The Cavendish (or de Cavendish) family ( ) is a British

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

, of

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

origins (though with an

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

name, originally from a place-name in Suffolk). They rose to their highest prominence as

Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has be ...

and

Duke of Newcastle Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Marquess of Newcastle u ...

. Leading branches have held high offices in English and then in British politics, especially since the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

of 1688 and the participation of William Cavendish (then Earl of Devonshire) in the ''

Invitation to William The ''Invitation to William'' was a letter sent by seven notable English nobles, later called "the Immortal Seven", to stadtholder William III, Prince of Orange, received by him on 30 June 1688 (Julian calendar, 10 July Gregorian calendar). In ...

'', though the family appears to date to the

Norman Conquest of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...

, with ''Cavendish'' being used (in one form or another) as a surname since the beginning of the 13th century. As a place-name, it is first recorded in 1086.

Early history

As a place-name, it is first recorded as in 1086 in the ''

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

'', and appears to have a meaning of 'Cafna's Pasture', from personal

byname An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

(from 'bold, daring'), and 'enclosed pasture'. By 1201, it was in use as the surname (borne by one Simon de Cavendis in the Suffolk ''Records of Pleas before the King'' (specifically King John), recurring in 1242 as , and again in 1302 as . Additional related information is found o
pp. 165, 187, 341
The philosopher

Thomas Hobbes Thomas Hobbes ( ; 5/15 April 1588 – 4/14 December 1679) was an English philosopher, considered to be one of the founders of modern political philosophy. Hobbes is best known for his 1651 book ''Leviathan'', in which he expounds an influent ...

was employed as a tutor by the Cavendish family and educated various members of the family.

From the Glorious Revolution onward

After missing nation-leading and internationally definitive largesse and empire-building in Charles II's five-peer acronym of the

Cabal ministry The Cabal ministry or the CABAL refers to a group of high councillors of King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1668 to . The term ''Cabal'' has a double meaning in this context. It refers to the fact that, for perhaps the first ...

William Cavendish, Earl of Devonshire William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire, (25 January 164018 August 1707) was an English soldier, nobleman, and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1684 when he inherited his father's peerage as Earl of Devonshire. H ...

, was the first of the name to rise to

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

. He co-wrote the 1688 ''

'' to exclude Catholics from the monarchy, which set in motion the

in that year (and which also ultimately had the result of shifting more power to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

). The ''Invitation'''s authors were later known as "the

Immortal Seven The ''Invitation to William'' was a letter sent by seven notable English nobles, later called "the Immortal Seven", to stadtholder William III, Prince of Orange, received by him on 30 June 1688 (Julian calendar, 10 July Gregorian calendar). In ...

". This pre-dated the

Spencer-Churchill Spencer-Churchill is a British double-barrelled surname associated with the Marlborough dukedom. Notable people with the surname include: * Lord Alan Spencer-Churchill (1825–1873), British army officer * Albertha Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Ma ...

s' centrality under campaigns (most of all the

Battle of Culloden The Battle of Culloden (; gd, Blàr Chùil Lodair) was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force under Prince Wi ...

) against the Catholic pretenders to the throne. High appointments were often won by senior title holders and some juniors among the Cavendishes, from 1688 until about 1887, and marked the family's ascendancy, along with the

Marquesses of Salisbury A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

and the

Earls of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...

. The notable lines descend from Sir John of

Cavendish Cavendish may refer to: People * The House of Cavendish, a British aristocratic family * Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673), British poet, philosopher, and scientist * Cavendish (author) (1831–1899), pen name of Henry Jones, English auth ...

in the county of

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

(c. 1346–1381). Other peerages included the Dukedom of Newcastle; Barony of Waterpark (

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

, Ireland); the Barony of Chesham (in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

); and through a daughter marrying into the

Bentinck family The House of Bentinck is a prominent family belonging to Dutch, German and British nobility. Its members have served in the armed forces and as ambassadors and politicians, including Governor General of India and Prime Minister of the United K ...

