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Cavendish family, Dukes of Devonshire

This page summarises records created by this Family

The summary includes a brief description of the collection(s) (usually including the covering dates of the collection), the name of the archive where they are held, and reference information to help you find the collection.

Date: 1100-2000
History:

The Cavendish family became established in Derbyshire as a result of the marriage of Sir William Cavendish (d. 1557) to Elizabeth Barlow, heiress of Hardwick and later Countess of Shrewsbury. Chatsworth (purchased in 1549) and other estates were added to the Barlow and Hardwick properties, and these eventually all passed to William Cavendish, created Earl of Devonshire in 1618. He married as his first wife Anne Keighley of Keighley (Yorkshire, West Riding), and at his death in 1626 owned large estates in both Derbyshire and Yorkshire, together with properties in several other counties.

Over the next two hundred years the Yorkshire property was reduced, but the Derbyshire estates were consolidated, and Chatsworth House was rebuilt by the 4th Earl (created 1st Duke of Devonshire in 1694) between 1686 and 1707. The 4th Duke married in 1748 Charlotte, suo jure Baroness Clifford and heir of her father, Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington. Through her came not only the major part of the extensive Irish estates of the Boyle family, Earls of Cork and later of Burlington, but also the Craven (Bolton Abbey) and Londesborough estates in Yorkshire (West and East Ridings), inherited from the Clifford Earls of Cumberland, and property in Derbyshire and elsewhere inherited from the Saville family, Marquesses of Halifax. (Other Clifford and Saville estates, however, descended to the Tufton family, Earls of Thanet, and later Barons Hothfield). The Londesborough estate was sold by the 6th Duke in 1845.

Lord George Augustus Henry Cavendish, second surviving son of the 4th Duke, married in 1782 Lady Elizabeth Compton, daughter and heir of the 7th Earl of Northampton, and through her inherited estates in Sussex (including Compton Place near Eastbourne) and Somerset. Some outlying Cavendish properties, including Latimer (Buckinghamshire) and Keighley were settled on him, and he also inherited the Holker (Lancashire) estate from his uncle Lord George Augustus Cavendish, to whom it had passed from the Lowther baronets of Marske. Lord G.A.H. Cavendish was created Earl of Burlington in 1831 and died in 1834. His grandson, the 2nd Earl, succeeded his cousin as 7th Duke of Devonshire in 1858, bring back various properties into the main line of the Cavendish family, but Latimer and other estates were settled on the Hon. Charles Compton Cavendish, youngest son of the 1st Earl of Burlington, who in 1858 was created Baron Chesham. The Holker estate later passed to Lord Richard Cavendish, younger brother of the 9th Duke.

Estates in 1883: 89,462 acres in Derbyshire; 19,239 acres in Yorkshire (West Riding); 12,681 acres in Lancashire; 11,062 acres in Sussex; 3,014 acres in Somerset; 1,392 acres in Lincolnshire; 983 acres in Cumberland; 524 acres in Middlesex; 125 acres in Nottinghamshire; 28 acres in Cheshire; 26 acres in Staffordshire; 32,550 acres in Co. Cork; 27,483 acres in Co. Waterford and 3 acres in Co. Tipperary; worth a total of £180,750 a year.

