William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire (27 April 1808 – 21 December 1891), styledLord Cavendish of Keighley between 1831 and 1834 andEarl of Burlington between 1834 and 1858, was an Englisharistocrat,landowner,property developer, industrialist,benefactor, and prominent politician.
Cavendish was the son ofWilliam Cavendish (1783–1812) and the Honourable Louisa O'Callaghan (d. 1863). His father was the eldest son ofLord George Cavendish (later created, in 1831, the 1stEarl of Burlington, by the second creation), third son ofthe 4th Duke of Devonshire andLady Charlotte Boyle, daughter ofthe 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork. His mother was the daughter ofthe 1st Baron Lismore.
He was educated atEton and theUniversity of Cambridge (Trinity College), attaining the position ofSecond Wrangler and theSmith's Prize for mathematics.[1] He became known by thecourtesy title Lord Cavendish of Keighley in 1831 when the earldom of Burlington was revived in favour of his grandfather.[2]
Cavendish was returned to parliament as theMP for Cambridge University in 1829, a seat he held until July 1831, when he was returned forMalton. He only sat for Malton until September of the same year and was out of the House of Commons until 1832, when he was returned forNorth Derbyshire. He succeeded his grandfather in the earldom of Burlington in 1834 and entered theHouse of Lords. In 1858, he also succeeded his cousin asDuke of Devonshire. He wasLord-Lieutenant of Lancashire from 1857 to 1891 andLord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire from 1858 to 1891.[2]
Devonshire wasChancellor of the University of London from 1836 to 1856,Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1861 to 1891, and Chancellor of theVictoria University from 1880 to 1891.[3] At Cambridge he endowed theCavendish Professorship of Physics, and the building of theCavendish Laboratory. He made vast (and ultimately unsuccessful) investments in heavy industry atBarrow-in-Furness, and had his nearby country houseHolker Hall rebuilt in its present form after it was gutted by a fire in 1871. He was one of the original founders of theRoyal Agricultural Society in 1839, and was president in 1870. On 26 July 1871, he was nominated a trustee of theBritish Museum.[4]
The 7th Duke inherited a considerable amount of property inEastbourne from his grandfather, and from his wife Elizabeth Compton ofCompton Place. He saw through the development of Eastbourne in the 19th century with its parks, baths and squares and is commemorated by a statue at the top of Devonshire Place.[5] The Duke also played a part in the foundation ofEastbourne College, the localprivate school, by selling some of his land at a modest price to build the school on and commissioning respected architectHenry Currey to design the school chapel and College House (now the School House, a boarding facility).[2]
In 1829, Devonshire marriedBlanche Georgiana Howard (1812–1840), daughter ofGeorge Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle, and the formerLady Georgiana Cavendish, sister of the6th Duke of Devonshire, known as the "Bachelor Duke". Blanche was the Bachelor Duke's favourite niece, and his fondness for the young couple who were his heirs may have contributed to his decision not to marry himself. He commemorated Blanche with an inscription in the Painted Hall at Chatsworth, which states that he completed his reconstruction of the house in the year of his bereavement, 1840, and by Blanche's Urn at the top of the Long Walk in the garden. Together, Blanche and William were the parents of five children:
After a long illness,[8] Devonshire died at his residence,Holker Hall near the village ofCartmel inCumbria, England, on 21 December 1891.[2]
He owned 198,000 acres. This included 89,000 acres in Derbyshire, 12,000 acres in Lancashire and 32,000 acres in County Cork and 27,000 acres in County Waterford.[10]
Through his daughter Lady Louisa, he was a grandfather of William Francis Egerton (1868–1949), who married Lady Alice Osborne, a daughter ofGeorge Osborne, 9th Duke of Leeds, on 7 August 1894 (they were the parents of one son, Captain Francis Egerton); Commander Frederick Greville Egerton (1869–1899); Blanche Harriet Egerton (1871–1943); Dorothy Charlotte Egerton (1874–1959); and Christian Mary Egerton (d. 1978).
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Carlyle, Edward Irving (1901). "Cavendish, William (1808-1891)". InLee, Sidney (ed.).Dictionary of National Biography (1st supplement). London: Smith, Elder & Co.| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forCambridge University 1829 –1831 With:the Viscount Palmerston | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forMalton 1831 With:Henry Gally Knight | Succeeded by |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forNorth Derbyshire 1832 –1834 With:Thomas Gisborne | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire 1857–1858 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire 1858–1891 | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| New university | Chancellor of the University of London 1836–1856 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the University of Cambridge 1861–1891 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by | Duke of Devonshire 1858–1891 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Earl of Burlington 1834–1891 | Succeeded by |
| Barons Cavendish of Hardwick |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Earls of Devonshire |
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| Dukes of Devonshire |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
