Duke of Devonshire is a title in the
Peerage of England held by members of the
aristocratic Cavendish family. This branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the richest and most influential aristocratic families in England since the 16th century, and have been rivalled in political influence perhaps only by the
Earls of Derby and the
Marquesses of Salisbury.
History
Although in modern usage the county of
Devon is now rarely called 'Devonshire', the title remained 'Duke of Devonshire'. Despite the title of the dukedom and the subsidiary title, the earldom of Devonshire, the family estates centre in
Derbyshire. It is sometimes speculated that Derbyshire rather than Devonshire was intended on the original letters patent for the earldom, a hypothesis supported by the use on the patents of the Latin word for Derbyshire, "Derbonensis", which is believed to have been carelessly, if vaguely understandably, mistranslated as Devonshire.
Cavendish knights, and the 1st Earl of Devonshire
The Cavendish family descends from
Sir John Cavendish, who took his name from the village of
Cavendish, Suffolk, where he held an estate in the 14th century. He served as
Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1372 to 1381, and was killed in the
Peasants' Revolt. Two of his great-grandsons were
George Cavendish,
Thomas Cardinal Wolsey's biographer, and George's younger brother
Sir William Cavendish. Sir William gained great wealth from his position in the
Exchequer and also, as it was alleged, from unfairly taking advantage of the
Dissolution of the Monasteries. He married as his third wife the famous
Bess of Hardwick, with whom he had eight children. One of their sons, Sir Charles Cavendish (1553–1617), was the father of
William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (see the
Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne for more information on this branch of the family), while another son, Henry Cavendish, was the ancestor of the
Barons Waterpark. Yet another son,
William Cavendish, was a politician and a supporter of the colonialization of
Virginia. In 1605 he was raised to the peerage as
Baron Cavendish of Hardwicke and in 1618 he was further honoured when he was made
Earl of Devonshire. Both titles are in the
Peerage of England.
The 2nd Earl of Devonshire and the first five Dukes of Devonshire
He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He served as
Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire and was a patron of the philosopher
Thomas Hobbes. On his early death the titles passed to his son, the third Earl. He was also Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire. He was succeeded by his son, the fourth Earl. He was a strong supporter of the
Glorious Revolution and later served under
William III and
Queen Mary as
Lord Steward of the Household. In 1694 he was created
Marquess of Hartington and
Duke of Devonshire in the Peerage of England. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Duke. He held political office as
Lord President of the Council and
Lord Privy Seal and was also Lord-Lieutenant of Devonshire. His eldest son, the third Duke, served as Lord Privy Seal, as Lord Steward of the Household and as
Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland.
On his death the titles passed to his eldest son, the fourth Duke, who was a prominent politician. He was summoned to the
House of Lords through a
writ of acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron Cavendish of Hardwicke in 1751 and served as
First Lord of the Treasury and titular
Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1756 to 1757. Devonshire married
Charlotte Boyle, 6th Baroness Clifford, daughter of the famous architect
Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (on whose death in 1753 the earldom of Burlington became extinct). Their third and youngest son
Lord George Cavendish was created
Earl of Burlington in 1831. Devonshire was succeeded by
his eldest son, the fifth Duke. He had already succeeded his mother as seventh
Baron Clifford in 1754. He served as Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire from 1782 to 1811 but is best remembered for his first marriage to
Lady Georgiana Spencer, the celebrated beauty and society hostess. Because of this marriage, when
Prince William becomes king, the family will be related, although very distant, to the royal family because Georgiana was daughter of
John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer, who is a direct ancestor to
Diana, Princess of Wales and thereby William.