(leading to combined surnames), the Dukedom of Portland (a title which ceased in 1990, and most of the wealth of which is in the Howard de Walden Estate, which has kept minor, overarching interests in and reviews changes across most of central

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

, London). Concessions to populists of post-

imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

meritocracy movements shifted power to industrialism and to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

. The

1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

, 1958,

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

, and

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

transformations of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

permanently ended key influence by Cavendish and many other British noble families. Under

primogeniture Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...

, the senior branches of these families still dominate in inter-family (relative) wealth and titles. The head of the modern family is

Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire Peregrine Andrew Morny Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire, (also known as "Stoker"; born 27 April 1944) is an English peer. He is the only surviving son of Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire and his wife, the former Deborah Mitford. He ...

, whose Georgian mansion,

Chatsworth House Chatsworth House is a stately home in the Derbyshire Dales, north-east of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Chesterfield, England. The seat of the Duke of Devonshire, it has belonged to the House of Cavendish, Cavendish family sin ...

, in the

Peak District The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southe ...

attracts many visitors with its gardens, iconic high-jet fountain,

Capability Brown Lancelot Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783), more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English gardener and landscape architect, who remains the most famous figure in the history of the English la ...

grounds, and fine-art collection. Among its past urban assets with lasting influence, this branch of the family had a large house in London, on which many grand apartments and houses now stand, including

Devonshire Square Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, ...

. The family seat is

, a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

property, in

Edensor Edensor (pronounced ) is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 145. Much of the village is privately owned, by the Dukes of Devonshire, the Cavendish family. Most of the dece ...

, near

Bakewell Bakewell is a market town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, known also for its local Bakewell pudding. It lies on the River Wye, about 13 miles (21 km) south-west of Sheffield. In the 2011 census, ...

, which is owned as part of the Chatsworth Estate. According to the Estate website, "Chatsworth is very much home to the 12th Duke and Duchess, hoare intensely involved in the day to day running of the business and upkeep of" the House. This area has been the home of the Cavendish family since 1549.

Notable members

* Sir

John Cavendish Sir John Cavendish (c. 1346 – 15 June 1381) was an English judge and politician from Cavendish, Suffolk, England. He and the village gave the name Cavendish to the aristocratic families of the Dukedoms of Devonshire, Newcastle Newcastle us ...

(c.1346–1381) ** Sir John Cavendish *** William Cavendish (died 1433) **** Thomas Cavendish (died 1477) ***** Thomas Cavendish (died 1524) ****** George Cavendish (1500–c.1562), English writer, biographer of Cardinal Wolsey ******* William Cavendish ********

Michael Cavendish Michael Cavendish (c. 1565 – 1628) was an English composer of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. A grandson of the writer George Cavendish and second cousin to Arabella Stuart, he spent much time at court and was for a time composer t ...

(c.1565–1628), English composer ****** William Cavendish (1505–1557), English courtier; married to

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 ...

*******

Henry Cavendish Henry Cavendish ( ; 10 October 1731 – 24 February 1810) was an English natural philosopher and scientist who was an important experimental and theoretical chemist and physicist. He is noted for his discovery of hydrogen, which he termed "infl ...

(1550–1616) ******** Henry Cavendish (died 1624), illegitimate son ********* Francis Cavendish (1618–1650) ********** Henry Cavendish (1649–1698) *********** William Cavendish (1682–1698) ************

Sir Henry Cavendish, 1st Baronet Sir Henry Cavendish, 1st Baronet (13 April 1707 – 31 May 1776) was a British politician who held several appointments in the Kingdom of Ireland. Biography Cavendish was the son of William Cavendish and Mary Tyrell. He was descended from Sir W ...

(1707–1776), Anglo-Irish politician *************

Sir Henry Cavendish, 2nd Baronet Sir Henry Cavendish, 2nd Baronet PC (29 September 1732 – 3 August 1804) was an Anglo-Irish politician noted for his extensive recording of parliamentary debates in the late 1760s and early 1770s. Early life Cavendish was the son of Sir Henry ...

