Peregrine Andrew Morny Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire, (also known as "Stoker"; born 27 April 1944) is an English

peer Peer may refer to: Sociology * Peer, an equal in age, education or social class; see Peer group * Peer, a member of the peerage; related to the term "peer of the realm" Computing * Peer, one of several functional units in the same layer of a ne ...

. He is the only surviving son of Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire and his wife, the former Deborah Mitford. He succeeded to the

dukedom Dukedom may refer to: * The title and office of a duke * Duchy, the territory ruled by a duke * Dukedom, Kentucky and Tennessee, United States * ''Dukedom'' (game), a land management game See also * Lists of dukedoms Lists of dukedoms include: ...

following the death of his father on 3 May 2004. Before his succession, he was styled Earl of Burlington from birth until 1950 and Marquess of Hartington between 1950 and 2004. His immediate family are owner-occupiers of

Chatsworth House Chatsworth House is a stately home in the Derbyshire Dales, north-east of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield, England. The seat of the Duke of Devonshire, it has belonged to the Cavendish family since 1549. It stands on the east bank of the ...

and are worth an estimated £800 million.Duke of Devonshire
, Derby Evening Telegraph, Retrieved August 2015 Estates landscaped before 1900 by the family (who maintain a luxury hotels business) are parts of

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

and

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four co ...

. Other capital managed by the Duke includes fine and contemporary art, forestry and farming.

Education

He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

Exeter College, Oxford (Let Exeter Flourish) , old_names = ''Stapeldon Hall'' , named_for = Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter , established = , sister_college = Emmanuel College, Cambridge , rector = Sir Richard Trainor ...

, where he read History, and at the Royal Agricultural College (now the

Royal Agricultural University ;(from Virgil's Georgics)"Caring for the Fieldsand the Beasts" , established = 2013 - University status – College , type = Public , president = King Charles , vice_chancellor = Peter McCaffery , students ...

Cirencester Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...

Horse racing

The Duke is well known in the world of

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

and served as

Her Majesty's Representative at Ascot The holder of the British royal household post of His or Her Majesty's Representative at Ascot heads the Ascot Office at St. James's Palace and is responsible for admitting people to the Royal Enclosure at Ascot Racecourse. List of representative ...

and chairman of

Ascot Racecourse Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races a ...

Ltd. In 1980 he was elected to the

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, a ...

and in 1989 he was appointed its Senior Steward (that is, Chairman). During his five-year term of office, he oversaw a number of changes within the racing industry, in particular the creation of the

British Horseracing Board __FORCETOC__ From 10 June 1993 until 30 July 2007, the British Horseracing Board (BHB) was the governing authority for horseracing in Great Britain. It was created in 1993, and took on responsibilities previously held by the Jockey Club. This wa ...

which is now the governing authority for British racing. He was appointed first chairman of the board in June 1993 and retired at the end of his term in 1996. He was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) for services to racing in 1997 and

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

(KCVO) in the

2009 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2009 were announced on 31 December 2008 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Christopher and Nevis,Saint Christopher. to ...

for his services as Her Majesty's Representative at Ascot.

Other interests

He was appointed a Trustee of the Wallace Collection in 2007. He is a trustee of Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust. He is Chairman of the Devonshire Arms Hotel Group, a chain of countryside hotels in

and

, and Deputy Chairman of

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

. He collects modern British and contemporary painting and sculpture, as well as works in other areas, many of which are on display at his family seat

. The Duke and Duchess and the house and estate grounds were featured in the BBC documentary series '' Chatsworth''. In December 2012, he sold ''Auxiliary cartoon for the Head of a Young Apostle'' by

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual ...

for £29.7m at a Sotheby's auction. As of 2016 he is the owner of Heywood Hill, a notable bookstore in London where his aunt

Nancy Mitford Nancy Freeman-Mitford (28 November 1904 – 30 June 1973), known as Nancy Mitford, was an English novelist, biographer, and journalist. The eldest of the Mitford sisters, she was regarded as one of the "bright young things" on the London ...

used to work. He took up the position as the third Chancellor of the

University of Derby , mottoeng = Experience is the best teacher , established = 1851 – Teacher Training College1992 – gained university status , type = Public , chancellor = William Cavendish, E ...

at a ceremony on 28 October 2008 in

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Cavendish Pianos Cavendish Pianos is a brand of pianos made at Yorkshire Pianos, the only company producing pianos still wholly built in the United Kingdom. History Inspired by the closure of the Yamaha Kemble factory in Milton Keynes, Adam Cox and his wife C ...

was named after the family name of the Duke to recognise his support, which was critical to the establishment of the new firm. He was the third Chancellor of the University of Derby from 2008 to March 2018. He stepped down from the role in 2018 and his son and heir,

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 ...

was nominated and installed as the fourth and current Chancellor of the University in March 2018. The Duke has provided a Swalesdale Ram as mascot to the Mercian Regiment since the regiment's inception. In 2017 he presented Private Derby to the Regiment.

Marriage and children

The Duke married Amanda Carmen Heywood-Lonsdale, daughter of

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

Edward Gavin Heywood-Lonsdale, on 28 June 1967. They have three children: *

(born 6 June 1969),

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

to the dukedom. * Lady Celina Imogen Cavendish (born 4 October 1971) * Lady Jasmine Nancy Cavendish (born 4 May 1973), married to Nicholas Dunne, son of Sir Thomas Dunne KG KCVO

Chatsworth House

One of the homes of the Duke and Duchess is

in Derbyshire. They are involved in the operation of the house as a tourist attraction. In 2019, the Duke and Duchess visited Sotheby's to view "Treasures From Chatsworth", including art and artifacts from Chatsworth House, that would be displayed in New York.

Titles, honours and arms

Titles

He succeeded as the 12th Duke of Devonshire, 12th Marquess of Hartington, the 7th Earl of Burlington, the 15th Earl of Devonshire, the 15th Baron Cavendish of Hardwick, and the 7th Baron Cavendish of Keighley on 3 May 2004. In February 2010, the Duke announced his intention to give up his

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of September 2022, there are 807 hereditary peers: 29 dukes (including five royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 190 earls, 111 viscounts, and 443 barons (disregarding subsidi ...

s were removed from the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

, on the basis that "the aristocracy is dead" and "because then it would be clear-cut what the people wanted, and it would be confusing to maintain hereditary titles".Walker, Tim
Aristocrats dismiss the despondent Duke of Devonshire’s fears
''The Telegraph'', 22 February 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2010.

Honours

(2008) *

(1997) *Chancellor of the

(October 2008 – March 2018)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devonshire, Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of 1944 births Living people People educated at Eton College Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Deputy Lieutenants of Derbyshire 112 *07 Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire People associated with the University of Derby People from Derbyshire Dales (district) British landowners British farmers Horse racing administrators Mitford family