The sixth, seventh and eighth Dukes
Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire
Their only son, the sixth Duke, served as
Lord Chamberlain of the Household from 1827 to 1828 and from 1830 to 1834. Known as the "Bachelor Duke", he never married and on his death in 1858 the barony of Clifford fell into abeyance between his sisters. He was succeeded in the other titles by his first cousin once removed, the second Earl of Burlington, who became the seventh Duke (see the
Earl of Burlington for earlier history of this branch of the family). He was the son of
William Cavendish, eldest son of the aforementioned first Earl of Burlington, youngest son of the fourth Duke. He was
Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire and Derbyshire and Chancellor of the
University of London and of the
University of Cambridge. He was succeeded by his second but eldest surviving son, the eighth Duke. He was a noted statesman and the most famous member of the Cavendish family. Known under his
courtesy title of Marquess of Hartington until 1891, he held political office for a period spanning 40 years, notably as
Secretary of State for India and as
Secretary of State for War, and three times declined to become
Prime Minister. He married
Louisa, Dowager Duchess of Manchester, who became known as the "Double Duchess".
The ninth, tenth and eleventh Dukes
Devonshire died childless and was succeeded by his nephew, the ninth Duke. He was the eldest son of
Lord Edward Cavendish, third son of the seventh Duke. He was a
Conservative politician and served as
Governor General of Canada from 1916 to 1921 and as
Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1922 to 1924. His eldest son, the tenth Duke, was also a Conservative politician and served as
Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, as
Under-Secretary of State for India and Burma and as
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies. His eldest son and heir apparent
William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, married
Kathleen Kennedy, daughter of
Joseph Kennedy and sister of the future
President of the United States,
John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Lord Hartington was killed in the
Second World War in 1944 shortly after the marriage. The couple had no children. Devonshire was therefore succeeded by his second but eldest surviving son, the eleventh Duke. He sat on the Conservative benches in the House of Lords and held political office under his uncle
Harold Macmillan and later
Sir Alec Douglas-Home from 1960 to 1964. Devonshire married the Hon.
Deborah Mitford, the youngest of the famous
Mitford sisters. As of 2009 the titles are held by their second and only surviving son, the twelfth Duke, who succeeded in 2004.
Other notable members of the Cavendish family
Numerous other members of the Cavendish family have also gained distinction.
Lord Henry Cavendish, second son of the first Duke, was Member of Parliament for
Derby.
Lord James Cavendish, third son of the first Duke, also represented this constituency in the
House of Commons.
Lord Charles Cavendish, second son of the second Duke, was a politician and scientist. His son
Henry Cavendish was an influential scientist noted for his discovery of
hydrogen.
Lord James Cavendish, third son of the second Duke, was a soldier and briefly represented
Malton in Parliament.
Lord George Cavendish, second son of the third Duke, was a long-standing Member of Parliament and served as
Comptroller of the Household from 1761 to 1762.
Lord Frederick Cavendish, third son of the third Duke, was a
Field Marshal in the Army.
Lord John Cavendish, fourth son of the third Duke, was a politician and served as
Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1782 and 1783.
Chatsworth House, the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Devonshire
, second son of the fourth Duke, represented
Lancaster and
Derbyshire in the House of Commons. Lady Dorothy Cavendish, daughter of the fourth Duke, married Prime Minister
William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland (who assumed the additional surname of Cavendish) and was an ancestor of
Queen Elizabeth II.
Augustus Clifford, illegitimate son by the fifth Duke and his mistress and later second wife
Elizabeth Hervey, was a naval commander and was created a Baronet in 1838 (see
Clifford Baronets).
William Cavendish, eldest son of the first Earl of Burlington and father of the seventh Duke, represented
Aylesbury and Derby in Parliament.
George Henry Compton Cavendish, second son of the first Earl of Burlington, was Member of Parliament for Aylesbury. The Hon.
Henry Frederick Compton Cavendish, third son of the first Earl of Burlington, was a
General in the Army. The Hon.
Charles Compton Cavendish, fourth son of the first Earl of Burlington, was created
Baron Chesham in 1858.
Lord Frederick Cavendish, third son of the seventh Duke, was a
Liberal politician. He had just been appointed
Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1882 when he was assassinated by nationalists in
Phoenix Park,
Dublin. His wife
Lady Frederick (Lucy) Cavendish was a pioneer of women's education.