(1732–1804), Anglo-Irish politician; married to

Sarah Cavendish, 1st Baroness Waterpark Sarah Cavendish, 1st Baroness Waterpark ( Bradshaw; 1 August 1740 – 4 August 1807) was an Anglo-Irish peeress. Early life Sarah was born on 1 August 1740. She was the only daughter, and heiress, of Richard Bradshaw and, his wife, Deborah (né ...

(1740–1807) **************

Richard Cavendish, 2nd Baron Waterpark Richard Cavendish, 2nd Baron Waterpark FSA (13 July 1765 – 1 June 1830), was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer. Early life Waterpark was the son of Sir Henry Cavendish, 2nd Baronet and Sarah Cavendish, 1st Baroness Waterpark. Waterpark suc ...

(1765–1830) ***************

Henry Cavendish, 3rd Baron Waterpark Henry Manners Cavendish, 3rd Baron Waterpark (8 November 1793 – 31 March 1863), was a British nobleman and Whig politician. Waterpark was the son of Richard Cavendish, 2nd Baron Waterpark, and his wife Juliana (née Cooper). He succeeded his ...

(1793–1863), MP ****************

Henry Anson Cavendish, 4th Baron Waterpark Henry Anson Cavendish, 4th Baron Waterpark (14 April 1839 – 3 August 1912), was a British aristocrat and sportsman. Early life Cavendish was born on 14 April 1839. He was the son of Henry Cavendish, 3rd Baron Waterpark, a member of parliamen ...

(1839–1912), sportsman ***************

Richard Cavendish (1794–1876) The Honourable, The Hon. Richard Cavendish (23 December 1794 – 18 March 1876) was an English nobleman, politician, Member of parliament, Member of Parliament, and a member of the Canterbury Association. Biography Cavendish was born in Wate ...

, MP, member of the Canterbury Association ************** George Cavendish (1766–1849), MP **************

Augustus Cavendish-Bradshaw Hon. Augustus Cavendish Bradshaw (17 February 1768 – 11 November 1832), of Putney, Surrey and High Elms, near Watford, Hertfordshire, was an English politician, best remembered today for his role as co-respondent in the Westmeath divorce case ...

(1768–1832), MP *******

William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire (27 December 1552 – 3 March 1626) was an English nobleman, politician, and courtier. Early life William Cavendish was the second son of Sir William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick. He was educate ...

(1552–1626) ********

William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Devonshire William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Devonshire (c. 1590 – 20 June 1628) was an English nobleman, courtier, and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1614 until 1626 when he succeeded to the peerage and sat in the House of Lords. Life Ca ...

(c. 1590–1628) *********

William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire, KB, FRS (c. 10 October 161723 November 1684) was an English nobleman and politician, known as a royalist supporter. Life The eldest son of William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Devonshire and his wife Christi ...

(1617–1684) **********

William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire, (25 January 164018 August 1707) was an English soldier, nobleman, and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1684 when he inherited his father's peerage as Earl of Devonshire. H ...

(1640–1707) ***********

William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire (1672 – 4 June 1729) was a British nobleman and politician. He was the eldest son of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire and Lady Mary Butler. A prominent Whig, he was sworn of the Privy Counc ...

(1672–1729) ************

William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire, (26 September 1698 – 5 December 1755) was a British nobleman and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1721 to 1729 when he inherited the Dukedom. Life Cavendish was the son of Will ...

(1698–1755),

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the Kingdo ...

1737–44 *************

William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, (8 May 1720 – 2 October 1764), styled Lord Cavendish before 1729, and Marquess of Hartington between 1729 and 1755, was a British Whig statesman and nobleman who was briefly nominal 5th Prime Minis ...

(1720–1764), briefly Prime Minister of Great Britain **************

William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, (14 December 1748 – 29 July 1811), was a British nobleman, aristocrat, and politician. He was the eldest son of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, by his wife, the heiress Lady Charlotte Bo ...

(1748–1811); married firstly to

Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (née Spencer; ; 7 June 1757 – 30 March 1806), was an English aristocrat, socialite, political organiser, author, and activist. Born into the Spencer family, married into the Cavendish family, she wa ...

