Sir Charles Cavendish (28 November 1553 – 4 April 1617) was an English landowner. He was a son of
Bess of Hardwick
Elizabeth Cavendish, later Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury ( Hardwick; c. 1527 13 February 1608), known as Bess of Hardwick, of Hardwick Hall, Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, was a notable figure of Elizabethan English society. By a series ...
and
William Cavendish (1505-1557).
Career
After Eton and Cambridge, Charles Cavendish and his stepbrother
Gilbert Talbot went on a Grand Tour to Venice in 1570 and to Rome in 1574.
In July 1582 he had some involvement with
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...
, who declined his request. Mary wrote in March 1584 that Charles Cavendish was in London, and had kept a pair of swift horses to ride to her with news of Elizabeth's death, the English queen being unwell at this time.
He was knighted in 1583. Charles Cavendish wrote to his mother in 1587 describing life at court in London, the reception of
Arbella Stuart
Lady Arbella Stuart (also Arabella, or Stewart; 1575 – 25 September 1615) was an English noblewoman who was considered a possible successor to Queen Elizabeth I of England. During the reign of King James VI and I (her first cousin), she marrie ...
, and building projects including work at
Theobalds
Theobalds House (also known as Theobalds Palace) in the parish of Cheshunt in the English county of Hertfordshire, was a significant stately home and (later) royal palace of the 16th and early 17th centuries. Set in extensive parkland, it was a r ...
which he compared to
Chatsworth.
The musician and composer
John Wilbye
John Wilbye (baptized 7 March 1574September 1638) was an English madrigal composer.
Early life and education
The son of a tanner, he was born at Brome, Suffolk, England. (Brome is near Diss.)
Career
Wilbye received the patronage of the Cornwa ...
dedicated ''The First Set of English Madrigals'' (London, 1598) to Cavendish who had married Margaret Kitson, a daughter of his patrons, the
Kitsons of
Hengrave
Hengrave is a small village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is to the North the town of Bury St Edmunds along the A1101 road. It is surrounded by the parishes of Flempton, Culford, Fornham St Ge ...
. Wilbye commended Cavendish's skills as a musician. Wilbye dedicated the ''Second Set'' to Arbella Stuart.
Cavendish had a feud with the
Stanhope family
Stanhope may refer to:
In arts and entertainment
* Stanhope essay prize, at Oxford University
* Stanhope College, a fictional college attended by Supergirl
People
* Stanhope (name), a surname and given name
* Earl Stanhope, a hereditary title ...
over issues including a fish weir in the
River Trent
The Trent is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, third-longest river in the United Kingdom. Its Source (river or stream), source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midland ...
. He arranged to fight a duel with
John Stanhope at
Lambeth
Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...
choosing rapiers as the weapon. They came to Lambeth bridge by boat and it was discovered that Stanhope was wearing a sword-proof padded doublet. The fight was called off. In November 1599 Cavendish was shot in the backside while visiting Kirkby Hardwick, where he was repairing and extending the mansion. The house, also known as Sutton Hardwick, was finally demolished by the
Coal Board in 1966. The site is close to
Sutton Parkway railway station.
In December 1607, Cavendish, the
Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury () is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland ...
and his sister,
Mary Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury
Mary Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury (1556–1632) (née Cavendish) was the wife of Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury.
Life Family
Born Mary Cavendish, she was the daughter of Sir William Cavendish, who died when she was about a year old, ...
, went to
Hardwick Hall
Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire is an architecturally significant country house from the Elizabethan era, a leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. Built between 1590 and 1597 for Bess of Hardwick, it was designed by the architect Ro ...
for a day to see
Bess of Hardwick
Elizabeth Cavendish, later Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury ( Hardwick; c. 1527 13 February 1608), known as Bess of Hardwick, of Hardwick Hall, Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, was a notable figure of Elizabethan English society. By a series ...
. Shrewsbury wrote he "found a lady of great years, or great wealth, and of a great wit, which yet still remains".
Cavendish discussed his buildings with the Earl and Countess of Shrewsbury, and sent them drawings that he developed after discussions with
Lord Lumley's "inventor" or architect. The "inventor" provided Italianate designs with a hall and a small dining room called a "tenelli". The "tenelli" was unsuitable for an English earl, but fitting, said Cavendish, for an Italian gentleman who keeps only a pair of servants and eats only "salads and frogs, that yield little vapour."
The Countess of Shrewsbury was imprisoned in the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
in June 1611 for helping
Arbella Stuart
Lady Arbella Stuart (also Arabella, or Stewart; 1575 – 25 September 1615) was an English noblewoman who was considered a possible successor to Queen Elizabeth I of England. During the reign of King James VI and I (her first cousin), she marrie ...
to escape. Cavendish wrote from Welbeck to Henry Butler, the Shrewsburys' steward at Sheffield with the encouraging news that the Countess had the comfortable "Queen's lodgings" with 3 or 4 rooms.
Bolsover Castle
Charles Cavendish acquired
Bolsover Castle
Bolsover Castle is in the town of Bolsover (), in the north-east of the English county of Derbyshire. Built in the early 17th century, the present castle lies on the earthworks and ruins of the 12th-century medieval castle; the first structure of ...
and
Welbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey in the Dukeries in North Nottinghamshire was the site of a monastery belonging to the Premonstratensian order in England and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, a country house residence of the Dukes of Portland. It is one ...
from Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury in 1613. His accounts survive for building the early stages of the "Little Castle" at Bolsover. Unusually for this period female labour was recorded and the women's names or their husband's names are given.
