William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland
Encyclopedia
William John Arthur Charles James Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland KG
, GCVO
, PC
, TD
, DL
(28 December 1857 – 26 April 1943), known as William Cavendish-Bentinck until 1879, was a British
landowner, courtier and Conservative
politician. He notably served as Master of the Horse
between 1886 and 1892 and again between 1895 and 1905.
. Lord Charles was the third son of Prime Minister William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland
by his wife Lady Dorothy Cavendish, daughter of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire
and Lady Charlotte Boyle. Portland's mother died only a few days after his birth. He was educated at Eton
. He inherited the Cavendish-Bentinck estates, based around Welbeck Abbey
in Nottinghamshire, from his cousin William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland
, in 1879. He also succeeded his stepmother as second Baron Bolsover
in 1893. His half-sister Lady Ottoline Morrell
was a society hostess and patron of the arts associated with the Bloomsbury Group
.
. He sat on the Conservative benches in the House of Lords
and held office as Master of the Horse
under Lord Salisbury
from 1886 to 1892 and from 1895 to 1902 and under Arthur Balfour
from 1902 to 1905. In 1886 he was sworn of the Privy Council
. He was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
in 1896 and a Knight of the Garter
in 1900.
He also served as Lord-Lieutenant of Caithness from 1889 to 1919 and as Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire
from 1898 to 1939 and was a Deputy Lieutenant
of Ayrshire
and a trustee of the British Museum
. From 1937 to 1943 he was Chancellor of the Order of the Garter
. At the coronation of King George VI
Portland carried the crown of Queen Elizabeth
, whose mother (the Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne) was his cousin. It was at his estate in Langwell that the Sunderland Flying boat carrying the Duke of Kent
(the King's youngest brother) crashed while in route to a RAF
Base in Iceland
.
near Clumber Park
in North Nottinghamshire
. Among the horses he owned was St. Simon
, who won the 1884 Ascot Gold Cup
. He also bred and owned Ayrshire
and Donovan
, who won the 1888 and 1889 runnings of the Epsom Derby
.
Portland died in April 1943, aged 85, and was succeeded by his eldest son, William. The Duchess of Portland died in July 1954, aged 90. The department of Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of Nottingham
holds estate papers of the 6th Duke in the Portland (London) Collection (Pl).
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
, GCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, PC
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
, TD
Territorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(28 December 1857 – 26 April 1943), known as William Cavendish-Bentinck until 1879, was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
landowner, courtier and Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician. He notably served as Master of the Horse
Master of the Horse
The Master of the Horse was a position of varying importance in several European nations.-Magister Equitum :...
between 1886 and 1892 and again between 1895 and 1905.
Background and education
Portland was the son of Lieutenant-General Arthur Cavendish-Bentinck by his first wife Elizabeth Sophia Hawkins-Whitshed, daughter of Sir St Vincent Hawkins-Whitshed, 2nd Baronet and grand-daughter of Admiral Sir James Hawkins-Whitshed, 1st Baronet. His paternal grandparents were Lord Charles Bentinck and his second wife Lady Anne Wellesley, daughter of Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess WellesleyRichard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
Richard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, KG, PC, PC , styled Viscount Wellesley from birth until 1781, was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator....
. Lord Charles was the third son of Prime Minister William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland
William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland
William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, KG, PC was a British Whig and Tory statesman, Chancellor of the University of Oxford and Prime Minister. He was known before 1762 by the courtesy title Marquess of Titchfield. He held a title of every degree of British nobility—Duke,...
by his wife Lady Dorothy Cavendish, daughter of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire
William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire
William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, KG, PC , styled Lord Cavendish before 1729 and Marquess of Hartington between 1729 and 1755, was a British Whig statesman who was briefly nominal Prime Minister of Great Britain...
and Lady Charlotte Boyle. Portland's mother died only a few days after his birth. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. He inherited the Cavendish-Bentinck estates, based around Welbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey near Clumber Park in North Nottinghamshire was the principal abbey of the Premonstratensian order in England and later the principal residence of the Dukes of Portland.-Monastic period:...
in Nottinghamshire, from his cousin William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland
William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland
William John Cavendish Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland , styled Lord William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck before 1824 and Marquess of Titchfield between 1824 and 1854, was a British aristocratic eccentric who preferred to live in seclusion...