(1757–1806), political organizer; married secondly to

Elizabeth Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire Elizabeth Christiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (13 May 1758 – 30 March 1824) was an English aristocrat and letter writer. She is best known as Lady Elizabeth Foster, the close friend of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. Eliza ...

(1758–1824) ***************

Georgiana Howard, Countess of Carlisle Georgiana Dorothy Howard, Countess of Carlisle (''née'' Cavendish; 12 July 1783 – 8 August 1858) was a British noblewoman. She was born after nine years of childless marriage between William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, and his wife, L ...

(1783–1858) *************** Harriet Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville (1785–1862) ***************

William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire William George Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, (21 May 1790 K. D. Reynolds, ‘Cavendish, William George Spencer, sixth duke of Devonshire (1790–1858)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; ...

(1790–1858), Lord Chamberlain to King William IV. The

Cavendish banana Cavendish bananas are the fruits of one of a number of banana cultivars belonging to the Cavendish subgroup of the AAA banana cultivar group. The same term is also used to describe the plants on which the bananas grow. They include commercially ...

is named after him. ************** Lady Dorothy Cavendish (1750–1794), Duchess of Portland, 3x great grandmother of Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

**************

Lord Richard Cavendish (1752–1781) Lord Richard Cavendish (19 June 1752 – 7 September 1781) was an English nobleman and politician. He was the second son of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire and his wife, Charlotte. Cavendish was educated in Hackney and at Trinity Colle ...

, MP **************

George Augustus Henry Cavendish, 1st Earl of Burlington George Cavendish, 1st Earl of Burlington (31 March 1754 – 9 May 1834), styled Lord George Cavendish before 1831, was a British nobleman and politician. He built Burlington Arcade. Background Cavendish was the third son of William Cavendish, ...

(1754–1834) *************** William Cavendish (1783–1812) ****************

William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire, (27 April 1808 – 21 December 1891), styled as Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1831 and 1834 and known as Earl of Burlington between 1834 and 1858, was a British landowner, benefactor, nobleman, ...

(1808–91), Chancellor of the University of Cambridge 1861–91, for whom the

Cavendish Laboratory The Cavendish Laboratory is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and is part of the School of Physical Sciences. The laboratory was opened in 1874 on the New Museums Site as a laboratory for experimental physics and is named ...

is named *****************

Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire, (23 July 183324 March 1908), styled Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1834 and 1858 and Marquess of Hartington between 1858 and 1891, was a British statesman. He has the distinction of having ...

(1833–1908), British Liberal statesman; married to Louisa Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1832–1911), the "Double Duchess" ***************** Lord Frederick Cavendish (1836–1882), British Liberal politician; married to

Lucy Cavendish Lucy Caroline Cavendish, also known as Lady Frederick Cavendish ( Lyttelton; 5 September 1841 – 22 April 1925), was a pioneer of women's education. A daughter of George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton, she married into another aristocratic fa ...

(1841–1925), namesake of

Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge Lucy Cavendish College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college is named in honour of Lucy Cavendish (1841–1925), who campaigned for the reform of women's education. Hist ...

*****************

Lord Edward Cavendish Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Edward Cavendish MP (28 January 1838 – 18 May 1891) was a 19th-century British politician, soldier, and nobleman. Born in Marylebone, Cavendish was the third son of William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire,''The An ...

(1838–1891), soldier and politician ******************

Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire Victor Christian William Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire (31 May 18686 May 1938), known as Victor Cavendish until 1908, was a British peer and politician who served as Governor General of Canada. A member of the Cavendish family, he was ed ...

(1868–1938), British politician, Governor General of Canada 1916–21; married to

Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire Evelyn Emily Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, (née Fitzmaurice; 27 August 1870 – 2 April 1960) was the wife of Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire. She was the elder daughter of politician and diplomat Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, ...

(1870–1960), Mistress of the Robes to Queen Mary ******************* Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire (1895–1950), Minister in Winston Churchill's wartime cabinet; married to

Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire Mary Alice Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, (; 29 July 1895 – 24 December 1988) was a British courtier who served as Mistress of the Robes to Queen Elizabeth II from 1953 to 1967. She was the granddaughter of Prime Minister Robert Gascoy ...

