Lord William Charles Augustus Cavendish-Bentinck (20 May 178028 April 1826), known as Lord Charles Bentinck, was a British soldier and politician and a great-great-grandfather of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

Background

Bentinck was the third son of British Prime Minister

William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, (14 April 173830 October 1809) was a British Whig and then a Tory politician during the late Georgian era. He served as Chancellor of the University of Oxford (1792–1809) ...

and Lady Dorothy (1750–1794), only daughter of Prime Minister

William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, (8 May 1720 – 2 October 1764), styled Lord Cavendish before 1729, and Marquess of Hartington between 1729 and 1755, was a British Whig statesman and nobleman who was briefly nominal 5th Prime Mini ...

. William Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland, and

Lord William Bentinck Lieutenant General Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck (14 September 177417 June 1839), known as Lord William Bentinck, was a British soldier and statesman who served as the Governor of Fort William (Bengal) from 1828 to 1834 and the First G ...

were his elder brothers. He was born on 20 May 1780 at

Burlington House Burlington House is a building on Piccadilly in Mayfair, London. It was originally a private Neo-Palladian mansion owned by the Earls of Burlington and was expanded in the mid-19th century after being purchased by the British government. To ...

, Piccadilly.

Political career

Bentinck was returned to Parliament for Ashburton in 1806, a seat he held until 1812. He served under the

Earl of Liverpool Earl of Liverpool is a title that has been created twice in British history. The first time was in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1796 for Charles Jenkinson, 1st Baron Hawkesbury, a favourite of King George III (see Jenkinson baronets for ...

Treasurer of the Household The Treasurer of the Household is a member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The position is usually held by one of the government deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons. The current holder of the office is Mar ...

between 1812 and 1826.

Family

Bentinck married, firstly, Georgiana Augusta Frederica Seymour (baptised Elliott) (1782 – 10 December 1813), daughter of the courtesan

Grace Elliott Grace Dalrymple Elliott (c. 1754 – 16 May 1823) was a Scottish courtesan, writer and spy resident in Paris during the French Revolution. She was an eyewitness to events detailed in her memoirs, ''Journal of my life during the French Revo ...

on 21 September 1808; she was said to be a daughter of the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

or of the 4th Earl of Cholmondeley, both men claiming her paternity. They had one daughter, who was raised after Georgiana's death by Lord Cholmondeley at Cholmondeley Castle: * Hon. Georgiana Augusta Frederica Henrietta Cavendish Bentinck (21 August 1811 – 12 September 1883). The marriage enabled Bentinck to become

in 1812, a position he held till death, despite his involvement in a notorious divorce suit and his subsequent remarriage. In 1815, Bentinck eloped with his mistress, Anne, Lady Abdy, natural daughter of

Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley Richard Colley Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, (20 June 1760 – 26 September 1842) was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator. He was styled as Viscount Wellesley until 1781, when he succeeded his father as 2nd Earl of ...

Hyacinthe-Gabrielle Roland Hyacinthe-Gabrielle Wellesley, Countess of Mornington (née Roland or Rolland; 5 November 1816) was a French actress who became the mistress, and later the wife, of Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley. As an actress, she was known as Gabri ...

. Lady Abdy was the wife of Bentinck's friend

Sir William Abdy, 7th Baronet Sir William Abdy, 7th Baronet (1779 – 16 April 1868) was a British politician and baronet. Background Born in Marylebone, he was the only son of Sir William Abdy, 6th Baronet, and his wife Mary Gordon, daughter of James Gordon. In 1803, he succ ...

. Following the elopement, Lady Abdy was divorced by her husband. She and Bentinck were married on 23 July 1816. They had four children: * Reverend

Charles William Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck Charles William Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck (8 November 1817 – 17 August 1865) was a clergyman of the Church of England who held livings in Bedfordshire. He was also a great-grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II and a great-great-grandfather to Kin ...

(8 November 181717 August 1865). He was a great-grandfather of

through his daughter, who married the 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. * Hon. Anne Hyacinthe Cavendish-Bentinck (1 September 18167 June 1888), christened on 14 May 1818. Died in

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...

in 1888, unmarried. * Lieutenant General Arthur Cavendish-Bentinck (10 May 181911 December 1877). He married first Elizabeth Sophia Hawkins-Whitshed. They were parents of

William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland William John Arthur Charles James Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland, (28 December 1857 – 26 April 1943), known as William Cavendish-Bentinck until 1879, was a British landowner, courtier, and Conservative politician. He notably ser ...

. He married secondly Augusta Browne, 1st

Baroness 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 (as Baroness Bolsover) for Augusta Cavendish-Bentinck, with remainder to the heirs male of the body of ...

, and they had three sons and a daughter,

Lady Ottoline Morrell Lady Ottoline Violet Anne Morrell (16 June 1873 – 21 April 1938) was an English aristocrat and society hostess. Her patronage was influential in artistic and intellectual circles, where she befriended writers including Aldous Huxley, Siegfr ...

. * Hon. Emily Cavendish-Bentinck (18206 June 1850), married Henry Hopwood.

Abdy-Cavendish divorce

Anne and Lord Charles became lovers at some point during her first marriage. They eloped on 5 September 1815, following which Abdy brought a suit for criminal conversation (crim.con. in Regency parlance) for 30,000 pounds but won only 7,000 pounds in damages. (These damages were never paid by the impecunious Bentinck). During the discussion of the divorce bill, the customary provision against remarriage was struck out in the House of Lords. Lady Abdy (or rather, her husband Sir William Abdy) was granted a divorce on 25 June 1816. Anne and Lord Charles were married on 23 July 1816, enabling their first child (which she was expecting) to be born legitimate three weeks later. Bentinck collapsed and died suddenly at age 45 while undressing at his apartment in

Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from ...

, and was quickly discovered by his footman. Dr. Sir Henry Halford diagnosed a blood aneurysm as cause of death. His wife survived him by almost 50 years and died in March 1875.

Ancestors

References

External links

* Major. Joanne & Murden.Sara
A Right Royal Scandal: Two Marriage That Change History
* * The History of Parliament
CAVENDISH BENTINCK, Lord William Charles Augustus (1780–1826)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bentinck, Charles 1780 births 1826 deaths Children of prime ministers of the United Kingdom C Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Treasurers of the Household Younger sons of dukes Grenadier Guards officers Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Ashburton UK MPs 1807–1812 Deaths from aneurysm