on the one hand, he calls him a coxcomb and criticises his chairing of the Fisheries Committee; at other times he is glad that Craven is his "very good friend". Whatever Pepys's opinion of him, Craven earned the lasting respect and gratitude of the people of London during the Great Plague of 1665 when, unlike the great majority of noblemen, who fled to the country, he remained in London, helping to maintain order and donating property for burial grounds. During the Glorious Revolution, on the evening of December 17, 1688, Craven, as colonel of the Coldstream Guards, was on guard duty with his soldiers, protecting King James II at Whitehall Palace, when Hendrik Trajectinus, Count of Solms, commanding three battalions loyal to the Prince of Orange, came to take military possession of the surroundings of the palace. Craven swore that he would be cut to pieces rather than submit, but James, when he heard what was happening, ordered Craven to withdraw. Craven died on 9 April 1697 aged 88 in London. References Ford, David Nash (2001). Royal Berkshire History: William Craven, Earl of Craven (1608–1697) Further reading 1608 births 1697 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford British colonial heads of the Bahamas Coldstream Guards officers William Earls in the Peerage of England Peers of England created by Charles I Lord-Lieutenants of Middlesex Lords Proprietors of Carolina Members of the Privy Council of England People from Hamstead Marshall Earls of Craven