(1895–1988), Mistress of the Robes to Elizabeth II ********************

William John Robert Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington William John Robert Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington (10 December 1917 – 9 September 1944) was a British politician and British Army officer. He was the elder son of Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire, and therefore the heir to the duke ...

(1917–1944), killed in action, Belgium; married to

Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington Kathleen Agnes Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington (' Kennedy; February 20, 1920 – May 13, 1948), also known as "Kick" Kennedy, was an American socialite. She was the second daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy as well as a si ...

aka Kick Kennedy (1920–1948), sister of U.S. president

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

********************

Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire Andrew Robert Buxton Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire, (2 January 1920 – 3 May 2004), styled Lord Andrew Cavendish until 1944 and Marquess of Hartington from 1944 to 1950, was a British Conservative and later Social Democratic Party politic ...

(1920–2004), British government minister; married to

Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire Deborah Vivien Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, (born Deborah Vivien Freeman-Mitford and latterly Deborah, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire; 31 March 1920 – 24 September 2014) was an English aristocrat, writer, memoirist, and socialite. She ...

(1920–2014), Mitford sister and writer *********************

(born 1944), horse racing devotee **********************

William Cavendish, Earl of Burlington William Cavendish, Earl of Burlington (born 6 June 1969), professionally also known by the name Bill Burlington, is a British nobleman, aristocrat, photographer, and the son and heir of the 12th Duke of Devonshire. He was styled Earl of Burling ...

aka Bill Burlington (born 1969), professional photographer ******************

Lord Richard Cavendish (1871–1946) Lord Richard Frederick Cavendish, (31 January 1871 – 7 January 1946), known as Richard Cavendish until 1908, was a British aristocrat, author, magistrate, and politician. Background and education A prominent figure from the Cavendish family ...

, author, magistrate and politician ******************* Richard Edward Osborne Cavendish (1917–1972) ********************

Hugh Cavendish, Baron Cavendish of Furness Richard Hugh Cavendish, Baron Cavendish of Furness (born 2 November 1941), is a British Conservative politician and landowner. Lord Cavendish owns Holker Hall and its 17,000 acre estate overlooking Morecambe Bay in Cumbria. The property beca ...

(born 1941) ****************

Lord George Henry Cavendish Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or a ...

(1810–1880), British politician ***************

George Henry Compton Cavendish Hon. George Henry Compton Cavendish (14 October 1784 – 22 January 1809) was an English Whig Party (UK), Whig politician and British Army officer, the son of George Cavendish, 1st Earl of Burlington, Lord George Cavendish, later Earl of Burli ...

(1784–1809), English politician ***************

Henry Frederick Compton Cavendish General (United Kingdom), General Hon. Henry Frederick Compton Cavendish (5 November 1789 – 5 April 1873) was a British Army officer, politician and courtier. Early life and career Cavendish was born in Westminster, the third son of George Cav ...

(1789–1873), general ****************William Henry Frederick Cavendish (1817-1881) *****************Cecil Charles Cavendish (1855-1931) ******************Brigadier Ronald Valentine Cecil Cavendish (1896-1943) ******************* Robin Francis Cavendish (1930-1994), disability rights activist ******************** Jonathon Stewart Cavendish (b. 1959), film producer ***************

Charles Cavendish, 1st Baron Chesham Charles Compton Cavendish, 1st Baron Chesham (28 August 1793 – 12 November 1863) was a British Liberal politician. Early life Cavendish was the fourth son of George Augustus Henry Cavendish, 1st Earl of Burlington, third son of the former Pri ...

(1793–1863), Liberal politician ****************

William Cavendish, 2nd Baron Chesham William George Cavendish, 2nd Baron Chesham (29 October 1815 – 26 June 1882) was a British Liberal politician. Early life Chesham was born on 29 October 1815 into the Cavendish family, headed by the Duke of Devonshire. He was the eldest son o ...

