William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire

English nobleman

The Right Honourable

The Earl of Devonshire

William Cavendish, 1st 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 (27 December 1552 - 3 March 1626) was an English nobleman, politician, and courtier.

## Early life[edit]

William Cavendish was the second son of Sir William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick. Following his father's death and his mother's remarriage to Sir William St Loe he and his elder brother Henry were sent to Eton.[1] He then entered Clare College, Cambridge in 1567,[2] around the time of his mother's marriage to George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, and was admitted to Gray's Inn in 1572 to complete his education.[1] Shrewsbury had promised considerable sums to Cavendish and his younger brother Charles, when they reached 21. In lieu of this Shrewsbury agreed in 1572 that William and Charles should inherit the lands that Bess had brought to the marriage.[1]

## Career[edit]

By 1584 his mother had purchased land for him worth £15,900 and his standing as a justice of the peace in Derbyshire meant that he was named of the quorum.[1] His mother's marriage had broken down by this time and Cavendish was drawn into an armed conflict with Shrewsbury over his inheritance.[1] He was M.P. for Liverpool in 1586 and Newport (Cornwall) in 1588. His lack of prior links to either place suggests he was nominated by patrons who supported his cause against his stepfather.[3] He was appointed High Sheriff of Derbyshire for 1595.[1]

He was created Baron Cavendish of Hardwick in 1605, thanks to the representations of his niece, Arbella Stuart.[3] He inherited the bulk of his mother's land in 1608 and purchased Chatsworth from his elder brother Henry the following year.[1] He acquired further property, when Henry died childless in 1616.[1]

He participated in the colonisation of the Bermudas, and Devonshire Parish was called after him; he also was a supporter of colonising Virginia.[4] He also invested in the Russia Company, Somers Island Company, and North-West Passage Company, and very heavily but successfully in the East India Company.[1]

He was created Earl of Devonshire on 7 August 1618, while the court was staying at the Bishop of Salisbury's palace;[5] he was reported to have paid £10,000 for the title.[1]

## Death and legacy[edit]

He died on 3 March 1626, and was buried at St Peter's Church, Edensor.[1] 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[edit]

His first wife was Anne Kighley or Keighley, daughter of Henry Kighley of Keighley, Yorkshire, circa 21 March 1580.[1] 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,[1] by whom he had a son, John, who was made a knight of the Bath when Prince Charles was created Prince of Wales in 1618. He died without issue 18 January 1619.[6]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Cavendish, William, first earl of Devonshire". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/4944. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
2. ^ "Cavendish or Candish, William (CVNS567W)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
3. ^ a b "CAVENDISH, William II (1551-1626), of Chatsworth and Hardwick, Derbys". Retrieved 5 January 2023.
4. ^ "William Cavendish, Earl of Devonshire (1550–1626)". ABC-CLIO.
5. ^ The progresses, processions, and magnificent festivities, of King James the First. Vol. 3\. 1828. p. 490.
6. ^ Bickley, Francis (1911). The Cavendish Family. p. 43.

Honorary titles

Vacant

Title last held by

The Earl of Shrewsbury |  Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire
jointly with Lord Cavendish of Hardwick
1619-1626  | Succeeded by

The Earl of Devonshire

Peerage of England
New title |  Earl of Devonshire
1618-1626  | Succeeded by

William Cavendish

Baron Cavendish of Hardwick
1605-1626

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Dukes of Devonshire

Barons Cavendish of Hardwick|

* William Cavendish, 1st Baron Cavendish of Hardwick (1605–1618)

Earls of Devonshire|

* William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire (1618–1626)
* William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Devonshire (1626–1628)
* William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire (1628–1684)
* William Cavendish, 4th Earl of Devonshire (1684–1694)

Dukes of Devonshire|

* William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire (1694–1707)
* William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire (1707–1729)
* William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire (1729–1755)
* William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire (1755–1764)
* William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire (1764–1811)
* William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire (1811–1858)
* William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire (1858–1891)
* Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire (1891–1908)
* Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire (1908–1938)
* Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire (1938–1950)
* Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire (1950–2004)
* Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire (2004–present)

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