Places:
  • Appletreewick, Yorkshire
  • Ashford, Derbyshire
  • Baldersby, Yorkshire
  • Barrowby, Lincolnshire
  • Baslow, Derbyshire
  • Birchover, Derbyshire
  • Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire
  • Brindle, Lancashire
  • Buxton, Derbyshire
  • Carlisle, Cumberland
  • Cartmel Fell, Lancashire
  • Castle Sowerby, Cumberland
  • Chatsworth, Derbyshire
  • Chiswick, Middlesex
  • Compton Place, Sussex
  • Dore, Yorkshire
  • Dungarvan, County Waterford
  • Eastbourne, Sussex
  • Ecton, Staffordshire
  • Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire
  • Hardwick, Derbyshire
  • Hartington, Derbyshire
  • High Peak, Derbyshire
  • Holker, Lancashire
  • Inskip, Lancashire
  • Keighley, Yorkshire
  • Latimer, Buckinghamshire
  • Lismore, County Waterford
  • Londesborough, Yorkshire
  • London
  • Long Sutton, Somerset
  • Market Weighton, Yorkshire
  • Monsall Dale, Derbyshire
  • Muchland, Lancashire
  • Penrith, Cumberland
  • Pentrich, Derbyshire
  • Pitney, Somerset
  • Polegate, Sussex
  • Sawtry, Huntingdonshire
  • Shottle, Derbyshire
  • Skipton, Yorkshire
  • Staincliffe, Yorkshire
  • Staveley, Derbyshire
  • Wearne, Somerset
  • Wetherby, Yorkshire
  • Whiston, Staffordshire
  • Wilmington, Sussex
  • Winster, Derbyshire
  • Youghal, County Cork
Sources of authority: Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996, pp. 24-25.
Name authority reference: GB/NNAF/F89674 (Former ISAAR ref: GB/NNAF/F10773 )
Collections
Number Description Held by Reference Further information
1
12th cent-20th cent: Derbys (Buxton, Chatsworth, Hardwick, High Peak, Pentrich, Shottle, etc), Sussex (Eastbourne, etc) and Yorks (Bolton Abbey, Keighley, Londesborough, Skipton, Wetherby, etc) deeds, legal papers, manorial records, estate, lead mining and Cavendish family corresp and papers 12th-20th cent, Cumberland (Carlisle, etc) manorial records and estate papers 16th-20th cent and deeds and estate papers for Lancs (Brindle and Inskip, Holker, etc) 14th-19th cent and Lincs (Barrowby, etc) 18th-20th cent, with Ecton (Staffs) copper mining records ? mainly 19th cent and estate papers for Bucks (Latimer, etc) and Hunts (Sawtry) 18th-19th cent, Northants (Fotheringhay) 1688-98, Yorks (Dore) 19th-20th cent and Ireland 17th-19th cent, records of houses at Chatsworth, Hardwick, London and Chiswick 16th-20th cent and Londesborough and Skipton 16th-17th cent, Boyle, Clifford, Compton and Savile family papers, etc
Devonshire Collection Archives, Chatsworth
NRA 20594 Cavendish

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [17a]
2
1750-1875: Derbys (Birchover, Hartington, Winster, etc) lead mining accounts (duplicate series)
Derbyshire Record Office
NRA 19305 Cavendish

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [17b]
3
1729-1928: Derbys (Staveley, etc) estate corresp and papers
Devonshire Collection Archives, Chatsworth
NRA 9187 Chesterfield Lib

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [17c]
4
1707-1836: Derbys (Chatsworth, Hardwick, etc) and Dore (Yorks) estate accounts and papers
Derbyshire Record Office
NRA 7871

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [17e]
5
1804-1813: misc Derbys (Staveley, etc) estate agency papers of Thomas Clarke of Kirkby (Notts)
Nottinghamshire Archives
NRA 5953 Clarke

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [17f]
6
1765-1768: High Peak (Derbys) rental
Derbyshire Record Office
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [Addenda]
7
17th cent-19th cent: misc Derbys (Baslow, etc) estate papers 17th-19th cent, incl mineral accounts 1651 and Baslow manorial court roll 1867
Derbyshire Record Office
NRA 19306 Derby mines

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [Addenda]
8
18th cent-20th cent: Derbys (Ashford, Hartington, Winster, etc) lead mining records
Derbyshire Record Office
NRA 10673 Brooke-Taylor
9
1908-1928: misc Derbys (Monsall Dale, etc) legal and estate corresp
Derbyshire Record Office
NRA 10673 Brooke-Taylor
10
19th cent-1934: Cumberland (Carlisle, Castle Sowerby, etc) estate papers
Cumbria Archive Centre, Carlisle
See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [17h]
11
1784-1812: Cumberland (Carlisle, Penrith, etc) rental 1812 and estate accounts 1784-85
Bolton Archives and Local Studies Service
NRA 18677 Bridgeman

