Biography of William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire 1748-1811

Before 1748 [his father] William Cavendish 4th Duke Devonshire [aged 27] and [his mother] Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle Marchioness Hartington [aged 16] were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Richard Boyle 3rd Earl Burlington [aged 53] and [his grandmother] Dorothy Savile Countess Burlington [aged 48]. He the son of William Cavendish 3rd Duke Devonshire [aged 49] and Catherine Hoskins Duchess Devonshire [aged 49]. They were fourth cousin once removed.

In 1748 William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire was born to [his father] William Cavendish 4th Duke Devonshire [aged 27] and [his mother] Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle Marchioness Hartington [aged 16].

On 4th December 1753 [his grandfather] Richard Boyle 3rd Earl Burlington [aged 59] died. Earl Burlington, Viscount Boyle of Kinalmeaky extinct. His daughter [his mother] Charlotte [aged 22] succeeded 6th Baroness Clifford.

On 8th December 1754 [his mother] Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle Marchioness Hartington [aged 23] died. Her son William [aged 6] succeeded 7th Baron Clifford.

On 5th December 1755 [his grandfather] William Cavendish 3rd Duke Devonshire [aged 57] died. His son [his father] William [aged 35] succeeded 4th Duke Devonshire, 7th Earl Devonshire, 7th Baron Cavendish Hardwick.

In 1764 Bishop John Hinchliffe [aged 33] was appointed tutor to William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 16].

On 2nd October 1764 [his father] William Cavendish 4th Duke Devonshire [aged 44] died. His son William [aged 16] succeeded 5th Duke Devonshire, 8th Earl Devonshire, 8th Baron Cavendish Hardwick.

On 8th November 1766 [his brother-in-law] William Cavendish-Bentinck 3rd Duke Portland [aged 28] and [his sister] Dorothy Cavendish 3rd Duchess Portland [aged 16] were married. She by marriage Duchess Portland. She the daughter of [his father] William Cavendish 4th Duke Devonshire and [his mother] Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle Marchioness Hartington. He the son of William Bentinck 2nd Duke Portland and Margaret Cavendish Harley 2nd Duchess Portland [aged 51]. They were half fourth cousins.

Around 1768 William Fitzherbert 1st Baronet [aged 19] and William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 20] undertook a gradn tour of Europe together.

In 1768 Pompeo Batoni [aged 59]. Portrait of William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 20].

On 7th June 1774 William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 26] and Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire [aged 17] were married at St Mary's Church, Wimbledon. It was her 17th birthday. She by marriage Duchess Devonshire. She the daughter of John Spencer 1st Earl Spencer [aged 39] and Margaret Georgiana Poyntz Countess Spencer [aged 37]. He the son of William Cavendish 4th Duke Devonshire and Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle Marchioness Hartington. They were fourth cousins.

On 27th November 1780 Frederick Ponsonby 3rd Earl Bessborough [aged 22] and [his sister-in-law] Henrietta Frances Spencer Countess Bessborough [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Countess Bessborough. She the daughter of [his father-in-law] John Spencer 1st Earl Spencer [aged 45] and [his mother-in-law] Margaret Georgiana Poyntz Countess Spencer [aged 43]. He the son of William Ponsonby 2nd Earl Bessborough [aged 76] and [his aunt] Caroline Cavendish Countess Bessborough. They were fifth cousins.

On 6th March 1781 [his brother-in-law] George John Spencer 2nd Earl Spencer [aged 22] and Lavinia Bingham Countess Spencer [aged 19] were married. She the daughter of Charles Bingham 1st Earl Lucan [aged 45] and Margaret Smith Countess Lucan [aged 41]. He the son of [his father-in-law] John Spencer 1st Earl Spencer [aged 46] and [his mother-in-law] Margaret Georgiana Poyntz Countess Spencer [aged 43].

On 27th February 1782 [his brother] George Augustus Henry Cavendish 1st Earl Burlington [aged 27] and [his sister-in-law] Elizabeth Compton Countess Burlington [aged 21] were married at London. She by marriage Countess Burlington. She the daughter of Charles Compton 7th Earl of Northampton and Anne Somerset Countess Northampton. He the son of [his father] William Cavendish 4th Duke Devonshire and [his mother] Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle Marchioness Hartington. They were fourth cousins.

On 12th July 1783 [his daughter] Georgiana Cavendish Countess Carlisle was born to William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 35] and [his wife] Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire [aged 26]. She married 21st March 1801 her fourth cousin George Howard 6th Earl Carlisle, son of Frederick Howard 5th Earl Carlisle and Margaret Caroline Leveson-Gower Countess Carlisle, and had issue.

