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 Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician. He served as the last

Master of the Buckhounds The Master of the Buckhounds (or Master of the Hounds) was an officer in the Master of the Horse's department of the British Royal Household. The holder was also His/Her Majesty's Representative at Ascot. The role was to oversee a hunting pack; a ...

under

Lord Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903), known as Lord Salisbury, was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United ...

from 1900 to 1901.

Early life

A member of the Cavendish family headed by the

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 b ...

, Chesham was the eldest son of William Cavendish, 2nd Baron Chesham and his wife Henrietta Frances Lascelles, daughter of William Lascelles. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

Political career

Lord Chesham took his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

on his father's death in 1882. In November 1900, he was appointed

under

. However, as Chesham was serving in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, Lord Churchill was appointed to act as Master of the Buckhounds in his absence. Chesham remained Master until the office was abolished the following year. He was admitted to the Privy Council in July 1901, and also served as a

Lord of the Bedchamber Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the Royal Household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household, the term being fir ...

to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

(later

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

) from 1901 to 1907.

Military career

He entered the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

in 1870. Three years later, he joined the

10th Royal Hussars The 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own) was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the World War I, First World War and World War II, Sec ...

as a captain, and 1878 joined the 16th Lancers. Chesham held an appointment as lieutenant colonel of the Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars Yeomanry from 1889. In January 1900 he was appointed in command of the 10th battalion of the

Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but s ...

(which included companies from

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

and

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

), serving in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

, and received the temporary rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the army. He left

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

on board the SS ''Norman'' in early February 1900, and arrived in

the following month. Later that year, he was promoted to brigadier general and in November 1900 appointed a Knight Commander of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(KCB) for his services (he was invested by

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

Marlborough House Marlborough House, a Grade I listed mansion on The Mall in St James's, City of Westminster, London, is the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Nations and the seat of the Commonwealth Secretariat. It is adjacent to St James's Palace. The ...

on 25 July 1901 during a brief visit to London). From 1901 he was inspector general of Imperial Yeomanry in South Africa, with the local rank of major-general. He relinquished his commission and was granted the honorary rank of major-general in the Army on 22 January 1902, leaving

the following month by the steamer . After his return to the United Kingdom, he was in late April 1902 appointed Inspector General of Imperial Yeomanry (at Army Headquarters) with the temporary rank of major-general whilst so employed. Lord Chesham was appointed to honorary colonel of the Buckinghamshire Imperial Yeomanry (Royal Bucks Hussars) on 19 March 1902. There is a bronze statue commemorating his life and deeds located in the Market Square in

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Waterside Theatre. It is located in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wycombe and Milt ...

, which has Grade II

Listed Building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

status.

Family

Lord Chesham married, in 1877, his second cousin Lady Beatrice Constance Grosvenor (1858–1911), second daughter of

Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster, (13 October 1825 – 22 December 1899), styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845, Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869, and known as The Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an ...

. They had two sons and two daughters: * 2nd Lieutenant the Honourable Charles William Hugh Cavendish (13 September 1878 – 11 June 1900), in the

17th Lancers The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1759 and notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The regim ...

, killed in action near

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

during the

* Honourable Lilah Constance Cavendish (20 March 1884 – 27 April 1944), married 1903 Sir Mervyn Manningham-Buller, 3rd Baronet (1876–1956), mother of

Reginald Manningham-Buller, 1st Viscount Dilhorne Reginald Edward Manningham-Buller, 1st Viscount Dilhorne, (1 August 1905 – 7 September 1980), known as Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller, Bt, from 1954 to 1962 and as The Lord Dilhorne from 1962 to 1964, was an English lawyer and Conservative po ...

* Honourable Marjorie Beatrice Cavendish (18 September 1888 – 2 July 1897) * John Compton Cavendish, 4th Baron Chesham (13 June 1894 – 26 April 1952) Lady Chesham joined her husband in South Africa in April 1900, travelling there on the SS ''Dunottar Castle'' with her two sisters the Duchess of Teck and the Marchioness of Ormonde. She was appointed a Lady of Grace of the Order of St. John (DStJ) in July 1901, and in December the same year received the decoration of the

Royal Red Cross The Royal Red Cross (RRC) is a military decoration awarded in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for exceptional services in military nursing. It was created in 1883, and the first two awards were to Florence Nightingale and Jane Cecilia Deeb ...

(RRC) for her services with the Imperial Yeomanry Hospital during the Boer War. Lord Chesham was killed in November 1907 a after a fox-hunting accident near

Daventry Daventry ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England, close to the border with Warwickshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, Daventry had a populati ...

. He was thrown from his horse and suffered a dislocated neck. He was succeeded in the barony by his second but eldest surviving son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, then aged 13. After his death, in 1910, Lady Chesham remarried Maj. John Alexander Moncreiffe , son of Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, 7th Baronet.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chesham, Charles Cavendish, 3rd Baron 1850 births 1907 deaths Military personnel from the City of Westminster Charles Cavendish, 3rd Baron Chesham 3 Deputy lieutenants of Warwickshire Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Hunting accident deaths Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry officers Masters of the Buckhounds British Army brigadiers Deaths by horse-riding accident in England People educated at Eton College British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Coldstream Guards soldiers 10th Royal Hussars officers 16th The Queen's Lancers officers Volunteer Force officers