, in 1879. He also succeeded his stepmother as second Baron Bolsover
Baron Bolsover
Baron Bolsover, of Bolsover Castle in the County of Derby, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 23 April 1880 for Lady Augusta Cavendish-Bentinck, with remainder to the heirs male of the body of her late husband Lieutenant-General Arthur Cavendish-Bentinck , second...
in 1893. His half-sister Lady Ottoline Morrell
Lady Ottoline Morrell
The Lady Ottoline Violet Anne Morrell was an English aristocrat and society hostess. Her patronage was influential in artistic and intellectual circles, where she befriended writers such as Aldous Huxley, Siegfried Sassoon, T. S. Eliot and D. H...
was a society hostess and patron of the arts associated with the Bloomsbury Group
Bloomsbury Group
The Bloomsbury Group or Bloomsbury Set was a group of writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists who held informal discussions in Bloomsbury throughout the 20th century. This English collective of friends and relatives lived, worked or studied near Bloomsbury in London during the first half...
.
Public life
Portland initially embarked on a military career and served as a lieutenant in the Coldstream GuardsColdstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
. He sat on the Conservative benches in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
and held office as Master of the Horse
Master of the Horse
The Master of the Horse was a position of varying importance in several European nations.-Magister Equitum :...
under Lord Salisbury
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC , styled Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and Viscount Cranborne from June 1865 until April 1868, was a British Conservative statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years...
from 1886 to 1892 and from 1895 to 1902 and under Arthur Balfour
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
from 1902 to 1905. In 1886 he was sworn of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
. He was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
in 1896 and a Knight of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
in 1900.
He also served as Lord-Lieutenant of Caithness from 1889 to 1919 and as Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire
Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire. Since 1694, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Nottinghamshire.*Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland 1552–1563?*Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland 1574–1587?...
from 1898 to 1939 and was a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
and a trustee of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. From 1937 to 1943 he was Chancellor of the Order of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
. At the coronation of King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
Portland carried the crown of Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
, whose mother (the Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne) was his cousin. It was at his estate in Langwell that the Sunderland Flying boat carrying the Duke of Kent
Prince George, Duke of Kent
Prince George, Duke of Kent was a member of the British Royal Family, the fourth son of George V and Mary of Teck, and younger brother of Edward VIII and George VI...
(the King's youngest brother) crashed while in route to a RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Base in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
.
Thoroughbred horse racing
Portland inherited the estate and stud farmHorse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
near Clumber Park
Clumber Park
Clumber Park is a country park in the Dukeries near Worksop in Nottinghamshire, England. It was the seat of the Pelham-Clintons, Dukes of Newcastle.It is owned by the National Trust and open to the public.-History:...
in North Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
. Among the horses he owned was St. Simon
St. Simon (horse)
St. Simon was an undefeated British Thoroughbred racehorse and one of the most successful sires in the history of the Thoroughbred. In May 1886 The Sporting Times carried out a poll of one hundred experts to create a ranking of the best British racehorses of the 19th Century. St...
, who won the 1884 Ascot Gold Cup
Ascot Gold Cup
The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
. He also bred and owned Ayrshire
Ayrshire (horse)
Ayrshire was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1883 to 1885 he ran sixteen times and won eleven races. After winning five races as a two-year-old he became the leading British three-year-old colt of 1884 when he won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Derby...
and Donovan
Donovan (horse)
Donovan was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1947 to 1948 he ran twenty-one times and won eighteen races. He was the leading British two-year-old of 1888 when he won eleven of hifs thirteen starts...
, who won the 1888 and 1889 runnings of the Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
.
Family
Portland married Winifred Anna Dallas-Yorke, daughter of Thomas Dallas-Yorke, on 11 June 1889. They had three children:- Lady Victoria Alexandrina Violet Cavendish-Bentinck (1890–1994), married Captain Michael Erskine-Wemyss and had issue.
- William Arthur Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of PortlandWilliam Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of PortlandWilliam Arthur Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of Portland KG , known as Marquess of Titchfield until 1943, was a British Conservative Party politician....
(1893–1977), married Ivy Gordon-LennoxIvy Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of PortlandIvy Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland DBE , born Ivy Gordon-Lennox, was Duchess of Portland from 1943 to 1977 and afterwards Dowager Duchess. She founded the Harley Foundation, "to encourage creativity".... - Lord (Francis) Morven Dallas Cavendish-Bentinck (1900–1950), died unmarried.
Portland died in April 1943, aged 85, and was succeeded by his eldest son, William. The Duchess of Portland died in July 1954, aged 90. The department of Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of Nottingham
Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of Nottingham
Manuscripts and Special Collections is part of Information Services at the University of Nottingham. It is based at King's Meadow Campus in Nottingham in England...
holds estate papers of the 6th Duke in the Portland (London) Collection (Pl).