Evening star., 1923-04-19
BY THE MAnaUIsE DE FoNTENor.

BY THE MARQUIsE DE FONTENoT.
II corneiia. widowed Countess 81
Craven, daughter OF tho late Bradley
Martin of New York., 10. selling by
auction. all the furniture. stained
glass. old masters and rare books
which contributed to render Combe
Abbey In warwickshire one Of the
most interesting and attractive coun-
try seats in England. and which had
family since the reign of Queen Eliz-
abeth. IT is because her only son. the
half lf-American young earl. who has
made such a mess Of his financial and
domestic affairs since he attained
manhood. has sold HIS ancestral home.
which his father could not leave
away from the title.
The late earl. however. though he
could not dispose OF the abbey itself.
left all OF it's contents. its art treas
ures and relics of history. Including
ali the sixteenth and seventeenth GEN.
tury paintings that had belonged to
Queen Elizabeth Of Bohemia. sister of
Charles I. to his American widow. and
II is because she has no room for
them elsewhere that she has placed
them all on the market for disposal
by auction. She now makes her
home. when not In London. at much
smaller place in BERKSHIRE. near New
bury. known as HampsteadM Marshall,
and OF course still retains her large
metropolitan mansion in Chesterfield
Gardens, MAYFAIR. which is in reality
two houses thrown into one-name1y.
her own. and that of her parents. the
late Mr.. and Mrs. Bradley Martin.
The feature Of the art treasures at
Combe Abbey is the old masters that
were bequeathed by Elizabeth OF
Great Britain. last Queen Of Bohemia
Scots, and grandmother Of King
George of England. at her death al
Combe Abbey, to the frst Lord
Craven. her childhood friend. and
with. whom she had been brought ur
ithere. This first Lord Craven's
father. who had built the greatest
tailoring establishment in his day ir
London. and who had served for two
successive years as lord mayor OF
London, was greatly esteemed and
trusted by James !. who visited the
ex-lord mayor at his country place
4
with it's surroundings. and with the
family life there. that he ended by
intrusting the merchant tailor mag
! nate with the care OF his daughter
Princess Elizabeth. anxious to keer
| the child to whom he was deeply at.
tached. away from the unwholesoms
air and evil surroundings OF life ir
London. especially from the atmos.
phere OF his court.
She was brought UP at Combe Able,
with the millionaire tailors children
| and at the state trial OF the gunpowe,
plot conspirators. It developed tina
Guy Fawkes and his confederatee hat
planned to abduct her from Comb,
Abbey, and to proclaim her as Queer
Of the British Isles. in the event o.
her father and brothers being blows
| into eternity along with the housel
of parliament
| Princess Elizabeth, when she grew
up, married Frederick V. sovereign
elector of the palatinate of the Rhine
| and last King of Bohemia. and becam
, the mother Of Prince Rupert. th'
cavalry leader of the army Of hi
4! uncle, King Charles ]. against Olive
/ Cromwell. His sailor brother
Maurice, who has been the hero o
many a buccaneerins romance OF thos
days. was drowned at sea in a ship
wreck.
| Queen Elizabeth, after the death o
her husband. returned from German.