(1815–1882) *****************

Charles Cavendish, 3rd Baron Chesham Charles Compton William Cavendish, 3rd Baron Chesham, (13 December 1850 – 9 November 1907), styled The Honourable Charles Cavendish between 1863 and 1882, was a British soldier, courtier and Conservative politician. He served as the last Mast ...

(1850–1907) ******************

John Cavendish, 4th Baron Chesham Baron Chesham, of Chesham in the County of Buckingham, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom created in 1858 for the Hon. Charles Cavendish, who had earlier represented Aylesbury, Newtown, East Sussex, Youghal and Buckinghamshire ...

(1894–1952) ******************* John Cavendish, 5th Baron Chesham (1916–1989) ********************

Nicholas Cavendish, 6th Baron Chesham Nicholas Charles Cavendish, 6th Baron Chesham (7 November 1941–27 August 2009), was a British Conservative politician. A member of the Cavendish family headed by the Duke of Devonshire, Chesham was the son of John Cavendish, 5th Baron Chesha ...

(1941–2009) *********************

Charles Cavendish, 7th Baron Chesham Charles Gray Compton Cavendish, 7th Baron Chesham (born 11 November 1974 in Sydney, Australia), is the present Baron Chesham having succeeded to the title on 27 August 2009 on the death of his father, Nicholas Cavendish, 6th Baron Chesham. A mem ...

(born 1974) *************

Lord George Augustus Cavendish Lord George Augustus Cavendish ( – 2 May 1794) was a British nobleman, politician, and a member of the House of Cavendish. Cavendish was born in London, the second son of William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire and his wife, the former ...

(c. 1727–1794), British politician ************* Lord Frederick Cavendish (1729–1803), field marshal *************

Lord John Cavendish Lord John Cavendish (22 October 1732 – 18 December 1796) was a British nobleman and politician. Background Cavendish was the youngest son of William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire, and his wife Catherine, daughter of John Hoskins. Prime ...

(1734–1796), English politician ************ Lord James Cavendish (1701–1741) ************

Lord Charles Cavendish Lord Charles Cavendish FRS (17 March 1704 – 28 April 1783) was a British nobleman and Whig politician. Cavendish was the youngest son of William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire, and Rachel Russell. On 9 January 1727, Lord Charles Cavendis ...

(1704–1783) *************

(1731–1810) scientist, known for the

Cavendish experiment The Cavendish experiment, performed in 1797–1798 by English scientist Henry Cavendish, was the first experiment to measure the force of gravity between masses in the laboratory and the first to yield accurate values for the gravitational consta ...

***********

Lord Henry Cavendish Lord Henry Cavendish (1673 – 10 May 1700) was an English nobleman and politician, the second surviving son of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire. Cavendish was educated abroad, traveling through Austria, Germany, and the Low Coun ...

(1673–1700) *********** Lord James Cavendish (c. 1678–1751), married to Anne Yale (died 1734), daughter of

Elihu Yale Elihu Yale (5 April 1649 – 8 July 1721) was a British-American colonial administrator and philanthropist. Although born in Boston, Massachusetts, he only lived in America as a child, spending the rest of his life in England, Wales and India ...

*******

Sir Charles Cavendish Sir Charles Cavendish (13 Aug 15914 Feb 1653) was an English aristocrat, Member of Parliament for Nottingham, and patron. Described as 'a little, weak, crooked man’ by John Aubrey, he studied mathematics himself, as well as supporting others ...

(c. 1553–1617) ********

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 ...

(1592–1676), English soldier, politician and writer; married to

Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle Margaret Lucas Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1623 – 15 December 1673) was an English philosopher, poet, scientist, fiction writer and playwright. Her husband, William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was Royalist co ...

(1623–1673), English writer and scientist *********

Jane Cavendish Lady Jane Cavendish (1621–1669) was a noted poet and playwright, the daughter of William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle and later the wife of Charles Cheyne, Viscount Newhaven. Along with her literary achievements, Jane helped manage her father ...

(1621–1669), poet and playwright *********

Charles Cavendish, Viscount Mansfield Charles Cavendish, Viscount Mansfield (c. 1626 – June 1659) was an English gentleman who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1644. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War. Viscount Mansfield was the eldest son and heir of ...

