Correspondence of William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire

This small group of two letters and one printed summons, belonged to William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire. The letters concern William's affairs as a Lord Lieutenant of Derby, and a landowner. The incomplete letter to his son (CS1/16/2), sheds light on the type of tension-filled relationship they had and gives an impression of the seriousness with which the 3rd Earl of Devonshire took his duties to King and country.

William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire (1617–1684)
Both the 3rd Earl of Devonshire and his mother, Christian Bruce, were staunch Royalists when the Civil War began in 1641, and the family dedicated large amounts of money to raising regiments for Charles I. Colonel Charles Cavendish, the 3rd Earl's younger brother, was celebrated for his bravery, but was killed on the battlefield in 1643. The 3rd Earl himself, mindful of his duty to protect his family name, departed for the safety of the continent and did not return until after the war was over.

Chatsworth was occupied by both sides during the Civil War, and the 3rd Earl did not return to the house until peace was restored with the Restoration of the monarchy. Although he reconstructed the principal rooms in an attempt to make them more comfortable, the old Elizabethan house was becoming increasingly out-dated and unsafe.

The 3rd Earl of Devonshire married Lady Elizabeth Cecil, daughter of William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, on 4th March 1639. Together they had two children.

[Source: Chatsworth website, History of Chatsworth, https://www.chatsworth.org/about-chatsworth/history-of-chatsworth/17th-century/, accessed Feb 2022].