William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire


William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire,, was a British nobleman, aristocrat, and politician. He was the eldest son of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, by his wife, the heiress Lady Charlotte Boyle, suo jure Baroness Clifford, who brought in considerable money and estates to the Cavendish family. He was invited to join the Cabinet on three occasions, but declined each offer. He was Lord High Treasurer of Ireland and Governor of Cork, and Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire. In 1782, he was made a Knight of the Order of the Garter.
The 5th Duke is most widely known for his marriage to his first wife Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. At the age of about twenty-one, Devonshire toured Italy with William Fitzherbert which is where they commissioned the pair of portraits by Pompeo Batoni.

Family and inheritance

He was married twice: first, to Lady Georgiana Spencer, daughter of John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer; second, to Lady Elizabeth Foster, née Hervey, daughter of the 4th Earl of Bristol; Lady Elizabeth had been his mistress and his first wife's friend and confidante for more than twenty years.

First marriage

By his first wife, he had one son named, and two daughters: Lady Georgiana "Little G" Cavendish, later the Countess of Carlisle, and Lady Harriet "Harryo" Cavendish, later the Countess Granville.
Both daughters left descendants and the title of Clifford barony fell into abeyance between them. The dukedom and estates would pass to a grandson of a younger brother of the 5th Duke of Devonshire; however, the 7th Duke of Devonshire would marry a daughter of the 6th Earl of Carlisle, who was thus a granddaughter of the 5th Duke and niece of the 6th Duke.
Georgiana Cavendish eventually became a socialite who had gathered around her a large circle of literary, political friends. Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds painted her; the Gainsborough painting would be later disposed of by the 5th Duke and was recovered much later, after many vicissitudes.

Second marriage

By his second wife, Lady Elizabeth Foster, he had no legitimate issue, but the couple had two illegitimate children born before their marriage. A son, Augustus, was given the surname Clifford and became Sir Augustus Clifford and rose to be an admiral in the Royal Navy and the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod in the House of Lords; his descendants would die out in the male line in 1895. The Duke's daughter by Lady Elizabeth, Caroline, was given a different surname from her brother, St. Jules. Caroline St. Jules would marry the Hon. George Lamb, a brother of the 2nd Viscount Melbourne. Caroline and George Lamb had no issue.

Mistress

The 5th Duke had a daughter—Charlotte, given the surname Williams—by his mistress, Charlotte Spencer, the daughter of an indigent clergyman. His first child was born shortly following his marriage to Lady Georgiana Spencer. Charlotte would later marry suitably.

Militia

When the militia was called out during the War of American Independence the duke was appointed colonel of the Derbyshire Militia by his uncle, Lord George Cavendish, Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire. Taking command in April 1778, he immediately had to deal with a mutiny by his men over pay, and then march them to Coxheath Camp in Kent, where a large encampment had been formed. Here Duchess Georgiana was prominent among the fashionable army wives and appeared in caricatures as 'Lady Gorget', the real colonel in full uniform, interviewing recruits for the regiment. The war ended with the Peace of Paris and the militia were disembodied in March 1783. Having recently taken over as Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire himself, the Duke resigned the command in October and appointed his younger brother Lord George Henry Cavendish as colonel in his place.

Buxton

The fifth Duke would be closely involved with the nearby spa town of Buxton. He used the profits from his copper mines to transform the town into a replica of Bath, including the Crescent Hotel and an octagonal set of stables, which later became the Devonshire Dome.

Cavendish in popular culture