Biography of William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire 1617-1684

On 10th April 1608 [his father] William Cavendish 2nd Earl Devonshire [aged 18] and [his mother] Christian Bruce Countess Devonshire were married. He the son of [his grandfather] William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 55] and [his grandmother] Anne Keighley [aged 45].

On 10th October 1617 William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire was born to William Cavendish 2nd Earl Devonshire [aged 27] and Christian Bruce Countess Devonshire.

On 3rd March 1626 [his grandfather] William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 73] died. His son [his father] William [aged 36] succeeded 2nd Earl Devonshire, 2nd Baron Cavendish Hardwick. [his mother] Christian Bruce Countess Devonshire by marriage Countess Devonshire. On 12th October 1616 Henry Cavendish died. Both were buried at St Peter's Church, Edensor [Map].

The monument was behind the altar in the original church but moved to a separate chapel in the new church.

Monument formed two bodies under a low four-poster with black Ionic columns and black covering slab. The monument has been attributed to Maximilian Colt [aged 51].

On 20th June 1628 [his father] William Cavendish 2nd Earl Devonshire [aged 38] died at Devonshire House. He was buried at Derby Cathedral [Map]. His son William [aged 10] succeeded 3rd Earl Devonshire, 3rd Baron Cavendish Hardwick.

In 1631 Cornelius Janssens aka Johnson [aged 37]. Portrait of William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 13].

On 9th April 1632 [his brother-in-law] Robert Rich 3rd Earl Warwick [aged 20] and [his sister] Anne Cavendish Countess Warwick [aged 21] were married at Battersea, Surrey. She by marriage Countess Warwick. She the daughter of [his father] William Cavendish 2nd Earl Devonshire and [his mother] Christian Bruce Countess Devonshire. He the son of Robert Rich 2nd Earl Warwick [aged 44] and Frances Hatton Countess Warwick.

In 1638 [his sister] Anne Cavendish Countess Warwick [aged 27] died.

On 13th November 1638 William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 21] was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire in which position he remained until 22 Mar 1642.

On 4th March 1639 William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 21] and Elizabeth Cecil Countess Devonshire [aged 20] were married. She by marriage Countess Devonshire. She the daughter of William Cecil 2nd Earl Salisbury [aged 47] and Catherine Howard Countess Salisbury [aged 49]. He the son of William Cavendish 2nd Earl Devonshire and Christian Bruce Countess Devonshire.

On 25th January 1640 [his son] William Cavendish 1st Duke Devonshire was born to William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 22] and [his wife] Elizabeth Cecil Countess Devonshire [aged 21]. He married 26th October 1662 his fifth cousin Mary Butler Duchess Devonshire, daughter of James Butler 1st Duke Ormonde and Elizabeth Preston Duchess Ormonde, and had issue.

In June 1642 William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 24] was with King Charles I [aged 41] at York [Map].

On 20th July 1642 William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 24] was expelled from the House of Lords for having refused to come to the bar to answer charges of high crimes and misdemeanors. He left England, and his estates were sequestrated.

On 13th October 1642 King Charles I [aged 41] stayed the night at the house of William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 25] at Latimer House, Chesham.

In 1645 William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 27] returned to England and submitted to Parliament. He was pardoned for his former delinquency in 1646 and fined £5,000.

Around 1647. Studio of Peter Lely [aged 28]. Portrait of William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 29] although the painting says somewhat curiously 2nd Earl Devonshire.

Around 1649 [his daughter] Anne Cavendish Countess Exeter was born to William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 31] and [his wife] Elizabeth Cecil Countess Devonshire [aged 30] at Latimer, Buckinghamshire. She married (1) 1662 her fifth cousin once removed Charles Rich, son of Henry Rich 1st Earl Holland and Isabel Cope Countess Holland (2) 2nd May 1670 her half third cousin once removed John Cecil 5th Earl Exeter, son of John Cecil 4th Earl Exeter and Frances Manners Countess Exeter, and had issue.

John Evelyn's Diary. 30th May 1652. I went to obtain of my Lord Devonshire [aged 34] that my nephew, George, might be brought up with my young Lord, his son, to whom I was recommending Mr. Wase [aged 25]. I also inspected the manner of camleting silk and grograms at one Monsieur La Dorées in Moor-fields, and thence to Colonel Morley [aged 36], one of their Council of State, as then called, who had been my schoolfellow, to request a pass for my wife's [aged 17] safe landing, and the goods she was to bring with her out of France; which he courteously granted, and did me many other kindnesses, that was a great matter in those days.

On 20th August 1660 William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 42] was re-appointed Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire.

In 1662 [his son-in-law] Charles Rich and Anne Cavendish Countess Exeter [aged 13] were married. She the daughter of William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 44] and Elizabeth Cecil Countess Devonshire [aged 43]. He the son of Henry Rich 1st Earl Holland and Isabel Cope Countess Holland. They were fifth cousin once removed.

John Evelyn's Diary. 4th August 1662. Came to see me the old [his mother] Countess of Devonshire, with that excellent and worthy person, my Lord her son [aged 44], from Roehampton, Surrey.

On 26th October 1662 William Cavendish 1st Duke Devonshire [aged 22] and Mary Butler Duchess Devonshire [aged 16] were married. She the daughter of James Butler 1st Duke Ormonde [aged 52] and Elizabeth Preston Duchess Ormonde [aged 47]. He the son of William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 45] and Elizabeth Cecil Countess Devonshire [aged 43]. They were fifth cousins.

On 2nd May 1670 [his son-in-law] John Cecil 5th Earl Exeter [aged 22] and Anne Cavendish Countess Exeter [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 52] and Elizabeth Cecil Countess Devonshire [aged 51]. He the son of John Cecil 4th Earl Exeter [aged 42] and Frances Manners Countess Exeter. They were half third cousin once removed.

On 3rd March 1671 [his son] Charles Cavendish died.

In 1675 [his mother] Christian Bruce Countess Devonshire died. She was buried at Derby Cathedral [Map].

On 23rd November 1684 William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 67] died at his house in Roehampton, Surrey. He was buried in the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son William [aged 44] succeeded 4th Earl Devonshire, 4th Baron Cavendish Hardwick. Mary Butler Duchess Devonshire [aged 38] by marriage Countess Devonshire.

In 1689 [his former wife] Elizabeth Cecil Countess Devonshire [aged 70] died.

[his son] Charles Cavendish was born to William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire and Elizabeth Cecil Countess Devonshire.