Lord Edward Cavendish, fourth and youngest son of the seventh Duke, sat as Member of Parliament for several constituencies. His second son
Lord Richard Cavendish represented
North Lonsdale in Parliament. In 1911 he was one of the proposed recipients of peerages in case the Bill that was become the
Parliament Act 1911 was not accepted by the House of Lords. His grandson
Hugh Cavendish was created a
life peer as Baron Cavendish of Furness in 1990.
Lady Dorothy Cavendish, daughter of the ninth Duke, was the wife of Prime Minister
Harold Macmillan.
Courtesy titles; family seats
The Duke of Devonshire's eldest son may use the
courtesy title Marquess of Hartington, whilst the eldest son of the eldest son may use the title
Earl of Burlington; any sons he may have would use the title
Lord Cavendish.
The family seats are
Chatsworth House,
Bolton Abbey in
Yorkshire, and
Lismore Castle in
Co Waterford, in the
Republic of Ireland.
Compton Place in
Eastbourne belongs to the family (which developed Eastbourne as a seaside resort in the 19th century) but is let.
Holker Hall in
Lancashire was left to a junior branch of the family in 1908. The family previously owned
Londesborough Hall,
Yorkshire,
Hardwick Hall,
Derbyshire,
Chiswick House,
Middlesex, and two
London mansions on
Piccadilly,
Devonshire House and
Burlington House.
Earls of Devonshire (1618)
Dukes of Devonshire (1694)
Armorial Achievement of the Dukes of Devonshire. Arms: Sable, 3 stags' (or bucks') heads caboshed (or cabossed). Crest: A serpent nowed proper (or vert). Supporters: On either side, a buck (or stag) wreathed (or gorged) about the neck with a chaplet (or garland) of roses proper—but see note! Motto: Cavendo tutus, Safe through caution. NOTE: The stags' head are sometimes given as attired Or; for example, . The garlands should be roses alternately argent and azure (see the preceding, , and the next). At least the 6th duke substituted as a crest a buck statant wreathed as the supporters (see the 1836 Debrett's Peerage of England, Scotland, and Ireland, viewable via Google Books).
The
Heir Apparent is the present holder's only son
William Cavendish, Earl of Burlington (b. 1969)
Earls of Devon
The earldom of Devonshire was originally granted as a recreation of the title of
Earl of Devon, then held to be extinct; but which was found to have been in existence
de jure in 1831. These are held by different families, and are now held to be distinct titles.
When the earldom of Devonshire was created, there was already in existence an earldom of Derby. It would therefore have been unlikely that the Cavendish family would have chosen Derbyshire as their new honour. It is much more likely that the title of Devonshire was chosen deliberately. The Cavendish peerage was granted in 1618, 12 years after the last holder of an earlier creation of the earldom of Devonshire,
Charles Blount, 8th Lord Mountjoy had died.
The Devon earldom had earlier been held by the ancient de Redvers family and by the Courtenay family who had married in the Tudor era the daughter of King Edward IV, Princess Katherine of York and whose son was later made Marquess of Exeter. The Marquess of Exeter was executed for treason and his son was probably poisoned in 1556. From that date, the peerage was vacant. By choosing Devonshire the Cavendish family, who had only recently arrived socially on the political scene, were aligning themselves with among the oldest families in England. It must also be stated that Devon and Devonshire are alternating terms and as late as the eighteenth century,
Lady Georgiana Spencer was sometimes referred to as the Duchess of Devon.
In fiction
The fifth
Duke and Duchess of Devonshire are portrayed in the 2008 film
The Duchess directed by
Saul Dibb, starring
Ralph Fiennes as the Duke and
Keira Knightley as the Duchess. The film is based on
Amanda Foreman's biography of the scandalous 18th-century English aristocrat
Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire.
Along with
Jane Austen,
Elizabeth and
the fifth Duke appear, soon after
Georgiana's death, in
Jane and the Stillroom Maid, a murder mystery by Stephanie Barron.
See also
