Mary Cavendish, Duchess Of Devonshire
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Mary Alice Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, (; 29 July 1895 – 24 December 1988) was a British courtier who served as
Mistress of the Robes The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, who would, by appointment, attend on the Queen (whether queen regnant or a queen consort). Queens dowager retained their own mistresses of the robes. In ...
to Queen
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
from 1953 to 1967. She was the granddaughter of Prime Minister
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of 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 politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for ...
.


Early life

She was born the Honourable Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil in
Hatfield, Hertfordshire Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It had a population of 29,616 in 2001, 39,201 at the 2011 census, and 41,265 at the 2021 census. The settlement is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House ...
on 29 July 1895. She was the second daughter of James Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne, and Lady Cicely Alice Gore, who served as Extra
Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. A lady of the bedchamber would gi ...
to
Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, queen-consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 Januar ...
. Her maternal grandparents were Arthur Gore, 5th Earl of Arran and Lady Edith Jocelyn (daughter of Robert Jocelyn, Viscount Jocelyn and sister of Robert Jocelyn, 4th Earl of Roden). Her paternal grandparents were
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of 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 politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for ...
and the former Georgiana Alderson (eldest daughter of Sir Edward Hall Alderson, a Baron of the Exchequer). In 1903, her father succeeded as the Marquess of Salisbury and she was styled Lady Mary Gascoyne-Cecil. Her older brother,
Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...
became the 5th Marquess of Salisbury upon their father's death in 1947. Her younger brother,
Lord David Cecil Lord Edward Christian David Gascoyne-Cecil, CH (9 April 1902 – 1 January 1986) was a British biographer, historian, and scholar. He held the style of "Lord" by courtesy as a younger son of a marquess. Early life and studies David Cecil was ...
, was a prominent biographer, historian and academic.


Functions

She was
Mistress of the Robes The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, who would, by appointment, attend on the Queen (whether queen regnant or a queen consort). Queens dowager retained their own mistresses of the robes. In ...
to
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
from 1953 to 1967 and Chancellor of the
University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...
from 1955 to 1972. She was awarded Hon. LLD (Exon) in 1956. The Duchess of Devonshire had an interest in Jacob sheep and kept a flock at
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 si ...
in
Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...
. When a breed society, the Jacob Sheep Society, was formed in July 1969, she became its first president.History of the Jacob Sheep
Jacob Sheep Conservancy. Accessed May 2017.
From 1972 onwards, the society published a flock book.


Marriage and children

On 21 April 1917, Lady Mary was married to Edward Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington. Edward was the eldest son of
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, Victor ...
and his wife,
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, 5t ...
(eldest daughter of
Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, (14 January 18453 June 1927), was a British statesman who served successively as Governor General of Canada, Viceroy of India, Secretary of State for War and Secretary of State ...
). In 1938, he succeeded his father as the 10th
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 ...
. They had five children: William John Robert Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington; Andrew Robert Buxton Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire; Lady Mary Cavendish; Lady Elizabeth Georgiana Alice Cavendish; Lady Anne Evelyn Beatrice Cavendish.Eve Colpus, 'Tree, Lady Anne Evelyn Beatrice (1927–2010)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, Jan 2014; online edn, Jan 201
accessed 20 April 2017
/ref> On 26 November 1950, her husband
Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire Edward William Spencer Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire (6 May 1895 – 26 November 1950), known as the Marquess of Hartington from 1908 to 1938, was a British politician. He was the head of the Devonshire branch of the House of Cavendish. He ...
, had a heart attack and died at
Compton Place Compton Place is a English country house, mansion house in the parish of Eastbourne, East Sussex, England. It was rebuilt from 1726 by Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, Sir Spencer Compton (later 1st Earl of Wilmington), to the design of t ...
while being attended by
John Bodkin Adams John Bodkin Adams (21 January 18994 July 1983) was a British general practitioner, convicted fraudster, and suspected serial killer. Between 1946 and 1956, 163 of his patients died while in comas, which was deemed to be worthy of investigation ...
, the suspected
serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
. In the process of transferring his assets to his son, the death of the Duke fell 10 weeks prior to the end of a required 5-year period, and his estate was subjected to taxes of 80%.Lowell, Mary., "The Sisters: Saga of the Mitford Family"


Honours

She was appointed a Commander of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(CBE) in 1946 and a Dame Grand Cross of the
Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...
(GCVO) in 1955.


Death

The Duchess died in
Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, aged 93, and is buried next to her husband in the churchyard at Edensor, Derbyshire, near Chatsworth.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devonshire, Mary, Duchess of 1895 births 1988 deaths Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire English duchesses by marriage Daughters of British marquesses Chancellors of the University of Exeter Mistresses of the Robes to Elizabeth II Dames Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany People from Hatfield, Hertfordshire