On 31st October 1783 [his father-in-law] John Spencer 1st Earl Spencer [aged 48] died at Bath, Somerset [Map]. He was buried at St Mary the Virgin Church, Great Brington, Northamptonshire. His son [his brother-in-law] George [aged 25] succeeded 2nd Earl Spencer, 2nd Viscount Althorp, 2nd Viscount Spencer, 2nd Baron Spencer Althorp. Lavinia Bingham Countess Spencer [aged 21] by marriage Countess Spencer.

On 29th August 1785 [his daughter] Harriet Cavendish Countess Granville was born to William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 37] and [his wife] Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire [aged 28] at Devonshire House [Map]. She married 24th December 1809 her half fourth cousin once removed Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Earl Granville, son of Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Marquess Stafford and Susanna Stewart Marchioness Stafford, and had issue.

On 26th May 1788 [his illegitimate son] Augustus Clifford 1st Baronet was born illegitimately to William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 40] and [his future wife] Elizabeth Christiana Hervey Duchess Devonshire [aged 30]. He was illegitmate at the time of his birth. His parents subsequently married.

On 21st May 1790 [his son] William Cavendish 6th Duke Devonshire was born to William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 42] and [his wife] Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire [aged 32] at Paris [Map].

On 20th February 1792 Eliza Courtenay was born illegitimately to Charles Grey 2nd Earl Grey [aged 27] and [his wife] Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire [aged 34] at Aix en Provence whilst she, Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire was married to William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 44]. The Duchess was forced to relinquish the child shortly after her birth, to be raised by Charles Grey's parents, Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey [aged 62] and Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey [aged 48]. The surname Courtenay was derived from her great-uncle, her maternal grandmother's brother, William Poyntz [aged 57].

On 3rd June 1794 [his sister] Dorothy Cavendish 3rd Duchess Portland [aged 43] died. She was buried at St Marylebone Church.

In 1799 [his brother-in-law] George John Spencer 2nd Earl Spencer [aged 40] was appointed 621st Knight of the Garter by King George III of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 60].

On 21st March 1801 [his son-in-law] George Howard 6th Earl Carlisle [aged 27] and Georgiana Cavendish Countess Carlisle [aged 17] were married. She the daughter of William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 53] and Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire [aged 43]. He the son of Frederick Howard 5th Earl Carlisle [aged 52] and Margaret Caroline Leveson-Gower Countess Carlisle. They were fourth cousins.

On 30th March 1806 Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire [aged 48] died at Devonshire House [Map]. She was buried at Derby Cathedral [Map]. Her husband William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 58], her mother Margaret Georgiana Poyntz Countess Spencer [aged 68], her sister Henrietta Frances Spencer Countess Bessborough [aged 44] and her eight months pregnant daughter Georgiana Cavendish Countess Carlisle [aged 22] were present, as was Elizabeth Christiana Hervey Duchess Devonshire [aged 48], her husband's mistress and future wife.

In 1809 William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 61] and Elizabeth Christiana Hervey Duchess Devonshire [aged 51] were married. She by marriage Duchess Devonshire. She the daughter of Frederick Augustus Hervey 4th Earl Bristol and Elizabeth Davers Countess Bristol. He the son of William Cavendish 4th Duke Devonshire and Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle Marchioness Hartington. They were sixth cousins.

On 17th May 1809 [his son-in-law] George Lamb [aged 24] and [his illegitimate daughter] Caroline St Jules were married. She the illegitmate daughter of William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 61] and [his wife] Elizabeth Christiana Hervey Duchess Devonshire [aged 51].

On 24th December 1809 [his son-in-law] Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Earl Granville [aged 36] and Harriet Cavendish Countess Granville [aged 24] were married. She the daughter of William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 61] and Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire. He the son of Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Marquess Stafford and Susanna Stewart Marchioness Stafford. They were half fourth cousin once removed.

On 29th July 1811 William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 63] died. His son William [aged 21] succeeded 6th Duke Devonshire, 9th Earl Devonshire, 9th Baron Cavendish Hardwick, 8th Baron Clifford.

In 1824 [his former wife] Elizabeth Christiana Hervey Duchess Devonshire [aged 66] died.

In 1826 William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire and [his grandson] George Howard 7th Earl Carlisle [aged 23] travelled to the Russian Empire, to attend the coronation of Tsar Nicholas I.

[his illegitimate daughter] Caroline St Jules was born illegitimately to William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire and Elizabeth Christiana Hervey Duchess Devonshire. She was illegitmate at the time of his birth. His parents subsequently married.