Pauline Craven (1808–1891)

Pauline de La Ferronays, known after her marriage as Mrs. (or Madame) Craven, was born in London, the eldest daughter of Pierre-Louis-Auguste Ferron, comte de La Ferronnays, an émigré Breton nobleman. He later served as an ambassador of France to Russia and was Foreign Minister under King Charles X. Pauline grew up at the courts of Paris and St. Petersburg. When her father was posted to Italy, Pauline met and married Augustus Craven, a British diplomat, with whom she lived mostly in Europe. She was the author of numerous novels, literary essays, historical essays, religious studies, and family memoirs. Her first book Le Récit d'une Sœur (1866) became very popular and was awarded a prize by the Academy francaise. Other works included Anne Severin (1868), Fleurange (1871), Le Mot de l'énigme (1874), and Le Valbriant (1886). Madame Craven's charm and personality won her many friends, including Lord Palmerston. Before his death in 1884, her husband translated and published her correspondence with Lord Palmerston and with Albert, the Prince Consort.