Earls of Devonshire
| Dukedom of Devonshire | |
|---|---|
 
Sable, three buck's heads cabossed argent
|
|
| Creation date | 12 May 1694 |
| Monarch | William III and Mary II |
| Peerage | Peerage of England |
| First holder | William Cavendish |
| Present holder | Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke |
| Heir apparent | William Cavendish, Earl of Burlington |
| Remainder to | the 1st Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten |
| Subsidiary titles | Marquess of Hartington Earl of Devonshire Earl of Burlington (from 1858) Baron Clifford (1764-1858) Baron Cavendish Baron Cavendish of Keighley (from 1858) |
| Seat(s) |
Chatsworth House Bolton Abbey Lismore Castle |
| Former seat(s) |
Londesborough Hall Hardwick Hall Chiswick House Devonshire House Burlington House |
| Armorial motto | Cavendo Tutus ("Safe through Caution") |
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the richest and most influential aristocratic families in England since the 16th century and has been rivalled in political influence perhaps only by the Marquesses of Salisbury and the Earls of Derby.
Although modern usage outside of the county itself now rarely refers to Devon as "Devonshire", the title remained "Duke of Devonshire". Despite the title of the dukedom and the subsidiary title, the earldom of Devonshire, the family estates are centred in Derbyshire. The title "Duke of Devonshire" should not be confused with the earlier title, Earl of Devon.
Uniquely, every Duke of Devonshire has been made a Knight of the Garter, except (as of 2016[update]) the present one.
The Cavendish family descends from Sir John Cavendish, who took his name from the village of Cavendish, Suffolk, where he held an estate in the 14th century. He served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1372 to 1381, and was killed in the Peasants' Revolt in 1381. Two of his great-grandsons were George Cavendish, Thomas Cardinal Wolsey's biographer, and George's younger brother Sir William Cavendish. Sir William gained great wealth from his position in the Exchequer and also (allegedly) from unfairly taking advantage of the dissolution of the Monasteries. He married (1547) as his third wife the famous Bess of Hardwick, with whom he had eight children. One of their sons, Sir Charles Cavendish (1553–1617), was the father of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1592-1676, see the Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne for more information on this branch of the family), while another son, Henry Cavendish, was the ancestor of the Barons Waterpark. Yet another son, William Cavendish (1552-1626), was a politician and a supporter of the colonialization of Virginia. In 1605 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Cavendish, of Hardwicke in the County of Derby, and in 1618 he was further honoured when he was made Earl of Devonshire. Both titles are in the Peerage of England.
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