William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck PC KG FRS (1738 - 1809)

Born 14 Apr 1738 in Nottinghamshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Dorothy Evelyn Cavendish — married 8 Nov 1766 in Saint James, Westminster, London, England

Descendants

Died 30 Oct 1809 at age 71 in Bulstrode, Buckinghamshire, England

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The 24 years between his two terms as Prime Minister were the longest gap between terms of office of any British Prime Minister.

Biography

Lord William Cavendish-Bentinck was a member of the aristocracy in England.

William Cavendish-Bentinck PC KG FRS is Notable.

William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck was born on 14 Apr 1738.
He was the eldest son of Lord William Bentinck, 2nd Duke of Portland (1709–1762) and his wife, Lady Margaret Cavendish Harley(1715–1785).

He assumed the additional surname of Cavendish about 1755 under the requirements of the will of his maternal grandmother, the Countess of Oxford and Mortimer, Lady Henrietta Cavendish Holles (1694–1755), and assumed the name officially for himself and his descendants by royal licence dated 5 October 1801.

He held the courtesy title of Marquess of Titchfield from his birth until he succeeded his father as 3rd Duke of Portland, Marquess of Titchfield, and Earl of Portland on 1 May 1762.
He held a title of every degree of British nobility: Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount and Baron.

Education He was educated at Westminster School, London and Oxford University, and like many young men he went on the Grand Tour of Germany, Poland and Italy from 1757-1761.
He was Chancellor of the University of Oxford during the years 1792–1809.

Political Career
While still away on his Grand Tour, he was elected as a Whig, Member of Parliament (in the House of Commons) for the constituency of Weobley in Herefordshire on 28 March 1761,^[1] but resigned once he succeeded his father to the title of 3rd Duke of Portland and entered the House of Lords. He was a British Whig and then a Tory politician during the late Georgian era. He served twice as the Prime Minister of Great Britain (1783) and then of the United Kingdom (1807–1809).

Marriage and family

Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck married Lady Dorothy Evelyn Cavendish (1750–1794), on 8 Nov 1766 at Saint James, Westminster, London, England.^[2]
She was the only daughter of Lord William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, and Lady Charlotte Boyle, Baroness Clifford. Her father's estates at the time only bought in just over £9,000 per annum, of which £1,600 went to his mother, but his wife had a dowry of £30,000.

CHILDREN:

1. Lord William Henry Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck (1768-1854) 4th Duke of Portland
2. Lord Henry Cavendish-Bentinck (14 Sep 1774 – 17 Jun 1839).
3. Lady Charlotte Cavendish-Bentinck (3 Oct 1775 – 28 Jul 1862) m. Charles Greville. Issue 3 sons & 1 dau: Charles Cavendish Fulke Greville, Algernon Greville, and Henry Greville (1801–72), Harriet (1803-70) m. Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere.
4. Lady Mary Cavendish-Bentinck (13 Mar 1779 – 6 Nov 1843).
5. Lord Charles Augustus Cavendish-Bentinck (3 Oct 1780 – 28 Apr 1826). Paternal grandfather of Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne and Great-grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II.
6. Lord Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck (2 Nov 1781 – 11 Feb 1828) m. (16 Sep 1820) Mary Lowther (d. 1863), dau. of William Lowther. issue: George Cavendish-Bentinck.

• Space Page: List of Prime Minister of England and United Kingdom. (https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Space:List_of_Prime_Ministers_of_England_and_United_Kingdom.&public=1).

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/bentinck-william-henry-cavendish-1738-1809
2. ↑ Marriage Entry: William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck married Dorothy Cavendish on 8 Nov 1766 at Saint James, Westminster, London, England. Citing this Record: "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NV53-9ZZ : 13 March 2020), William Henry Duke Of Portland Cavendish, 1766.

• For further Research FS: (https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/LHJK-RRG)
• Wikipedia:William_Cavendish-Bentinck,_3rd_Duke_of_Portland
• Find A Grave: Memorial #38541617

See also for interest:

• The 3rd Duke of Portland on horseback at Welbeck, with George Stubbs, 1767
• Nicolson, Joseph. The History and Antiquities of the Counties of Westmorland and Cumberland (London, 1777) Vol. 2, Page 400