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [10h]
12
16th cent-20th cent: Lancs (Cartmel Fell, Holker, Muchland, etc) deeds, legal and estate papers
Lancashire Archives
NRA 5965 Cavendish

See Guide 1985 pp202-4
13
16th cent-19th cent: Lancs (Brindle and Inskip) deeds and estate papers
Lancashire Archives
See Guide 1985 p205
14
17th cent-19th cent: Somerset (Long Sutton, Pitney, Wearne, etc) manorial records and estate papers
Somerset Heritage Centre (South West Heritage Trust)
NRA 17716 Cavendish

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [17j]
15
16th cent-1710: Somerset (Pitney, Wearne, etc) deeds, surveys, rentals and estate papers 16th cent-1710, with Sussex (Wilmington, etc) leases 1626-86 and rental 1583
Castle Ashby
NRA 21088 Compton

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [24a]
16
1783-1792: Ecton and Whiston (Staffs) copper mining and smelting accounts
Collection held privately: enquiries to Staffordshire County Record Office
NRA 16699 Cavendish

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [17d]
17
1841-1843: Ecton (Staffs) copper mine account book
Derbyshire Record Office
NRA 8918 Derbyshire RO misc
18
13th cent-19th cent: Sussex (Eastbourne, Wilmington, etc) manorial records
East Sussex and Brighton and Hove Record Office (ESBHRO)
NRA 41801 Cavendish

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [17i]
19
19th cent-20th cent: Sussex (Eastbourne, etc) estate papers
Collection held privately: enquiries to The National Archives, Archives Sector Development
See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [17i]
20
16th cent-20th cent: Sussex (Eastbourne, Wilmington, etc) manorial records
East Sussex and Brighton and Hove Record Office (ESBHRO)
NRA 37772 Blaker

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [Addenda]
21
1608-1856: Yorks (Keighley, Skipton, Wetherby, etc) legal papers and manorial records
West Yorkshire Archive Service, Leeds
NRA 34058 Dibb

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [17g]
22
1767-1786: Yorks (Appletreewick, Market Weighton, Skipton, Wetherby, etc) rentals
West Yorkshire Archive Service, Bradford
NRA 40332 Cartwright
23
c1789-1809: Baldersby (Yorks) estate papers
West Yorkshire Archive Service, Leeds
NRA 5836 Vyner

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [112b]
24
16th cent-19th cent: Co Cork (Youghal, etc), Co Waterford (Lismore, etc) and other Irish deeds, legal and estate papers 16th-19th cent and misc Boyle and Cavendish family papers 16th-18th cent
National Library of Ireland
NRA 29337 Cavendish

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [17k]
25
1625-20th cent: Irish (Co Cork, Co Waterford, etc) deeds, legal and estate papers 1625-20th cent, mainly 19th-20th cent, and Lismore (Co Waterford) household and garden papers 20th cent
Devonshire Collection Archives, Chatsworth
NRA 29337 Cavendish

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [17l]
26
17th cent-18th cent: misc Boyle family papers 17th-18th cent, mainly rel to the administration of the Burlington (later Devonshire) estates 1724-25
London Metropolitan Archives: City of London
NRA 13152 Boyle

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [17m]
27
16th cent-18th cent: Boyle, Clifford and Savile family papers (formerly amongst the archives of the Dukes of Devonshire)
British Library, Manuscript Collections
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [97d]
28
1880-1885: Indian corresp and papers of the 8th Duke of Devonshire (1833-1908)
British Library: Asian and African Studies
See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [17n]
29
1714-1743: misc official papers of the Earl of Wilmington (1673-1743)
British Library, Manuscript Collections
See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [17o]
30
1788-1789: journal of Elizabeth, 5th Duchess of Devonshire (1759-1824) (transcript)
British Library, Manuscript Collections
31
1792-1812: corresp of Elizabeth, 5th Duchess of Devonshire
National Library of Wales: Department of Collection Services
NRA 9005
32
1911-1926: misc Derbys (Pentrich etc) estate papers, incl agreements, leases and correspondence
Derbyshire Record Office
NRA 8918 Derbyshire RO misc