imported>Kai ruai at 17:28, 24 October 2025

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{{Short description|English politician (1640–1707)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[Grace (style)|His Grace]]
| name = The Duke of Devonshire
| honorific-suffix = {{postnom|country=GBR|size=100%|KG|PCe|FRS}}
| image = Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) - William Cavendish (1640–1707), 1st Duke of Devonshire, KG, PC - 1129210 - National Trust.jpg
| caption = Portrait by [[Godfrey Kneller]]
| office1 = [[Lord Steward of the Household]]
| term_start1 = 1689
| term_end1 = 1707
| predecessor1 = [[James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde|The Duke of Ormond]]
| successor1 = [[William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire]]
| office2 = [[Lord High Steward]] for the Coronation of [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]]
| term_start2 = 22 April 1702
| term_end2 = 23 April 1702
| predecessor2 = [[John Somers, 1st Baron Somers|The Baron Somers]]
| successor2 = [[Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton|The Duke of Grafton]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1640|1|25|df=yes}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1707|8|18|1640|1|25|df=yes}}
| spouse = [[Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1646–1710)|Lady Mary Butler]] (m. 1662)
| children = Lady Elizabeth Cavendish [[William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire]] [[Lord Henry Cavendish]] [[James Cavendish (MP for Derby)|Lord James Cavendish]]
| parents = [[William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire]] [[Elizabeth Cavendish, Countess of Devonshire]]
}}

'''William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire''' (25 January 1640{{snd}}18 August 1707) was an English [[Whigs (British political party)|Whig]] politician who sat in the [[House of Commons of England]] from 1661 until 1684 when he inherited his father's [[Peerage of England|peerage]] as [[Duke of Devonshire|Earl of Devonshire]] and took his seat in the [[House of Lords]]. Cavendish was part of the "[[Invitation to William|Immortal Seven]]" which invited [[William III of England|William of Orange]] to depose [[James II of England]] as part of the [[Glorious Revolution]], and was rewarded for his efforts by being elevated to the [[Duke of Devonshire]] in 1694.

==Life==
Cavendish was the son of [[William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire]], and his wife [[Elizabeth Cavendish, Countess of Devonshire|Lady Elizabeth Cecil]]. After completing his education he made the customary tour of Europe,{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=130}} and then [[1661 English general election|in 1661]], he was elected [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Derbyshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Derbyshire]] in the [[Cavalier Parliament]].<ref name=HOP>[http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1660-1690/member/cavendish-william-1641-1707 History of Parliament Online - Cavendish, William, Lord Cavendish]</ref> He was a [[British Whig Party|Whig]] under [[Charles II of England]] and [[James II of England]] and was leader of the anti-court and anti-Catholic party in the House of Commons, where he served as '''Lord Cavendish'''. In 1678 he was one of the committee appointed to draw up [[articles of impeachment]] against the [[Lord High Treasurer|Lord Treasurer]] [[Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds|Lord Danby]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=130}}

He was re-elected MP for Derbyshire in the [[March 1679 English general election|two]] [[October 1679 English general election|elections]] of 1679 and [[1681 English general election|in 1681]]. He was made a [[Privy Council of England|privy councillor]] by Charles II, but he soon withdrew with his friend [[William Russell, Lord Russell|Lord Russell]], when he found that the Roman Catholic interest uniformly prevailed. In January 1681 he carried up to the House of Lords the articles of impeachment against Lord Chief Justice [[William Scroggs]], for his arbitrary and illegal proceedings in the court of King's bench, and later when the king declared his resolution not to sign the bill for excluding the duke of York (afterwards [[James II of England|James II]]), he moved in the House of Commons that a bill might be brought in for the association of all his majesty's [[Protestantism|Protestant]] subjects. He also openly denounced the king's counsellors, and voted for an address to remove them. He appeared in defence of Lord Russell at his trial, and after the condemnation he gave the utmost possible proof of his attachment by offering to exchange clothes with Lord Russell in the prison, remain in his place, and so allow him to effect his escape.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=130}}

