of Queensland) to the 1666 Craven barony (by special remainder) but this block of collaterals has been omitted from the online database"

I suspect that J E Craven's father has died by now (born 1917?) but I haven't found a death date for him. Does anyone know when he died?

[Paul Theroff]

"The last DPB print edition also refers to an heir (John Edmund Craven b 1946 of Queensland) to the 1666 Craven barony (by special remainder)..."

Just for an accurate record, this was the same special remainder by which the present Earl holds that Barony. Their common ancestor, Sir William Craven (1638-1695), was the last remainder man in the second extension of the remainder to the Barony of Craven of Hampsted Marshall

The barony had bee created in 1627 for William Craven (1608-1697), first cousin, twice removed of Sir William (1638-1695), with remainder to his issue male, and then to the grantee's brothers John and Thomas and their issue male. The 1st Lord was subsequently created in 1665 Earl of Craven and Viscount Craven of Uffington, with remainder to issue male, and at the same time received an extension of the remainder for the Barony of Craven of Hampsted Marshall to William Craven (d.later in 1665), son of Sir William Craven (d.1655), and then to Sir Anthony Craven (d.1670), brother of said Sir William; in 1666 he received a further extension of the remainder for the Barony of Craven of Hampsted Marshall to Sir William Craven (1638-1695), son of Thomas Craven, which Thomas was brother of the Sir William and Sir Anthony mentioned in the 1665 extension.

On Sunday, June 22, 2025 at 4:02:41 PM UTC-5 colinp wrote:

[Paul Theroff]

Some genealogy to illustrate this:

 

John Craven, of Appletreewick, Craven, Yorkshire; m.1539 Beatrix Hunter (d.1597); per Collins, this John was named William

1.Henry, of Appletreewick (1543-1604); m.Margaret Brockden (d.1613)

1.1.William (1571 [per GEC; 1572, per Burke’s]-    )

1.2.Robert, of Appletreewick (1574-1661); m.by 1603 Mary Shearwood (d.1670)

1.2.1.Henry (1607-1634)

1.2.2.Sir William, of Lenchwick (1610-12 Oct 1655); m. Hon. Elizabeth Fairfax

1.2.2.1.William; INCLUDED IN FIRST EXTENSION OF THE REMAINDERS; he d.1665, aged 16

…

1.2.3.Thomas, of Burnsall (1611-15 Apr 1682); m.1634 Anne Proctor (d.1681)

1.2.3.1.Sir William, of Benham Valence, and Coombe Abbey (26 Aug 1638-28 Oct 1695); m.Margaret Clapham (d.1711); NAMED IN SECOND EXTENSION OF REMAINDERS

1.2.3.1.1.William, suc 1697 as 2^nd Lord Craven of Hampsted Marshall (24 Oct 1668-9 Oct 1711); m.12 Oct 1697 Elizabeth (d.16 May 1704), sister of Sir Fulwar Skipwith, 2^nd Bt.; father of the 3^rd and 4^th Lords Craven

 …

1.2.3.1.3.John, of Whitley (23 Nov 1673-6 Dec 1726); m.Maria Rebecca Green à ancestor of the 5^th and subsequent Barons, and Earls, of Craven

…

1.2.3.1.8.Charles (1682-27 Dec 1754); m.Elizabeth Staples à ancestor of John Edmund Craven

…

1.2.6.Sir Anthony, d.1670; m.Elizabeth, dau of “Baron Pelnets”; INCLUDED IN FIRST EXTENSION OF THE REMAINDERS

…

3.Sir William, Lord Mayor of London, d.18 Jul 1618; m.Elizabeth Whitmore

3.1.William (bap 26 Jun 1608-9 Apr 1697); cr 1627 Baron Craven of Hampsted Marshall, with remainder to his issue male, and then to his brothers John and Thomas and their issue male; cr 1665 Earl of Craven and Viscount Craven of Uffington, with remainder to issue male, and at the same time received an extension of the remainder for the Barony of Craven of Hampsted Marshall to William Craven, son of Sir William Craven (above), and then to Sir Anthony Craven, brother of said Sir William; in 1666 he received a further extension of the remainder for the Barony of Craven of Hampsted Marshall to Sir William Craven, son of Thomas Craven (above), brother of the Sir William and Sir Anthony mentioned in the 1665 extension

3.2.John, cr 1643 Baron Craven of Ryton (bap 10 Jun 1610-1647/8); m.4 Dec 1634 Hon. Elizabeth Spencer (d.11 Aug 1672), later wife of Hon. Henry Howard and then of Lord Crofts; INCLUDED IN ORIGINAL REMAINDER

3.3.Thomas, d.before 13 Feb 1637; INCLUDED IN ORIGINAL REMAINDER

 

…

[bx...@yahoo.com]

Paul, the last DPB print edition shows that  Edmund Filmer CRAVEN (b. 1917), the father of John Edmund CRAVEN, died in 2004.

