Duke of Devonshire

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Dukes of Devonshire family crest

Duke of Devonshire is a hereditary British title in the Peerage of England , which is led by the head of the Cavendish . It is named after the county of Devon in south-west England.

The headquarters of the Dukes is Chatsworth House in Derbyshire . The family also owns Bolton Abbey and Lismore Castle in County Waterford , Republic of Ireland . Earlier family residences were also Londesborough Hall in Yorkshire , Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire and as a town house in London Devonshire House , Piccadilly .

Award and subordinate titles

The title was given on May 12, 1694 to William Cavendish, 4th Earl of Devonshire . This was a supporter of Wilhelm III. during the Glorious Revolution . He was then Lord Steward at the court of Wilhelm.

Together with the Dukedom he was awarded the subordinate title Marquess of Hartington , he also belongs to the Peerage of England.

Already in 1684 he had inherited from his father the titles Baron Cavendish of Hardwick and Earl of Devonshire created on May 4, 1605 and August 7, 1618 in the Peerage of England for his great-grandfather William Cavendish . His great-grandfather was an uncle of Arabella Stuart and made a contribution to the settlement of Virginia . Both titles are listed as subordinate titles to the duke.

With the childless death of the 6th Duke in 1858, the titles were transferred to William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Burlington , a grandson of the youngest son of the fourth Duke. His grandfather had been awarded the titles Earl of Burlington and Baron Cavendish of Keighley , in the County of York , in 1831 . Both dignities, which belong to the Peerage of the United Kingdom , became subordinate titles of the Dukedom through the connection.

The eldest son of the respective duke carries the title of courtesy Marquess of Hartington as his title heir ( heir apparent ) , the eldest son that of an Earl of Burlington . His son, the great-grandson of the duke, bears the title Lord Cavendish .

Another title

The fifth Duke inherited from his mother in 1754 the dignity of Baron Clifford , which was created in 1628 in the Peerage of England. After the sixth Duke died childless in 1858, this title, which can also be inherited in a female line, fell into suspension ( Abeyance ). This condition continues to this day.

List of the Earls and Dukes of Devonshire

Earls of Devonshire (1618)

Dukes of Devonshire (1694)

Heir to the title is the current Duke's only son, William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington (* 1969). His title heir is his only son, James Cavendish, Earl of Burlington (* 2010).

Secondary literature

  • Charles Kidd: Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage. Debrett's Ltd, London 2014, ISBN 0-9929348-2-6 .
  • John Pearson: The Serpent and the Stag. The Saga of England's Powerful and Glamorous Cavendish Family from the Age of Henry the Eighth to the Present. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York 1984, ISBN 0-03-055431-4 .

Web links