The famed political philosopher [[Thomas Hobbes]] spent the last four or five years of his living at [[Chatsworth House]], owned by the Cavendish family, and died at another Cavendish estate, [[Hardwick Hall]] in December 1679. He had been a friend of the family since 1608 when he first tutored an earlier William Cavendish.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/hobbes_thomas.shtml#:~:text=In%201672%2C%20Hobbes%20published%20an,of%20the%20Cavendish%20family's%20homes.|title=Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)|website=BBC|access-date=14 April 2021 |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Malcolm |first=Noel |date=2003 |title=Aspects of Hobbes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_x_KthbDyHQC |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=80 |isbn=0199247145 |author-link= }}</ref>

In 1684 he succeeded to the peerage as Earl of Devonshire on the death of his father and then sat in the [[House of Lords]].<ref name=HOP/> He opposed the arbitrary acts of James II until his enemies found an excuse to neutralize him; after an imagined insult by a Colonel Colepepper, Cavendish struck his opponent and was immediately fined the enormous sum of £30,000. He was unable to pay and was briefly imprisoned until he signed a bond (which was eventually cancelled by King William). The earl went for a time to [[Chatsworth House]], where he occupied himself with the erection of a new mansion, designed by [[William Talman (architect)|William Talman]], with decorations by [[Antonio Verrio]], [[James Thornhill]], and [[Grinling Gibbons]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=130}}

Cavendish was a strong supporter of the "[[Glorious Revolution]]" of 1688 which brought [[William III of England|William III of Orange]] to the throne, signing as one of the [[Immortal Seven]] the invitation to William. On the occasion of the coronation he was awarded the [[Order of the Garter]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=130}}
After the revolution, Cavendish was a leading Whig, serving as William's [[Lord Steward]], and was created the '''Duke of Devonshire''' (1694) and also [[Marquess of Hartington]] in recognition for his services. His last public service was assisting to conclude the [[Treaty of Union|union with Scotland]], for negotiating which he and his eldest son, the [[William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire|marquis of Hartington]], had been appointed among the commissioners by [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=130}}

Cavendish was given an honorary [[Master of Arts (Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin)|M.A.]] by the [[University of Cambridge]] in 1705.<ref>{{acad|id=CVNS705W|name=Cavendish, William}}</ref> The year before he had ended the successful career of the singer and dancer [[Mary Campion]]. She is thought to have given her last performance on 14 March 1704 (and she may have been the daughter of one of his servants). Cavendish installed her as his mistress at Bolton Street in Westminster despite having several mistresses already, a number of children by them and of course Lady Mary Butler, his wife.<ref name=uuu/> They had a child named Mary Anne Cavendish before Mary Campion died of a fever on 19 May 1706. Cavendish surprised many by having her buried in the family church in an extravagant tomb. He did not attend her funeral and he died, some say in repentance, the following year.<ref name=uuu>{{Cite ODNB|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-70104|title=Campion, Mary Anne (c. 1687–1706), singer and dancer|year=2004|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/70104|access-date=2020-03-30}}</ref>

==Family==
Cavendish married Lady Mary Butler (1646–1710), daughter of [[James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde]] and his wife, [[Elizabeth Butler, Duchess of Ormond|Lady Elizabeth Preston]], on 26 October 1662. They had four children:

* Lady Elizabeth Cavendish (1670–1741), married Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet of North Elmsall, and had issue
* [[William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire]] ({{circa|1672}}{{snd}}4 June 1729)
* [[Lord Henry Cavendish]] (1673{{snd}}10 May 1700)
* [[Lord James Cavendish (died 1751)|Lord James Cavendish]] (died 14 December 1751)

