William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland

DL
The Duke of Portland, circa 1900.
Master of the Horse
In office 9 August 1886 – 11 August 1892
Monarch	Queen Victoria
Prime Minister	The Marquess of Salisbury
Preceded by	The Earl of Cork
Succeeded by	The Viscount Oxenbridge
In office 16 July 1895 – 4 December 1905
Monarchs	Queen Victoria Edward VII
Prime Minister	The Marquess of Salisbury Arthur Balfour
Preceded by	The Earl of Cork
Succeeded by	The Earl of Sefton
Personal details
Born	28 December 1857 Dunkeld, Perthshire, Scotland
Died	26 April 1943(1943-04-26) (aged 85) Welbeck Abbey, Nottinghamshire, England
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Winifred Dallas-Yorke ​ ​ (m. 1889)​
Children	Lady Victoria Erskine-Wemyss William Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of Portland Lord Francis Cavendish-Bentinck

William John Arthur Charles James Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland,

He owned 183,000 acres with 101,000 acres in Caithness with 43,000 acres in Nottinghamshire and 35,000 acres in Northumberland.[1]

Public life

Portland initially embarked on a military career and served as a lieutenant in the

The Portlands received Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria at Welbeck Abbey for a week in 1913 when the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne visited England. During the stay he took the Archduke shooting on the estate when, according to Portland's memoirs, Men, Women and Things:

"One of the loaders fell down. This caused both barrels of the gun he was carrying to be discharged, the shot passing within a few feet of the archduke and myself. I have often wondered whether the Great War might not have been averted, or at least postponed, had the archduke met his death there and not at Sarajevo the following year."^[14]

From 1937 to 1943 he was

The Duke and Duchess of Portland were custodians and collectors of fine art. They were respectful and generous to the hundreds of staff they employed. One former servant, George Slingsby, who was employed as a footman at Welbeck Abbey before the First World War, wrote that "most of their staff had a job for life, were well cared for in the estate’s own hospital block when they were ill, and at such times nothing was deducted from their wages, at a time when the working classes had no privileges, or indeed any help from the Government."[15]

His probate was sworn in 1943 at £201,516 (equivalent to about £9,600,000 in 2021), with his son as his heir.

Thoroughbred horse racing

Portland inherited the estate and stud farm near Clumber Park in North Nottinghamshire. Among the horses he owned was St. Simon, who won the 1884 Ascot Gold Cup. He also bred and owned Ayrshire and Donovan, who won the 1888 and 1889 runnings of The Derby.

in 1890 Portland built "The Winnings", a row of 6 almshouses at Welbeck Abbey, with the proceeds of his horse racing successes.^[16][17]

Family

Portland married

• Lady Victoria Alexandrina Violet Cavendish-Bentinck (born 27 February 1890, died 8 May 1994), married Captain Michael Erskine-Wemyss and had issue. She was the last surviving godchild of Queen Victoria.[18]
• William Arthur Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of Portland (born 16 March 1893, died 21 March 1977)
• Lord (Francis) Morven Dallas Cavendish-Bentinck (born 27 July 1900, died 22 August 1950), died unmarried.

Portland died in April 1943, aged 85, and was interred at the traditional burial place of the Dukes of Portland in the churchyard of St Winifred's Church at Holbeck. He was succeeded by his eldest son, William. The Duchess of Portland died in July 1954, aged 90.^[

Ancestry

Ancestors of William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland

16. William Bentinck, 2nd Duke of Portland 8. William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, Prime Minister of Great Britain 17. Lady Margaret Cavendish Harley 4. Lord Charles Cavendish-Bentinck 18. William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, Prime Minister of Great Britain 9. Lady Dorothy Cavendish 19. Charlotte Boyle, 6th Baroness Clifford 2. Arthur Cavendish-Bentinck 20. Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington 10. Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley 21. The Hon. Anne Hill-Trevor 5. Anne Wellesley 22. Pierre Roland 11. Hyacinthe-Gabrielle Roland 23. Hyacinthe Gabrielle Varis 1. William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland 24. James Hawkins, Bishop of Raphoe 12. Adm. Sir James Hawkins-Whitshed, 1st Baronet, of Killincarrick 25. Catherine Keene 6. Sir St. Vincent Keene Hawkins-Whitshed, 2nd Baronet, of Killincarrick 26. Count John Bentinck 13. Countess Sophia Henrietta Bentinck 27. Baroness Renira van Tuyll van Serooskerken 3. Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed 28. Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine 14. David Erskine, 2nd Baron Erskine 29. Frances Moore 7. The Hon. Elizabeth Erskine 30. Gen. John Cadwalader 15. Frances Cadwalader 31. Williamina Bond