Brooke

[Paul Theroff]

thanks

[Paul Theroff]

It's interesting to note that the 1st Lord Craven must be one of the very few original grantees of a peerage who held that peerage for seventy years, most grantees being considerably older than William was when he was ennobled.

[bx...@yahoo.com]

The death of the hp, Rupert Jose Evelyn CRAVEN, has now been recorded in DPB Online.

No other branches with potential heirs are shown, so it is apparent, that unless the present Earl  marries and produces an heir ( he was b. 1989, so both are still very much possible), the peerage and its associated titles, will become extinct with his passing.

Brooke

[Henry W]

Thanks Colin (and Stephen) for this.

He was the oldest heir presumptive to a title.  That accolade now falls to Linda Kathleen FOTHERGILL (born 2 May 1930), heiress presumptive to her kinswoman the 8th Baroness BRAYE.

The fact that the online database omits the block of collaterals in special remainder to the Barony suggests that John Edmund Craven (b 1946 of Queensland) has died.  There is no definite way to search BMD records for Queensland, but I checked probate and could not find him, nor in searches of Ancestry member trees (which can sometimes give clues even though they cannot be totally relied upon).  Does anyone have more information?

I'm a little surprised the block has been omitted because even if JEC has died, he has issue (Jillian Lee, b 1980), who would normally be listed until her own death as the issue of someone in remainder.

[Paul Theroff]

Thanks, Henry, for that information.

I feel I must repeat that the use of "by special remainder" by Debrett's in relation to John Edmund might unfairly stigmatize him and his branch as outliers, but the current baron/earl holds the title by the same special remainder.

[Richard R]

DPB online has split the Craven earldom & barony - see attached screenshot. This is something they do (although not at all consistently) where there are different remainders to titles in families. You have to click on the 1666 barony entry in order to get to those in remainder to that title. I can see no good reason for doing this, especially as there's no cross reference to the barony in the earldom entry. 

 

[Paul Theroff]

Thanks.

Perhaps it's a matter of semantics, but I think that Debrett's is wrong, as is Complete Peerage, to list what happened in 1665 as creation of a new barony. In the actual text of the Complete Peerage article it makes clear that the 1665 event was merely the extension of the special remainder of the 1627 barony. In spite of what they say in the text, Complete Peerage lists the 1665 event as a separate barony of the same name, but do not list the 1664 event, which also extended the original special remainder, as a separate barony.


"SIR WILLIAM CRAVEN, was, on 12 March 1626/7, cr.
" BARON CRAVEN OF HAMPSTED MARSHALL, co. Berks ,"
with rem. to the heirs male of his body which failing, with rem. to John Craven, his brother,(b) rem. to Thomas Craven, (b) another brother, in like manner. On 16 March (16 Car. 11 ) 1663/4 he was cr. VISCOUNT CRAVEN OF UFFINGTON, co . Berks, and EARL OF Viscountcy, CRAVEN, co. York, receiving also an extension of the title of BARON CRAVEN OF HAMPSTED MARSHALL, co . Berks, to William Craven , (b) s . and h. of Sir William C. of Lenchwick, co. Worcester, decd . , with rem. to Sir Anthony Craven(b) br. of the said Sir William C. of Lenchwick, in like manner. Finally, on 11 Dec. 1665, he received a further extension of the title of BARON CRAVEN OF HAMPSTED MARSHALL, co . Berks, to Sir William Craven, (b) Barony . s. of Thomas C. ( another br. of the said Sir Anthony C. abovenamed) in like manner."

[Paul Theroff]

The 1664 and 1665 events merely extended the special remainders to the 1627 Barony, and did not create new baronies, in my opinion. At any rate, my point is that the current earl holds the 1627 barony via the 1665 extension of the special remainders (the original 1627 remaindermen and the 1664 remaindermen having pre-deceased the grantee), and that is the same extension of the special remainder which applies to John Edmund.

[sarac...@googlemail.com]

Yes,some of the special remainders in English Peerage Law always seems slightly cumbersome and long-winded,as in this Craven Earldom/Barony case ; whilst in an (pre-1707) Scottish Peerage equivalent,it would have not necessarily specified the exact family individuals involved,but cited to 'heir(s)-male(s) whatsoever [or whomsoever]' ,and leave it to the Heralds,etc. to do the genealogical legwork.

[Henry W]

Thanks Richard. 

The Baron Craven article shows JEC as living, and it appears the last person in remainder to the title.

[S. S.]

I am pretty sure I did the Craven entry in this group some time ago. Here is a re-write of the CP's entry as part of my work.

S.S.

[sarac...@googlemail.com]

Interesting that the 1st Baron & Viscount Craven was one of the 8 original Lord Proprietors of Carolina(1661/3) -whose tenure,briefly stretched to the Bahamas and Barbados ;a common colonial practice used in both Maryland (ie the Calvert,Barons Baltimore) ,New Jersey and New York (formerly Dutch New Netherlands).

The Lord Proprietors of Carolina,seems more fascinating,as they even planned to create their own colonial nobility,known as Landgraves, alongside a specifically named Carolina Herald (Lawrence Cromp)