William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire
The Earl of Devonshire | |
---|---|
Born | 27 December 1552 |
Died | 3 March 1626 Hardwick, Derbyshire, England |
Spouse(s) | Anne Keighley, Elizabeth Boughton |
Children | William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Devonshire Frances Cavendish Gilbert Cavendish James Cavendish |
Parent(s) | Sir William Cavendish Bess of Hardwick |
William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire MP (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. He was educated with the children of George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, whom his mother married after his father's death. She made him a rich allowance in his youth. He then entered Clare College, Cambridge.[1]
Career
He was M.P. for Liverpool in 1586 and Newport (Cornwall) in 1588. He was appointed High Sheriff of Derbyshire, where the estates of his family lay, for 1595 and Justice of the Peace in 1603. He was created Baron Cavendish of Hardwick in 1605, thanks to the representations of his niece, Arbella Stuart.
He participated in the colonisation of the Bermudas, and Devonshire Parish was called after him; he also was a supporter of colonising Virginia.[2]
His mother's death in 1608, and his elder brother Henry's death in 1616, gave him a vast fortune. He was in attendance on James I in a progress in Wiltshire 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.
Family
His first wife was Anne Kighley or Keighley, daughter of Henry Kighley of Keighley, Yorkshire, circa 21 March 1580. They had three sons and three daughters, including:
- William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Devonshire (c. 1590–1628)
- Frances Cavendish (c. 1593–1613), married William Maynard, 1st Baron Maynard
- Gilbert, who has been credited with the authorship of Horae Subsecivae (see Grey Brydges, 5th Baron Chandos), died young
- James, died in infancy
Cavendish's second wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Boughton of Couston, Warwickshire, widow of Sir Richard Wortley of Wortley, Yorkshire, 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
- ^ "Cavendish or Candish, William (CVNS567W)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ "William Cavendish, Earl of Devonshire (1550–1626)". ABC-CLIO.
- Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Cavendish, William (d.1626)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
- Use dmy dates from June 2012
- 1552 births
- 1626 deaths
- 17th-century English nobility
- Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Liverpool
- Earls of Devonshire (1618)
- Lord-Lieutenants of Derbyshire
- Cavendish family
- High Sheriffs of Derbyshire
- English MPs 1586–1587
- English MPs 1589
- Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Cornwall
- People from Derbyshire
- 16th-century English nobility
- Peerage of England earl stubs
- Parliament of England (pre-1707) MP stubs