William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire

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The Right Honourable

The Earl of Devonshire
William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire
Born27 December 1552
Died3 March 1626
Hardwick, Derbyshire, England
Spouse(s)Anne Keighley, Elizabeth Boughton
ChildrenWilliam 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

William Cavendish was the second son of

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

By 1584 his mother had purchased land for him worth £15,900 and his standing as a

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

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

He died on 3 March 1626, and was buried at

church monument
.

Family

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:

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

  1. ^
    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. 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
Peerage of England
New title Earl of Devonshire
1618–1626 		Succeeded by
Baron Cavendish of Hardwick

1605–1626
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