(c. 1626–1659) *********

Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, KG, PC (24 June 1630 – 26 July 1691), styled Lord Cavendish until 1676, and Viscount Mansfield from 1676, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1676, and then ...

(1630–1691) **********

Elizabeth Monck, Duchess of Albemarle Elizabeth Monck, Duchess of Albemarle (22 February 1654 – 11 September 1734), later Elizabeth Montagu, Duchess of Montagu, was the eldest daughter of Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle, and his wife, Frances Pierrepont (1630–1695; daughte ...

(1654–1734) **********

Henry Cavendish, Earl of Ogle Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, KG, PC (24 June 1630 – 26 July 1691), styled Lord Cavendish until 1676, and Viscount Mansfield from 1676, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1676, and then ...

(1659–1680), first husband of

Elizabeth Seymour, Duchess of Somerset Elizabeth Seymour, Duchess of Somerset and ''suo jure'' Baroness Percy (26 January 1667 – 23/24 November 1722) was an English heiress. She was styled Lady Elizabeth Percy between 1667 and 1679, Countess of Ogle between 1679 and 1681, Lady E ...

**********

Margaret Holles, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Margaret Holles, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (''née'' Cavendish; 22 October 1661 – 24 December 1715/16, London) was an English noblewoman. Margaret was born the third daughter and fourth of six children of Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newc ...

(1661–1716) ***********

Henrietta Harley, Countess of Oxford Henrietta Harley, Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer (''née'' Lady Henrietta Cavendish Holles; 11 February 1694 – 9 December 1755) was an English noblewoman, the only child and heiress of John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle and his wife, ...

(1694–1755) ************

Margaret Bentinck, Duchess of Portland Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland (11 February 1715 – 17 July 1785) was a British aristocrat, styled Lady Margaret Harley before 1734, Duchess of Portland from 1734 to her husband's death in 1761, and Dowager Duchess of Por ...

(1715–1785) *************

William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, (14 April 173830 October 1809) was a British Whig and then a Tory politician during the late Georgian era. He served as Chancellor of the University of Oxford (1792–1809) an ...

(1738–1809), ancestor of the

Cavendish-Bentinck Cavendish-Bentinck is a surname associated with the Dukes of Portland and their descendants. Bentinck is a Dutch surname brought to England by William Bentinck, an advisor to William III of England. Cavendish was added to the family name by ...

family **************

family *********

Elizabeth Egerton Elizabeth Egerton, Countess of Bridgewater (''née'' Lady Elizabeth Cavendish; 1626 – 14 July 1663) was an English writer who married into the Egerton family. Biography Elizabeth Cavendish was encouraged in her literary interests from a ...

, Countess of Bridgwater (1626–1663), writer ******** Sir Charles Cavendish (c. 1594–1654), MP The explorer

Thomas Cavendish Sir Thomas Cavendish (1560 – May 1592) was an English explorer and a privateer known as "The Navigator" because he was the first who deliberately tried to emulate Sir Francis Drake and raid the Spanish towns and ships in the Pacific and retu ...

"the Navigator" (1555–1592) was descended from Roger Cavendish, Sir John Cavendish's brother. The 3rd to 9th

Dukes of Portland Earl of Portland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England, firstly in 1633 and secondly in 1689. What proved to be a long co-held title, Duke of Portland, was created in 1716 and became extinct in 1990 upon the death of t ...

were descended from the Cavendish family through the female line, and took the surname Cavendish-Bentinck or a variant thereof. Their principal seat,

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 ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

, came to them through the Cavendish connection.

References

*Charles Roger Dod, ''Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage, Volume 15'' (S. Low, Marston & Company, 1855), 544. *William Courthope, ''Debrett's Complete Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland'' (J. G. & F. Rivington, 1838), 18. *Sir Egerton Brydges, ''A Biographical Peerage of the Empire of Great Britain'' (J. Johnson, 1808), 86. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cavendish, House of Political families of the United Kingdom Noble families of the United Kingdom