William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire

Coat of arms of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire

William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire ( May 8, 1720 , † October 2, 1764 in Spa ) was a British statesman of the Whig Party , who eventually became nominal Prime Minister .

Life

William Cavendish was a son of William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire , and his wife Catherine Hoskins. As his father's apparent marriage , he carried the courtesy title of Marquess of Hartington from 1729 to 1755 .

From 1741 to 1747 he was Knight of the Shire for Derbyshire member of the House of Commons . In 1751 he was given the title of Baron Cavendish of Hardwick , a subordinate title of his father, on the basis of a special royal resolution ( Writ of Acceleration ) . He left the House of Commons and received a seat in the House of Lords . From April 2, 1755 to January 3, 1757 Cavendish was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland . When his father died in 1755, he inherited his remaining nobility title as the 4th Duke of Devonshire . In 1756 he was appointed Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter and Chancellor of the Exchequer . He held this position until May 1757 in a government that was de facto led by William Pitt the Elder . Most historians consider Cavendish prime minister during this period.

The duke hired landscaper Capability Brown to design the gardens and gardens of Chatsworth House , his primary residence.

He was married to Lady Charlotte Boyle (1731–1754), daughter and heir to Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington . She was a well-known architect and art collector. Through her the Devonshires inherited Chiswick House and Burlington House in London, Bolton Abbey and Londesborough Hall in Yorkshire and Lismore Castle in County Waterford in Ireland .

The following children came from the marriage:

Commons : William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire on thepeerage.com , accessed September 15, 2016.

predecessor	Office	successor
William Cavendish	Baron Cavendish of Hardwick (through Writ of Acceleration) 1751-1764	William Cavendish
William Cavendish	Duke of Devonshire 1755-1764	William Cavendish
Lionel Sackville	Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1755–1757	John Russell
Charles FitzRoy	Lord Chamberlain 1757-1762	George Spencer

personal data
SURNAME	Cavendish, William, 4th Duke of Devonshire
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Cavendish, William, 7th Baron Cavendish of Hardwick; Cavendish, William, Marquess of Hartington
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	British politician, Prime Minister (1756–1757)
DATE OF BIRTH	May 8, 1720
DATE OF DEATH	October 2, 1764
Place of death	spa