Lord Frederick Cavendish
Encyclopedia
Lord Frederick Charles Cavendish (30 November 1836 – 6 May 1882) was an English
Liberal politician and protégé of the Prime Minister
, William Ewart Gladstone
. Cavendish was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland
in May 1882 but was murdered only hours after his arrival in Dublin.
, Eastbourne
, Sussex, Cavendish was the second son of William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire
, by his wife Lady Blanche Howard, fourth daughter of George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle
, and the brother of Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire
, who had also been Chief Secretary. Cavendish, after being educated at home, matriculated in 1855 at Trinity College, Cambridge
, where he graduated B.A. in 1858, and then served as a cornet
with the Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry
cavalry.
. He travelled in the United States
during 1859 and 1860, and in Spain in 1860. He was elected to parliament as a Liberal for the Northern Division of the West Riding of Yorkshire, 15 July 1865, and retained that office until his death. After serving as private secretary to the prime minister, William Ewart Gladstone
, from July 1872 to August 1873 he became a junior Lord of the Treasury
, and held office until the resignation of the ministry. He was Financial Secretary to the Treasury
from April 1880 to May 1882, when soon after the resignation of William Edward Forster
, Chief Secretary
to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, he was appointed to succeed him.
In company with the Earl Spencer
, Lord-Lieutenant, he proceeded to Dublin, and took the oath as chief secretary at the Castle, Dublin, on 6 May 1882; but on the afternoon of the same day, while walking in the Phoenix Park
in company with Thomas Henry Burke
, the Permanent Under-Secretary, he was attacked from behind by several men from an extreme Irish
nationalist group known as the Irish National Invincibles
, who with knives murdered Mr. Burke and himself. The event was infamously known as the Phoenix Park Murders
. His body being brought to England, was buried in Edensor churchyard, near Chatsworth
, on 11 May, where three hundred members of the House of Commons
and thirty thousand other persons followed the remains to the grave. The trial of the murderers in 1883 (see James Carey
) made it evident that the death of Cavendish was not premeditated, and that he was not recognised by the assassins; the plot was against Mr. Burke, and Cavendish was murdered because he happened to be in the company of Burke.
, second daughter of George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton
, granddaughter of Sir Stephen Glynne
and niece of William Ewart Gladstone
's wife Catherine
. She was maid of honour to the queen.
A window in memory of Cavendish was placed in St. Margaret's Church, Westminster, at the cost of the members of the House of Commons. His imposing white Carrara marble tomb can be seen in Cartmel Priory
, Cumbria. There is also a memorial to him at Bolton Abbey
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Liberal politician and protégé of the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
. Cavendish was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland
Chief Secretary for Ireland
The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, from the late 18th century until the end of British rule he was effectively the government minister with responsibility for governing Ireland; usually...
in May 1882 but was murdered only hours after his arrival in Dublin.
Background and education
Born at Compton PlaceCompton Place
Compton Place is an English country house in Eastbourne, a town and borough in East Sussex. It was rebuilt for Sir Spencer Compton, to designs by Colen Campbell from 1726, and completed after Campbell's death by William Kent. The Elizabethan-Jacobean house called Bourne Place had Spencer Compton,...
, Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, Sussex, Cavendish was the second son of William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire
William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire
William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire KG, PC , styled as Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1831 and 1834 and known as The Earl of Burlington between 1834 and 1858, was a British landowner, benefactor and politician.-Background and education:Cavendish was the son of William Cavendish, eldest...
, by his wife Lady Blanche Howard, fourth daughter of George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle
George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle
George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle KG, PC, FRS , styled Viscount Morpeth until 1825, was a British statesman...
, and the brother of Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire
Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire
Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire KG, GCVO, PC, PC , styled Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1834 and 1858 and Marquess of Hartington between 1858 and 1891, was a British statesman...
, who had also been Chief Secretary. Cavendish, after being educated at home, matriculated in 1855 at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, where he graduated B.A. in 1858, and then served as a cornet
Cornet (military rank)
Cornet was originally the third and lowest grade of commissioned officer in a British cavalry troop, after captain and lieutenant. A cornet is a new and junior officer.- Traditional duties :The cornet carried the troop standard, also known as a "cornet"....
with the Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry
Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry
The Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry has its origins in the various troops of light horse raised in the eighteenth century in the county of Lancaster, the earliest of which was the Bolton Light Horse formed in 1798....
cavalry.
Political career
From 1859 to 1864 Cavendish was private secretary to Lord GranvilleGranville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville
Granville George Leveson Gower, 2nd Earl Granville KG, PC FRS , styled Lord Leveson until 1846, was a British Liberal statesman...
