Craven, Elizabeth (1750–1828)

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Craven, Elizabeth (1750–1828)

British baroness, playwright and novelist. Name variations: Lady Elizabeth Berkeley Craven; Baroness Craven or countess of Craven; Margravine of Anspach or Ansbach. Born Elizabeth Berkeley, Dec 17, 1750, in Middlesex, England; died Jan 12, 1828, in Naples, Italy; dau. of Augustus, 4th earl of Berkeley, and Elizabeth (Drax), countess of Berkeley; m. William Craven, 1767 (died 1791); m. Christian Fredric, margrave of Anspach, 1791.

Renowned for her wit, beauty and intelligence, traveled widely after separation from husband and earned a scandalous reputation for her affair with the margrave of Anspach (their correspondence was published in London in 1786); works include Modern Anecdotes of the Ancient Family of Kinkvervankdotdarsprackingatchderns: A Tale for Christmas 1799 (1780), The Arcadian Pastoral (1782), The Georgian Princess (1799) and Memoirs (1826).