Arms

Coat of arms of William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland

Notes The title Duke of Portland was created by George I in 1716 . Coronet A Coronet of a Duke Crest Out of a ducal coronet proper two arms counter-embowed vested Gules, on the hands gloves Or, each holding an ostrich feather Argent (Bentinck); A snake nowed proper (Cavendish) Escutcheon Quarterly: 1st and 4th, Azure a cross moline Argent (Bentinck); 2nd and 3rd, Sable three stags' heads cabossed Argent attired Or, a crescent for difference (Cavendish) Supporters Two lions double queued, the dexter Or and the sinister sable Motto Craignez Honte (Fear Dishonour)

Publications

Portland was author of the following memoirs:

• Fifty Years and More of Sport in Scotland (1933)[19]
• Memories of Racing and Hunting (1935)^[19]
• Men, Women and Things (1937)^[19]

References

1. ^ The great landowners of Great Britain and Ireland
2. ^ ^{a b} Biography of the 6th Duke, with links to online catalogues, from Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of Nottingham
3. ^
   ISBN 2-940085-02-1
   .
4. ^ ^{a b c} Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed and Official Classes, 1918. Kelly's. p. 1250.
5. ^ Army List.
6. ^ "No. 25615". The London Gazette. 10 August 1886. p. 3854.
7. ^ "No. 26645". The London Gazette. 19 July 1895. p. 4101.
8. ^ "No. 25617". The London Gazette. 17 August 1886. p. 4005.
9. ^ "No. 26743". The London Gazette. 26 May 1896. p. 3123.
10. ^ "No. 27175". The London Gazette. 20 March 1900. p. 1875.
11. ^ "Court Circular". The Times. No. 36092. London. 17 March 1900. p. 8.
12. ^ "No. 27330". The London Gazette. 5 July 1901. p. 4469.
13. ^ "Court Circular". The Times. No. 36945. London. 8 December 1902. p. 9.
14. ^ [1] BBC Radio Nottinghamshire article.
15. ^ Nina Slingsby, "George: Memoirs of a Gentleman's Gentleman," Jonathan Cape, 1984: London, 73
16. ISBN 9780224099455
    .
17. ^ "THE WINNINGS AND SUNDIAL THE WINNINGS AND SUNDIAL, 1-6, WINNINGS ROAD". Historic England. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
18. ^ Massingberd, Hugh, ed. (1995) The Daily Telegraph Book of Obituaries. Macmillan; p. 324
19. ^ ^{a b c} Who Was Who, 1941-1950. A and C Black. 1952. p. 928.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland.

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland

Political offices
Preceded by The Earl of Cork	Master of the Horse 1886–1892	Succeeded by The Viscount Oxenbridge
	Master of the Horse 1895–1905	Succeeded by The Earl of Sefton
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl of Caithness	Lord Lieutenant of Caithness 1889–1919	Succeeded by Sir Archibald Sinclair, Bt
Preceded by The Duke of St Albans	Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire 1898–1939	Succeeded by Marquess of Titchfield
Preceded by The Bishop of Oxford	Chancellor of the Order of the Garter 1937–1943	Succeeded by The Viscount Halifax
Preceded by The Duke of Connaught and Strathearn	Senior Privy Counsellor 1942–1943	Succeeded by The Marquess of Crewe
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck	Duke of Portland 1879–1943	Succeeded by William Cavendish-Bentinck
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Augusta Cavendish-Bentinck	Baron Bolsover 1893–1943	Succeeded by William Cavendish-Bentinck