Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
JP | |
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Mistress of the Robes to Queen Mary | |
In office 1910–1916 | |
Monarch | Mary of Teck |
Preceded by | None |
Succeeded by | The Duchess of Sutherland |
In office 1921–1953 | |
Monarch | Mary of Teck |
Preceded by | The Duchess of Sutherland |
Succeeded by | None |
Personal details | |
Born | Evelyn Emily Mary Fitzmaurice 27 August 1870 |
Died | 2 April 1960 | (aged 89)
Nationality | British |
Spouse | |
Children |
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Parents | |
Evelyn Emily Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire,
Evelyn held the position of Mistress of the Robes to Queen Mary from 1910 until 1916, when she accompanied her husband upon his appointment as Governor General of Canada. The Duchess held the position Viceregal Consort until the Duke's term ended in 1921. Upon returning to England, the Duchess again was appointed Mistress of the Robes to Queen Mary, holding the position until the latter's death in 1953. The Dowager Duchess, widowed since 1938, spent her final years living at Hardwick Hall, which was made over to HM Treasury in 1956, in part payment of death duties.
Family and early life
Marriage
Evelyn was married on 30 July 1892 to Victor Cavendish, the nephew and heir of the 8th Duke of Devonshire[1][4] and the youngest member of the House of Commons.[5] They and their growing family resided at Holker Hall in Lancashire, and would be sad to leave it to Lord Richard Cavendish upon Victor's accession as Duke of Devonshire in 1908.[5][6] The family eventually came to include two sons, five daughters,[1] and twenty-one grandchildren.[7]
As part of the celebrations for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, Victor's uncle hosted the Devonshire House Ball, one of the event's most extravagant parties. Lady Evelyn attended in the dress of a Lady at the Court of the Empress Maria Theresa, while her husband dressed in sixteenth-century costume.[8]
Duchess of Devonshire
Victor succeeded his uncle as 9th Duke of Devonshire in 1908, whereupon Evelyn became the Duchess of Devonshire.[1] The Devonshires were one of the country's richest families, thought by some to have more wealth than the royal family.[9] The Duchess was to oversee four large estates in England and one Irish castle.[3] With her new position, she oversaw the reorganisation of the Devonshire estates.[1] The Duchess strictly adhered to etiquette and her position,[9] being characterised by a brother-in-law as "accustomed to authority."[10] She was known for her abrasive personality; her granddaughter-in-law wrote that she "was not altogether easy to get on with,"[11] whilst another referred to her as "an unpleasant woman."[10] Her husband's biographer described her as "cold, authoritarian, and frugal,"[1] and a servant recalled that "she wouldn't speak to you unless she wanted something, and I can't say she ever thanked you either."[10]
In 1909, the Duchess founded the
The Duke of Devonshire's tenure in Canada ended in 1921,
Widowhood
In April 1925, the Duke suffered a stroke that paralysed him and led to his gradual mental deterioration.
In 1950, the unexpected death of the
Issue
They had two sons and five daughters.[1]
- Edward William Spencer Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire (6 May 1895[30] – 26 November 1950); married Lady Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil, daughter of James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury
- Lady Maud Louisa Emma Cavendish (20 April 1896[30] – 30 March 1975)
- Lady Blanche Katherine Cavendish (2 February 1898[30] – 1987)
- Lady Dorothy Evelyn Cavendish (28 July 1900[30] – 21 May 1966); married Harold Macmillan
- Lady Rachel Cavendish (22 January 1902[30] – 2 October 1977); married James Stuart, 1st Viscount Stuart of Findhorn
- Lord Charles Arthur Francis Cavendish (29 August 1905[30] – 23 March 1944); married Adele Astaire
- Lady Anne Cavendish (20 August 1909[30] – 1981); married, firstly, Henry Hunloke, then Christopher Holland-Martin and, lastly, Victor Montagu, 10th Earl of Sandwich
Ancestry
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References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Davenport-Hines 2004.
- ^ Adonis 2004.
- ^ a b c Cavendish 2010, p. 218.
- ^ Simon Shkolnik 1996, p. 274.
- ^ a b c Cavendish 1999, p. 94.
- ^ Simon Shkolnik 1996, pp. 274–75.
- ^ Cavendish 2011, p. 320.
- ^ "Lady Evelyn Cavendish, later Duchess of Devonshire". Chatsworth.org. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
- ^ a b Olson 2007, p. 41.
- ^ a b c Olson 2007, p. 40.
- ^ Cavendish 2010, p. 143.
- Red Cross. 22 September 2009. Archived from the originalon 4 July 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
- ProQuest 145018436. (subscription required)
- ProQuest 145485686. (subscription required)
- ProQuest 145479997. (subscription required)
- ^ a b Simon Shkolnik 1996, p. 275.
- ^ Olson 2007, p. 67.
- ^ Olson 2007, pp. 40–41.
- ^ "Evelyn Cavendish Duchess of Devonshire | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- Edinburgh Gazette. 14 May 1937. Archived from the original(PDF) on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- ^ McCreery 2008, p. 109.
- ^ Cavendish 2010.
- ^ a b c d Cavendish 2010, p. 136.
- ^ Simon Shkolnik 1996, pp. 275–76.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd 1994, p. 178.
- ^ Chatsworth: Home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire; Derbyshire Countryside Ltd; 2005: p. 56.
- ^ Cavendish 2010, p. 141.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84359-217-4: p. 72
- ProQuest 115023105. (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d e f g Burke 1914, p. 621.
- Works cited
- Adonis, Andrew (2004). "Fitzmaurice, Henry Charles Keith Petty-, fifth marquess of Lansdowne (1845–1927)". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35500. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Burke, Bernard, ed. (1914). General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage, the Privy Council, Knightage and Companionage (76th ed.). Harrison and Sons.
- ISBN 0711214301.
- ISBN 978-0374207687.
- ISBN 978-0374103460.
- Davenport-Hines, Richard (2004). "Cavendish, Victor Christian William, ninth duke of Devonshire (1868–1938)". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/32332. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- McCreery, Christopher (2008). On Her Majesty's Service: Royal Honours and Recognition in Canada. Dundurn. p. 109. ISBN 978-1550027426.
Dame Grand Cross, Royal Victorian Order duchess of devonshire.
- Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (1994). Great Houses of England & Wales. Laurence King Publishing. ISBN 0847818241.
- Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage. Vol. 2 (107th ed.). Wilmington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd. pp. 1130–31, 2240.
- Olson, Lynne (2007). Troublesome Young Men: The Rebels Who Brought Churchill to Power and Helped Save England. FSG Books. ISBN 978-0374179540.
- Simon Shkolnik, Esther (1996). "Cavendish, Victor William (9th Duke of Devonshire)". In Stuart Olson, James; Shadle, Robert (eds.). Historical Dictionary of the British Empire, Volume 1. Greenwood Press. ISBN 031329366X.
External links
- Media related to Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire at Wikimedia Commons
- Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire at Find a Grave