Henry Cavendish (politician)

The Right Honourable
Henry Cavendish
Unknown Tudor Gentleman, possibly Henry Cavendish
Member of Parliament
for Derbyshire
In office
1572–1593
Personal details
Born 1550
Derbyshire
Died 1616

Henry Cavendish (1550-1616) was the eldest son of the Tudor courtier William Cavendish, and Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury (c. 1527–1608), known as "Bess of Hardwick". He served in the Netherlands as a captain in 1574, and was the MP for Derbyshire five times, but did not participate greatly in politics. Cavendish was also a notorious libertine, and was disinherited by his mother, who held his wardship after his father's death. After his mother's death he inherited the Chatsworth estate, but he sold it to his brother William the following year. He had a number of illegitimate children by different women, but no legitimate heirs.

Early life

Henry Cavendish's father,William Cavendish, possibly painted by John Bettes the Elder.

Henry Cavendish was born in 1550, the eldest son of the politician, knight and courtier William Cavendish and the wealthy heiress Bess of Hardwick.

Career

The Cavendish Memorial in St Peter's Church, Edensor

Despite being the eldest son, Cavendish was disinherited by his mother, from whom he was long estranged. Instead, his younger brother William would inherit the family estates.

As a young man Cavendish served as Captain in the Netherlands in 1574. leading 500 men, mostly from his family estates. [1]

He was MP for the County of Derbyshire for over 20 years, being returned to office five times in five successive elections, in 1572, 1584, 1586, 1589 and 1593. This remarkable record of success was likely not so much a tribute to his personal qualities than to the influence of the Earls of Shrewsbury. No reference to him has been found in the Parliamentary journals, suggesting that his actual interest in politics and government was rather limited. [1]

In about 1585, Cavendish was living at Tutbury Castle when the Tudor courtier Amias Paulet was making arrangements for Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots to be sent there. Cavendish was reluctant to make way for the royal prisoner, and asked £100 a year for the use of the house, or as an alternative, that Queen Elizabeth I should lend him £2,000 towards the repayment of his debts. Paulet reported to the Queen that "this is his final answer" but added that "It may be, although he doth not say it, that he will be content with the loan of £1,500". [1]

Personal life

Cavendish married Grace (Talbot) Cavendish on 9th Feb 1568 in Sheffield. However, he was a notorious libertine, described as "the common bull of Derbyshire and Staffordshire". [1]He fathered at least 8 illegitimate children, including

  • Henry Cavendish (1590-1626)
  • Anne (Cavendish) Lowe (1604-1663). Anne married Vincent Lowe in around 1625 and had a large family. [2] [3]

His mother died on 13 February 1608, and he did not attended her funeral. He received nothing from her in her will. [1] However, he did inherit Chatsworth after his mother’s death, but he sold the estate to his brother William the following year. [1]

Death and legacy

Cavendish died on the 12th of October 1616 at Chatsworth, Derbyshire, England. The Cavendish Memorial, a magnificent early-17th-century church monument to Henry and his brother William, can be seen in St Peter's Church, Edensor, Derbyshire, where he is buried. [1]

References

Notes

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