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="180px" heights="180px">
File:Coat of arms of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire, KG, PC, FRS.png|Quartered arms of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire, KG, PC, FRS
File:Chatsworth house fountain frontage.jpg|[[Chatsworth House]], seat of the Dukes of Devonshire
File:Lady Spencers Walk - geograph.org.uk - 803617.jpg|[[Hardwick Hall]], an [[Elizabethan]] country house of the Duke in [[Derbyshire]]
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{EB1911|wstitle=Devonshire, Earls and Dukes of|display=Devonshire, Earls and Dukes of s.v. William Cavendish, 1st duke of Devonshire |volume=8|pages=130–132|first=Hugh|last=Chisholm|authorlink=Hugh Chisholm}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|en}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle|Viscount Mansfield]]
| before2 = [[John Ferrers (died 1680)|John Ferrers]]
| title = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Derbyshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Derbyshire]]
| with = [[John Frescheville, 1st Baron Frescheville|John Frescheville]] 1661–1665
| with2 = [[John Milward]] 1665–1670
| with3 = [[William Sacheverell]] 1670–1684
| years = 1661–1684
| after = [[Sir Robert Coke, 2nd Baronet]]
| after2 = [[Gilbert Clarke|Sir Gilbert Clarke]]
}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box
|title=[[Lord Steward]]
|before=[[James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde|The Duke of Ormonde]]
|after=[[William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire|The Duke of Devonshire]]
|years=1689–1707
}}
{{s-hon}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon|The Earl of Huntingdon]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire]] | years=1689–1707}}
{{s-aft | rows=2 | after=[[William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire|The Duke of Devonshire]]}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle|The Duke of Newcastle]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Custos Rotulorum of Derbyshire]] | years=1689–1707}}

{{s-bef| before = [[Maurice Berkeley, 3rd Viscount Fitzhardinge|The Viscount Fitzhardinge]]}}
{{s-ttl| title = [[Lord Lieutenant of Somerset]]
| years=1690–1691
| alongside = [[Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds|The Marquess of Carmarthen]] [[Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset|The Earl of Dorset]]}}
{{s-aft| after = [[James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde|The Duke of Ormonde]]}}
|-
{{s-vac | last=[[William Pierrepont, 4th Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull|The Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire]] | years=1692–1694}}
{{s-aft | after=[[John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle|The Duke of Newcastle]]}}
{{s-legal}}
{{succession box
|after=[[William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire|The Duke of Devonshire]]
|title=[[Justice in Eyre]] north of the Trent
|before=[[William Pierrepont, 4th Earl of Kingston|The Earl of Kingston]]
|years=1690–1707}}

{{s-reg|en}}
{{s-new|creation}}
{{s-ttl| title = [[Duke of Devonshire]]
| years = 1694–1707}}
{{s-aft| after = [[William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire|William Cavendish]]
| rows = 2}}
{{s-bef| before = [[William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire|William Cavendish]]}}
{{s-ttl| title = [[Duke of Devonshire|Earl of Devonshire]]
| years = 1684–1707}}
{{s-end}}

{{Dukes of Devonshire}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devonshire, William Cavendish, 1st Duke Of}}
[[Category:1640 births]]
[[Category:1707 deaths]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of England for Derbyshire|Cavendish, William Cavendish, Lord]]
[[Category:Dukes of Devonshire|101]]
[[Category:Original fellows of the Royal Society|Cavendish, William]]
[[Category:Cavendish family|William Cavendish, 01st Duke of Devonshire]]
[[Category:Garter Knights appointed by William III]]
[[Category:Lord High Stewards]]
[[Category:Lord-lieutenants of Derbyshire]]
[[Category:Lord-lieutenants of Nottinghamshire]]
[[Category:Lord-lieutenants of Somerset]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of England]]
[[Category:17th-century English soldiers]]
[[Category:English MPs 1661–1679]]
[[Category:English MPs 1679]]
[[Category:English MPs 1680–1681]]
[[Category:English MPs 1681]]
[[Category:People from Derbyshire Dales (district)]]
[[Category:People of the Glorious Revolution]]

William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire - Revision history

imported>Kai ruai at 17:28, 24 October 2025