. He travelled in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during 1859 and 1860, and in Spain in 1860. He was elected to parliament as a Liberal for the Northern Division of the West Riding of Yorkshire, 15 July 1865, and retained that office until his death. After serving as private secretary to the prime minister, William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
, from July 1872 to August 1873 he became a junior Lord of the Treasury
Lord of the Treasury
In the United Kingdom, there are at least six Lords of the Treasury who serve concurrently. Traditionally, this board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the Treasury, and four or more junior lords .Strictly they are commissioners for exercising the office of Lord...
, and held office until the resignation of the ministry. He was Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Financial Secretary to the Treasury is a junior Ministerial post in the British Treasury. It is the 4th most significant Ministerial role within the Treasury after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and the Paymaster General...
from April 1880 to May 1882, when soon after the resignation of William Edward Forster
William Edward Forster
William Edward Forster PC, FRS was an English industrialist, philanthropist and Liberal Party statesman.-Early life:...
, Chief Secretary
Chief Secretary for Ireland
The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, from the late 18th century until the end of British rule he was effectively the government minister with responsibility for governing Ireland; usually...
to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, he was appointed to succeed him.
In company with the Earl Spencer
John Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer
John Poyntz Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer KG, PC , known as Viscount Althorp from 1845 to 1857 , was a British Liberal Party politician under and close friend of British prime minister William Ewart Gladstone...
, Lord-Lieutenant, he proceeded to Dublin, and took the oath as chief secretary at the Castle, Dublin, on 6 May 1882; but on the afternoon of the same day, while walking in the Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 16 km perimeter wall encloses , one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the seventeenth...
in company with Thomas Henry Burke
Thomas Henry Burke (Irish politician)
Thomas Henry Burke was Permanent Under Secretary at the Irish Office for many years before being killed during the Phoenix Park Murders on Saturday 6 May 1882. The killing was carried out by an Irish republican organisation called the Irish National Invincibles...
, the Permanent Under-Secretary, he was attacked from behind by several men from an extreme Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
nationalist group known as the Irish National Invincibles
Irish National Invincibles
The Irish National Invincibles, usually known as "The Invincibles" were a radical splinter group of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and leading representatives of the Land League movement, both of Ireland and Britain...
, who with knives murdered Mr. Burke and himself. The event was infamously known as the Phoenix Park Murders
Phoenix Park Murders
The Phoenix Park Murders were the fatal stabbings on 6 May 1882 in the Phoenix Park in Dublin of Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Henry Burke. Cavendish was the newly appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland, and Burke was the Permanent Undersecretary, the most senior Irish civil servant...
. His body being brought to England, was buried in Edensor churchyard, near Chatsworth
Chatsworth
-Places:Australia* Chatsworth, Queensland* Electoral district of Chatsworth, Queensland, AustraliaCanada* Chatsworth, Ontario, a township* Chatsworth, Ontario , located within above townshipSouth Africa* Chatsworth, Durban* Chatsworth, Western Cape...
, on 11 May, where three hundred members of the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
and thirty thousand other persons followed the remains to the grave. The trial of the murderers in 1883 (see James Carey
James Carey
James Carey was a Fenian and informer most notable for his involvement in the Phoenix Park murders.Carey was son of Francis Carey, a bricklayer, who came from Celbridge, in Kildare, to Dublin, where his son was born in James Street in 1845. He also was a bricklayer, and for 18 years continued in...
) made it evident that the death of Cavendish was not premeditated, and that he was not recognised by the assassins; the plot was against Mr. Burke, and Cavendish was murdered because he happened to be in the company of Burke.
Family
Cavendish married, on 7 June 1864, Lucy Caroline LytteltonLucy Cavendish
Lucy Caroline Cavendish, Lady Frederick Cavendish was a pioneer of women's education....
, second daughter of George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton
George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton
George William Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton , was a British aristocrat and Conservative politician.-Early life:...
, granddaughter of Sir Stephen Glynne
Stephen Glynne
Stephen Glynne may refer to:*Sir Stephen Glynne, 3rd Baronet *Sir Stephen Glynne, 4th Baronet *Sir Stephen Glynne, 7th Baronet *Sir Stephen Glynne, 8th Baronet...
and niece of William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
's wife Catherine
Catherine Gladstone
Catherine Glynne Gladstone was the wife of British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone for 59 years, until his death in 1898.-Family:...
. She was maid of honour to the queen.
A window in memory of Cavendish was placed in St. Margaret's Church, Westminster, at the cost of the members of the House of Commons. His imposing white Carrara marble tomb can be seen in Cartmel Priory
Cartmel Priory
Cartmel Priory is the parish church of Cartmel, Cumbria . The priory was founded in 1190 by William Marshal, later 1st Earl of Pembroke for the Augustinian Canons and dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin and Saint Michael. It was first colonised by a Prior and twelve monks from Bradenstoke Priory in...
, Cumbria. There is also a memorial to him at Bolton Abbey
Bolton Abbey
Bolton Abbey is the estate within which is located the ruined 12th-century Augustinian Bolton Priory in North Yorkshire, England. It gives its name to the parish of Bolton Abbey.-Bolton Priory:...
.