Sarah Otway-Cave, 3rd Baroness Braye
Sarah Otway-Cave, 3rd Baroness Braye (2 July 1768–21 February 1862) was an English noblewoman. The title of Baron Braye, originally created in 1529 for her ancestor Edmund Braye, 1st Baron Braye and abeyant since the death of the second baron in 1557, was called out of abeyance in her favor in 1839.
Family
She was born Sarah Cave, only daughter of Sir Thomas Cave, 6th Baronet of Stanford and his wife Sarah Edwards.[1] Her brother was Sir Thomas Cave, 7th Baronet, who died without issue in 1792. After her brother's death, she inherited the manor of Stanford, but not the baronetcy (which passed through the male line).
Marriage and children
She married Henry Otway, of Castle Otway, brother of Admiral Sir Robert Otway, 1st Baronet.[2] They had five children:[3]
- Robert Otway-Cave (1796–1844)[4]
- Maria Otway-Cave (d. 1879)
- Anne Otway-Cave (d. 1871)
- Catherine Otway-Cave (d. 1875)
- Henrietta Otway-Cave (1809–1879)
Her husband died in 1815. In 1818, she and her children were granted a license to use the surname of Otway-Cave.[1]
Braye peerage case
Otway-Cave was one of the coheirs of the barony of Braye, which had been abeyant since the death of the second Baron Braye in 1557. The second baron, who had no children, was the only son of the first baron, so the title fell into abeyance among his six sisters and their heirs.[5] Otway-Cave was the sole heir of the second sister, Elizabeth, who had married Sir Ralph Verney of Middle Claydon.[6]
In 1835, Otway-Cave petitioned that the title of Baron Braye be called out of abeyance in her favor. Though her claim was contested by several other potential coheirs, the case was ultimately decided in her favor several years later.[7] In 1839, letters patent were issued by Queen Victoria ending the abeyance of the Braye peerage, at which point Otway-Cave became Baroness Braye.[8]
Stuart collections
Otway-Cave acquired a significant collection of Jacobite materials. After the death of Henry Benedict Stuart (known to Jacobites as Henry IX), she acquired many Stuart portraits which had previously decorated his palaces in Italy, including a 1721 portrait of James Francis Edward Stuart by Gerolamo Pesci and a 1770 portrait of Charles Edward Stuart by Laurent Pecheux, among others. These portraits, along with many other Stuart relics, were displayed at her manor at Stanford. She also acquired a large body of Stuart papers, many of which were later transferred to the British Museum.[9]
Death and succession
Otway-Cave died in 1862 and was buried at Stanford on Avon.[10] Her only son, Robert, had predeceased her in 1844, with no children of his own. As a result, the barony fell once again into abeyance until 1879, when it was called out of abeyance for her youngest daughter Henrietta.[4]
References
- Debrett, John, "The Baronetage of England", pg. 50
- Burke, John, Burke, Bernard, "A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire", pg. 768
- Cracroft's Peerage
- History of Parliament: Otway Cave, Robert (?1796-1844), of Stanford Hall, Leics. and Castle Otway, co. Tipperary
- Burke, John, "A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire, Vol. 10", pg. 121
- Lodge, Edmund, "The Genealogy of the Existing British Peerage", pp. vii-viii
- "Reports of Cases Decided in the House of Lords on Appeals and Writs of Error, and Claims of Peerage, During the Sessions 1838&1839, Vol. 6", pp. 757-786
- Copy of the Letters Patent
- Terry, Charles Sanford, "An Index to the Papers Relating to Scotland" pp.33-4
- Sandon, William Henry, "Stanford Church and Its Registers", pg. 30
| Peerage of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Braye, 2nd Baron Braye Abeyant 1557 until 1839 |
Baron Braye 1839–1862 |
Succeeded by Abeyant Abeyance terminated 1879 in favor of Henrietta Wyatt-Edgell |