William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire

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William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire.

William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire KG PC (25 January 1640 – 18 August 1707) was a soldier and Whig statesman, the son of William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire and Lady Elizabeth Cecil.

[edit] Life

William Cavendish became Member of Parliament for Derby in 1661. A Whig under Charles II of England and James II of England, he was leader of the anti-court and anti-Catholic party in the House of Commons, where he served as Lord Cavendish. He was a strong supporter of the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688 which brought William III of Orange to the throne, signing as one of the Immortal Seven the invitation to William. After the revolution, he was a leading Whig, serving as William's Lord Steward, and was created the Duke of Devonshire (1694) and also Marquess of Hartington in recognition for his services. He married Lady Mary Butler (1646–1710), daughter of James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Preston, on 26 October 1662. He rebuilt Chatsworth House. He was also a famous womaniser.

Devonshire and Lady Mary Butler had four children:

Lady Elizabeth Cavendish (1670–1741), married Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet and had issue
William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire (c. 1672 – 4 June 1729)
Lord Henry Cavendish (1673 – 10 May 1700)
Lord James Cavendish (d. 14 December 1751)

Cavendish was given an honorary MA by Cambridge University in 1705.^[1]

Chatsworth House – includes an account of the Duke's reconstruction of the house.
List of deserters from James II to William of Orange

^ Venn, J.; Venn, J. A., eds (1922–1958). "Cavendish, William". Alumni Cantabrigienses (10 vols) (online ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Parliament of England
Preceded by Viscount Mansfield John Ferrers	Member of Parliament for Derbyshire John Frescheville 1661–1665 John Milward 1665–1670 William Sacheverell 1670–1684 1661–1684	Succeeded by Sir Robert Coke, Bt^{[disambiguation needed ]} Sir Gilbert Clarke
Political offices
Preceded by The Duke of Ormonde	Lord Steward 1689–1707	Succeeded by The Duke of Devonshire
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl of Huntingdon	Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire 1689–1707	Succeeded by The Duke of Devonshire
Preceded by The Duke of Newcastle	Custos Rotulorum of Derbyshire 1689–1707	Succeeded by The Duke of Devonshire
Preceded by The Viscount Fitzhardinge	Lord Lieutenant of Somerset 1690–1691 Served alongside: The Marquess of Carmarthen The Earl of Dorset	Succeeded by The Duke of Ormonde
Vacant Title last held by The Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull	Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire 1692–1694	Succeeded by The Duke of Newcastle
Legal offices
Preceded by The Earl of Kingston	Justice in Eyre north of the Trent 1690–1707	Succeeded by The Duke of Devonshire
Peerage of England
New creation	Duke of Devonshire 1694–1707	Succeeded by William Cavendish
Preceded by William Cavendish	Earl of Devonshire 1684–1707	Succeeded by William Cavendish

Persondata
Name	Devonshire, William Cavendish, 1st Duke Of
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	25 January 1640
Place of birth
Date of death	18 August 1707
Place of death