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 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 ...

. He was educated with the children of

George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, 6th Earl of Waterford, 12th Baron Talbot, KG, Earl Marshal (c. 1522/1528 – 18 November 1590) was an English magnate and military commander. He also held the subsidiary titles of 15th Baron Strange of ...

, whom his mother married after his father's death. She made him a rich allowance in his youth. He then entered

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

Career

He was M.P. for

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

in 1586 and Newport (Cornwall) in 1588. He was appointed

High Sheriff of Derbyshire High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift to ...

, where the estates of his family lay, for 1595 and

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in 1603. He was created Baron Cavendish of Hardwick in 1605, thanks to the representations of his niece,

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 marri ...

. He participated in the colonisation of the

Bermudas ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

, and

Devonshire Parish Devonshire Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. Originally named ''Cavendish Tribe'' and later Devonshire Tribe, for William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire (1552–1626). ''Devonshire Redoubt'', on Castle Island, one of the Castle Har ...

was called after him; he also was a supporter of colonising Virginia. His mother's death in 1608, and his elder brother

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

's death in 1616, gave him a vast fortune. He was in attendance on James I in a progress in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

in 1618, and on 2 August was created Earl of Devonshire, while the court was staying at the Bishop of Salisbury's palace; he was reported to have paid £10,000 for the title.

Death and legacy

He died on 3 March 1626, and was buried at St Peter's Church, Edensor. The 1st Earl of Devonshire and his brother Henry (died 1616) are commemorated through the Cavendish Memorial inside the church, a magnificent early-17th-century

church monument Funerary art is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the remains of the dead. The term encompasses a wide variety of forms, including cenotaphs ("empty tombs"), tomb-like monuments which do not contain human remains, and comm ...

Family

His first wife was Anne Kighley or Keighley, daughter of Henry Kighley of

Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, circa 21 March 1580. They had three sons and three daughters, including: *

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) * Frances Cavendish (c. 1593–1613), married

William Maynard, 1st Baron Maynard William Maynard, 1st Baron Maynard (10 July 1586 – 19 December 1640) of Easton Lodge, Little Easton, Essex was an English Member of Parliament. Biography He was the eldest son of Sir Henry Maynard of Easton Lodge and educated at the embassy ...

* Gilbert, who has been credited with the authorship of ''Horae Subsecivae'' (see

Grey Brydges, 5th Baron Chandos Grey Brydges, 5th Baron Chandos (10 August 1621) of Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire, was an English nobleman and courtier. Early life He was the only son of William Brydges, 4th Baron Chandos, who died on 18 November 1602, and Mary Hopton, ...

), died young * James, died in infancy Cavendish's second wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Boughton of Couston,

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

, widow of Sir Richard Wortley of Wortley,

, by whom he had a son, John, made a knight of the Bath when Prince Charles was created Prince of Wales in 1618. Sir John died on 18 January 1618.

References

History of Parliament CAVENDISH, William II (1551–1626) of Chatsworth and Hardwick, Derbys
;Attribution , - , - , - 1552 births 1626 deaths 17th-century English nobility Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Liverpool Earls of Devonshire (1618 creation) Lord-Lieutenants of Derbyshire William Cavendish, 01st Earl of Devonshire Cavendish, William Cavendish, William Cavendish, William Cavendish, William People from Derbyshire 16th-century English nobility {{16thC-England-MP-stub