A design for the hall chimney, probably by
John Smythson, drew on the published work of
Sebastiano Serlio
Sebastiano Serlio (6 September 1475 – c. 1554) was an Italian Mannerist architect, who was part of the Italian team building the Palace of Fontainebleau. Serlio helped canonize the classical orders of architecture in his influential treat ...
. Although the black and white marble fireplaces in Bolsover's "Little Castle" were installed after the death of Charles Cavendish, they were likely inspired by the publication of an English translation of Serlio's ''Architectura'' in 1611, possibly connecting the conception of Bolsover with an interest in Italian design at the court of
Prince Henry Prince Henry (or Prince Harry) may refer to:
People
*Henry the Young King (1155–1183), son of Henry II of England, who was crowned king but predeceased his father
*Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394–1460)
*Henry, Duke of Cornwall (Ja ...
.
Charles, or his brother
William Cavendish welcomed
King James at
Bothal Castle
Bothal Castle is a castle and stately home in the village of the same name near the River Wansbeck, between Morpeth and Ashington in the English county of Northumberland. Botl is Old English for a dwelling. Bothal could refer to a particular d ...
on 5 May 1617. The king stayed for two nights, then went on to
Alnwick Abbey
Alnwick Abbey was founded as a Premonstratensian monastery in 1147 by Eustace fitz John near Alnwick, England, as a daughter house of Newhouse Abbey in Lincolnshire. It was dissolved in 1535, refounded in 1536 and finally suppressed in 1539. ...
, the home of
Francis Brandling
Sir Francis Brandling (1595 – 1641) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1624 to 1625.
He was the son of Robert Brandling of Felling and his wife Jane Wortley, daughter of Francis Wortley of Wortley, West ...
, on his way to Scotland.
Charles Cavendish died in 1617 and was buried at
Bolsover
Bolsover is a market town and the administrative centre of the Bolsover (borough), Bolsover District, Derbyshire, England. It is from London, from Sheffield, from Nottingham and from Derby, Derbyshire, Derby. It is the main town in the Bols ...
. His son built the monument to his parents in
St Mary and St Laurence's Church, Bolsover
St Mary and St Laurence's Church, Bolsover is a Grade II* listed parish church in the Church of England in Bolsover, Derbyshire.
History
The church is mediaeval, dating from the 13th and 14th centuries, with the Cavendish chapel of 1624, a reb ...
.
Marriages and family
Cavendish married two heiresses. He married his first wife Margaret Kitson on 6 Feb 1580, a daughter of
Thomas Kitson
Sir Thomas Kitson (1485 – 11 September 1540) was a wealthy English merchant, Sheriff of London, and builder of Hengrave Hall in Suffolk.
Family
Thomas Kitson was the son of Robert Kitson (or Kytson) of Warton, Lancashire. His mother's name ...
of
Hengrave Hall
Hengrave Hall is a Grade I listed Tudor manor house in Hengrave near Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England and was the seat of the Kitson and Gage families 1525–1887. Both families were Roman Catholic recusants.
Architecture
Work on the hou ...
and
Elizabeth Cornwallis
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS Elizabeth, HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* Elisa ...
. Thomas Kitson was a son of
Thomas Kitson
Sir Thomas Kitson (1485 – 11 September 1540) was a wealthy English merchant, Sheriff of London, and builder of Hengrave Hall in Suffolk.
Family
Thomas Kitson was the son of Robert Kitson (or Kytson) of Warton, Lancashire. His mother's name ...
and
Margaret Donnington. She died in childbirth in 1583 giving birth to a son called Charles. Bess of Hardwick had negotiated the marriage in 1580 via her son-in-law
Gilbert Talbot who held discussions with
Sir Thomas Cornwallis on details of the contract, instructed by letters from Bess.
The architectural historian
Mark Girouard draws a parallel between the plan of Hengrave Hall and
Barlborough Hall built in the 1580s for Bess of Hardwick's lawyer, Francis Rodes, and a later unexecuted plan for a house at
Slingsby Slingsby may refer to:
* Slingsby (surname)
* Slingsby, North Yorkshire
* Slingsby Aviation, formerly Slingsby Sailplanes, a manufacturer of gliders and other aircraft
* Slingsby Channel Slingsby Channel is a strait on the north side of Bramham Isl ...
for Charles Cavendish. The similarity is a corridor running around the internal courtyard.
[Mark Girouard, ''Robert Smythson & The Elizabethan Country House'' (Yale, 1983), pp. 123, 179.]
Charles Cavendish married Catherine Ogle (d. 1627), daughter of Cuthbert, 7th Lord Ogle,
Baron Ogle
Baron Ogle is an abeyant title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1461 for Robert Ogle. It fell into abeyance in 1691. The Ogles were a prominent Northumbrian family from before the time of the Norman Conquest. They settled at Ogle, North ...
, in 1592. She was the heiress and brought Bothal Castle to Cavendish. Their children included:
*
William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle
William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne, KG, KB, PC (25 December 1676) was an English courtier and supporter of the arts. He was a renowned horse breeder, as well as being patron of the playwright Ben Jonson, and the intellectual gr ...
(1593-1676)
*
Charles Cavendish (1594-1654)
External links
Trevor Lewis, 'The lost manor of Kirkby Hardwick', Thoroton SocietyCavendish Family Tree: Bolsover Parish Church
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cavendish, Charles
1553 births
1617 deaths
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...