Lt.-Col. Lord Richard Frederick Cavendish, (31 January 1871 – 7 January 1946) was a British

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

, author,

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, and politician from the Cavendish family. He took a prominent role in public life in Lancashire, particularly in agricultural development.

Early life and family

Richard was born at Devonshire House in

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

, the second of three sons of

Lord Edward Cavendish Lieutenant colonel, Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Edward Cavendish Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), MP (28 January 1838 – 18 May 1891) was a 19th-century British politician, soldier, and nobleman. Born in Marylebone, Cavendish was the th ...

(1838–1891), third son of the 7th Duke of Devonshire. His mother was Emma Lascelles (1838–1920), daughter of the Hon. William Lascelles, and granddaughter of the

Earl of Harewood Earl of Harewood (), in the County of York, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. History The title was created in 1812 for Edward Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood, a wealthy sugar plantation owner and former Member of Parliament fo ...

and the Earl of Carlisle. He was educated at Eton and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, where he was a member of the Pitt Club. In 1908, his elder brother, Victor succeeded his father's elder brother, the 8th Duke of Devonshire. He and his younger brother, John Spencer, were raised to the rank of duke's sons in honour of their late father and styled as lords. In 1914, Maj. Lord John Cavendish was killed in action in World War I.

Military career

During the First World War, Lord Richard served abroad and was wounded and

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

. He was appointed a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

(CMG) in 1918 and a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1919. As a lieutenant-colonel, he commanded a battalion of

The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army. It served under various titles and fought in many wars and conflicts, including both the World War I, First and the World War II, Second World Wars, from ...

. During the Second World War, he was honorary colonel of the 56th (King's Own) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery.

Career

Cavendish was elected in the 1895 general election as the member of parliament (MP) for North Lonsdale. He

crossed the floor In some parliamentary systems (e.g., in Canada and the United Kingdom), politicians are said to cross the floor if they formally change their political affiliation to a political party different from the one they were initially elected under. I ...

from being a supporter of the Liberal Unionists to being a member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

in 1904. Therefore, he was one of the few Liberal MPs who lost their seat in the 1906 election. In December 1908 he was appointed chairman of the Royal Commission on Systems of Election, with the mandate "to secure a fully representative character for popularly elected legislative bodies" and "to consider whether, and how far, they, or any of them, are capable of application in this country in regard to the existing electorate". The commission reported in 1910, recommending the abolition of two member constituencies "as soon as possible"; this was implemented. The commission also recommended the adoption of an alternative vote system, which was not implemented. In 1911, Cavendish was on Prime Minister Asquith's list of peers in case the

Parliament Act 1911 The Parliament Act 1911 ( 1 & 2 Geo. 5. c. 13) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is constitutionally important and partly governs the relationship between the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two Houses of Parl ...

was not passed by the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. He was admitted to the Privy Council in 1912. Cavendish was President of the Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.

Family

Lord Richard was the Lord of the Manor, residing at Holker Hall (where his descendants remain to this day) and owned the Swan Hotel at Newby Bridge. He was an active

freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and a keen golfer. Cavendish married Lady Moyra de Vere Beauclerk, daughter of the Duke of St Albans, in 1895. They had two sons and five daughters. Their eldest son died in infancy. Their daughter Alix died aged 23 at Rest Harrow, Sandwich Bay, the home of

Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor Nancy Witcher Astor, Viscountess Astor (19 May 1879 – 2 May 1964) was an American-born British politician who was the first woman seated as a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP), serving from 1919 to 1945. Astor w ...

, after a two-year "desperate battle" against illness. *Elizabeth Vere, Marchioness of Salisbury (22 January 1897 – 5 June 1982), married

Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury (27 August 1893 – 23 February 1972), known as Viscount Cranborne from 1903 to 1947, was a British Conservative politician. Background Nicknamed "Bobbety", Salisbury was the eldest ...

*Alix Cavendish (5 August 1901 – 29 June 1925), died unmarried *Mary Katherine, Countess of Crawford (20 July 1903 – 20 November 1994) married

David Lindsay, 28th Earl of Crawford David Alexander Robert Lindsay, 28th Earl of Crawford and 11th Earl of Balcarres, (20 November 1900 – 13 December 1975), known as Lord Balniel from 1913 to 1940, was a British Conservative Party (UK), Unionist politician. Life Lindsay was b ...

, mother of

Robert Lindsay, 29th Earl of Crawford Robert Alexander Lindsay, 29th Earl of Crawford, 12th Earl of Balcarres, Baron Balniel, (5 March 1927 – 18 March 2023), known Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, by courtesy as Lord Balniel between 1940 and 1975, was a Scottish hereditary ...

*John Edward Compton Cavendish (10 October 1907 – 29 May 1908) *Diana, Viscountess Gage (15 September 1909 – 10 July 1992), married 1935

Robert Boothby, Baron Boothby Robert John Graham Boothby, Baron Boothby, (12 February 1900 – 16 July 1986) was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician. Early life The only son of Sir Robert Tuite Boothby, KBE, of Edinburgh and a cousin of Rosalind Gra ...

(divorced 1937); Lt-Col. Hon. Ian Douglas Campbell-Gray (1942; he died 1946); married 1971 Henry Gage, 6th Viscount Gage *Sybil Moyra Cavendish (10 August 1915 – 3 August 2004), married Lawrence Gregson Fell Dykes *Richard Edward Osborne Cavendish (23 November 1917 – 14 August 1972), married Pamela June Dolores Lloyd-Thomas, father of Hugh Cavendish, Baron Cavendish of Furness (third in line to succeed his cousin Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire as Duke of Devonshire after William Cavendish, Earl of Burlington and his son) His wife died in 1942. He died four years later at Holker Hall.

Ancestry

References

External links

*
Royal Commission on Systems of Election

His portraits at the National Portrait Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cavendish, Richard, Lord 1871 births 1946 deaths Richard Cavendish Younger sons of dukes Liberal Unionist Party MPs for English constituencies Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Deputy lieutenants in England English justices of the peace UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 King's Own Royal Regiment officers Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George