William Henry Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland, (24 June 1768 – 27 March 1854), styled Marquess of Titchfield until 1809, was a British politician who served in various positions in the governments of
George Canning and
Lord Goderich.
Background and education
Portland was the eldest son of Prime Minister
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) ...
and
Lady Dorothy, daughter of
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 Mini ...
and
Charlotte Boyle, Baroness Clifford. He was the elder brother of
Lord William Bentinck
Lieutenant General Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck (14 September 177417 June 1839), known as Lord William Bentinck, was a British soldier and statesman who served as the Governor of Fort William (Bengal) from 1828 to 1834 and the First G ...
and
Lord Charles Bentinck
Lord William Charles Augustus Cavendish-Bentinck (20 May 178028 April 1826), known as Lord Charles Bentinck, was a British soldier and politician and a great-great-grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II.
Background
Bentinck was the third son of Brit ...
.
He was educated first in
Ealing under the tutelage of
Samuel Goodenough
Samuel Goodenough ( – 12 August 1827) was the Bishop of Carlisle from 1808 until his death in 1827, and an amateur botanist and collector. He is honoured in the scientific names of the plant genus ''Goodenia'' and the red-capped robin (''Petro ...
graduating in 1774, followed by
Westminster School
(God Gives the Increase)
, established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560
, type = Public school Independent day and boarding school
, religion = Church of England
, head_label = Hea ...
(1783). He attended
Christ Church, Oxford for two years but did not take a degree.
The third Duke, who spared no expense for his heir, sent him to
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
in 1786 for experience working with the crown's envoy, Sir
James Harris. He returned in 1789.
He later received an honorary degree of
Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law (DCL; la, Legis Civilis Doctor or Juris Civilis Doctor) is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws (LLD) degrees.
At Oxford, the degree is a higher ...
from Oxford in 1793.
He also served as a Family Trustee of the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
;
in 1810, he loaned the famed
Portland Vase
The Portland Vase is a Roman cameo glass vase, which is dated to between AD 1 and AD 25, though low BC dates have some scholarly support. It is the best known piece of Roman cameo glass and has served as an inspiration to many glass and porcelain ...
to the museum.
Political career
Portland was Member of Parliament for
Petersfield
Petersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Portsmouth. The town has its own railway station on the Portsmouth Direct line, the mainline rail link connecting Portsmouth a ...
between 1790 and 1791 and for
Buckinghamshire between 1791 and 1809.
He served under his father as a
Lord of the Treasury
In the United Kingdom there are at least six Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, serving as a commission for the ancient office of Treasurer of the Exchequer. The board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of th ...
between March and September 1807. He remained out of office until April 1827 when he was appointed
Lord Privy Seal by his brother-in-law
George Canning.
He was sworn of the
Privy Council the same year.
When
Lord Goderich became Prime Minister in August 1827, Portland became
Lord President of the Council,
an office he retained until the government fell in January 1828. Over time the Duke became less of a staunch Conservative, softening to some of the more liberal stances of Canning.
Portland also held the honorary post of
Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex
This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex. From 1794 to 1965, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Middlesex. The office was abolished on 1 April 1965, with the creation of Greater London and the post of L ...
between 1794 and 1841.
Family
Portland married
Henrietta Henrietta may refer to:
* Henrietta (given name), a feminine given name, derived from the male name Henry
Places
* Henrietta Island in the Arctic Ocean
* Henrietta, Mauritius
* Henrietta, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
United States
* Henrie ...
, eldest daughter and heiress of
Major-General John Scott
Major General John Scott (1725–1775) "of Balcomie and Scotstarvit" in Scotland, was a Scottish politician and senior British Army officer. He was nicknamed Pawky Scott (Pawky being in Scots dialect "sly, shrewd or one who tricks you").
...
of
Fife and his wife Margaret (''née'' Dundas), in London on 4 August 1795. At the time of his marriage he obtained Royal Licence to take the name and arms of Scott in addition to that of Cavendish-Bentinck. They were parents of nine children:
*
William Henry, Marquess of Titchfield (22 October 1796 – 5 March 1824)
*Lady Margaret Harriet (21 April 1798 – 9 April 1882)
*Lady Caroline (6 July 1799 – 23 January 1828)
*
William John Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland (12 September 1800 – 6 December 1879)
*
Lord George Frederick (27 February 1802 – 21 September 1848)
*
Lord Henry William Bentinck (9 June 1804 – 31 December 1870)
*Lady Charlotte (14 Jan 1806 – 30 September 1889); married
John Evelyn Denison, 1st Viscount Ossington
John Evelyn Denison, 1st Viscount Ossington, PC (27 January 1800 – 7 March 1873) was a British statesman who served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1857 to 1872. He is the eponym of Speaker Denison's rule.
Background and education
D ...
*Lady Lucy Joan (27 August 1807 – 29 July 1899); married
Charles Ellis, 6th Baron Howard de Walden
Charles Augustus Ellis, 6th Baron Howard de Walden and 2nd Baron Seaford (5 June 1799 – 29 August 1868), was a British diplomat and politician.
Lineage
Ellis was the son of Charles Ellis, 1st Baron Seaford and his wife, the Honourable Elizabe ...
*Lady Mary (8 July 1809 – 20 July 1874); married Sir William Topham
Death and legacy
The Duchess of Portland died on 24 April 1844.
Nearly 10 years later, Portland died at the family seat of
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 o ...
, Nottinghamshire, in March 1854, aged 85. Two of their sons predeceased their parents; their eldest dying of a brain lesion and their third son dying of a heart attack.
The duke expressed a desire to be buried in the open churchyard in
Bolsover
Bolsover is a market town and the administrative centre of the Bolsover District, Derbyshire, England. It is from London, from Sheffield, from Nottingham and from Derby. It is the main town in the Bolsover district.
The civil parish for th ...
, Derbyshire, near the other family seat at
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 ...
. However, he was instead interred in the ancient Cavendish vault, that had previously been unopened for 138 years.
He was succeeded in the dukedom by his second son (but the eldest surviving),
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
.
The department of
holds a number of papers relating to Portland: His personal and political papers are part of the Portland (Welbeck) Collection while the Portland (London) Collection contains papers relating to his estate business. The Portland Estate Papers held at Nottinghamshire Archives also contain items relating to Portland's properties.
Arms
Titles
His full titles were ''Duke of Portland, Marquess of Titchfield, Earl of Portland, Viscount Woodstock'', and ''Baron Cirencester''.
*''The Most Honourable'' William Cavendish-Bentinck, Marquess of Titchfield (1768–1795)
*''The Most Honourable'' William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, Marquess of Titchfield (1795–1809)
*''His Grace'' The Duke of Portland (1809–1854)
Ancestors
See also
*
English Education Act 1835
References
External links
*
Biography of the 4th Duke, with links to online catalogues, from Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of Nottingham
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portland, William Henry Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 4th Duke of
1768 births
1854 deaths
People educated at Westminster School, London
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
British racehorse owners and breeders
British landowners
People from Welbeck
Children of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
104
William, 4th Duke of Portland
William, 4th Duke of Portland
Lord-Lieutenants of Middlesex
Lords Privy Seal
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Titchfield, William Scott-Bentinck, Marquess of
British MPs 1790–1796
British MPs 1796–1800
Titchfield, William Scott-Bentinck, Marquess of
Titchfield, William Scott-Bentinck, Marquess of
Titchfield, William Scott-Bentinck, Marquess of
Titchfield, William Scott-Bentinck, Marquess of
Titchfield, William Scott-Bentinck, Marquess of
Portland, D4
Owners of Epsom Derby winners