Christopher Crowe (diplomat)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Christopher Crowe (c. 1681 – 9 November 1749) was an English consul and landowner.
In 1705, aged 24, Crowe was appointed English Consul at Livorno, Grand Duchy of Tuscany.[1] He was awarded the "lucrative" contract to supply the British Mediterranean fleet with wine and olive oil during the War of the Spanish Succession, from 1703 to 1711.[1]
He also worked as a prize agent for captured enemy merchant ships, and acquired artworks on behalf of the English nobility, and grew rich.[1]
In 1707, he bought Woodford Hall, a large house and estate in Woodford, Essex, adjacent to Epping Forest from Sir Richard Child.[2]
In 1715, he married Charlotte Lee, Lady Baltimore who had been married to Benedict Leonard Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore, and they had four children:[3]
- Christopher Crowe (1716–1776)
- Catherine Crowe (1717 – 1782)
- Charlotte Crowe (1718–1742)
- George Crowe (25 November 1719 – 10 October 1782)
In 1722, he bought Kiplin Hall for £7000 from his stepson, Charles Calvert. [4]
In 1728, he sold Woodford Hall to William Hunt in 1727, having obtained a private act of Parliament, Crowe's Estate Act 1727 (1 Geo. 2. St. 2. c. 8 Pr.), to do so.[2][5]