The History of Chatsworth House

In today’s blog post we are going to be taking a look at one of our favourite parts of the Peak District, Chatsworth House. This Grade I stately manor dates all the way back to the 1500s! During that time it has passed through many different hands.

Why is Chatsworth House Famous?

Nowadays, Chatsworth House is famous for a variety of reasons. The art contained within Chatsworth is of top quality. The property also boasts fantastic views of the surrounding landscapes. Chatsworth Manor is also of historical interest due to how well preserved it is, despite numerous renovations throughout its history.

Who Owns Chatsworth House?

Nowadays, Peregrine Cavendish, the 12th Duke of Devonshire owns Chatsworth House. However, throughout its history Chatsworth has passed through many different hands.

The History of Chatsworth House

The 1500s

Our story begins with, Elizabeth Talbot, the Countess of Shrewsbury. Although Elizabeth Talbot originally came from humble beginnings in Derbyshire, she would eventually become one of the most powerful women in Elizabethan England.

In 1547 Elizabeth married Sir William Cavendish, one of King Henry VIII’s commissioners for the dissolution of the monasteries. The married couple decided to move back to Elizabeth’s home county where they purchased Chatsworth Manor for £600.

In 1552, they began construction of The Hunting Tower which was eventually finished in the 1580s. The Hunting Tower can still be seen as part of Chatsworth House today!

After Sir William Cavendish’s death in 1557, Elizabeth remarried, this time with Sir William St. Loe, though he would later die in 1565. Her third and final husband was the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, George Talbot. During their marriage, Mary Queen of Scots was actually imprisoned at Chatsworth House from 1569 – 1584 after Queen Elizabeth I appointed George her custodian.

The 1600s

When Elizabeth Talbot died in 1608, her eldest son Henry inherited the house, but his share of Chatsworth was eventually bought by his younger brother William in 1609.

William would carefully maintain Chatsworth House whilst also purchasing more land. He would eventually become the High Sheriff of Derbyshire along with holding various other titles such as the Earl of Devonshire.

William had a total of 5 children with 2 different women. His second son would inherit his title and become the second Earl of Devonshire. The second Earl’s life was unfortunately cut short in 1628 due to an “excess of good living.” His heir at the time, also called William, was just 11 so his mother, Christian, was tasked with resolving her late husband’s financial disputes.

William the third Earl of Devonshire took the side of the royalists during the English Civil War in 1641 and pledged large amounts of money to help Charles I fight against the parliamentarians. William’s younger brother would actually be killed in the war in 1643 which caused the third Earl to flee.

During the war Chatsworth House was occupied by both sides. William would not return to the property until the end of the war. Upon his return, he began restoring the house as the original Elizabethan style had become tired and outdated.

The restoration of Chatsworth would ultimately be taken over by the Third Earl’s son, also called William, who would become the Duke of Devonshire in 1694 for his services to the King.

The 1700s

The restoration was eventually completed in 1707, shortly before the Duke’s death the same year. At this point Chatsworth House passed to William’s son who (surprise surprise) shared the same name. The younger William also assumed the title of the Second Duke of Devonshire. The Second Duke of Devonshire didn’t make any significant changes to the house during his lifetime. However, as a lover of the arts, he is responsible for the creation of an impressive art collection which included paintings, drawings and ancient artifacts.

Following the Second Duke of Devonshire’s death in 1729, the house passed into the hands of his son, the Third Duke of Devonshire. In 1733, the Third Duke’s London Residence, Devonshire House, was destroyed by a fire. The Duke demanded that the house be rebuilt and tasked architect William Kent to design the new furniture. Many of the furniture which currently resides at Chatsworth House is from the collection that Kent designed.

In 1755 The Third Duke died and the house was passed onto his son, the fourth Duke of Devonshire. The Third Duke would briefly become prime minister of England from 1756-57.

The Duke’s marriage to Lady Charlotte Boyle in 1748 brought other prestigious estates like Chiswick House in London into the the Cavendish family. As Lady Boyle was the last surviving daughter of the Earl of Burlington, the inheritance also included a significant quantity of books and art as well.

The Fourth Duke made significant changes to the parks and gardens surrounding Chatsworth House, building new stables and a new bridge upstream from the house.

Chatsworth House was then passed onto Fifth Duke of Devonshire in 1764. The Fifth Duke is well remembered for having quite a dramatic marriage to Lady Georgiana Spencer, filled with drama, adultery and illegitimate children. The family along with the Duke’s mistress would live together until her death in 1806.

The Fifth Duke’s family mainly resided in London, spending little time in Derbyshire so Chatsworth House was open to the public. Once a month there would be a big dinner served for whoever was in attendance.

The 1800s

William Spencer Cavendish, the Sixth Duke of Devonshire, succeeded his father in 1810 at the age of just 21. The Sixth Duke was known as the ‘Bachelor Duke’ as he never married. Instead he took a keen interest in all of his inherited properties, spending a lot of time and money making improvements to them. He commissioned architect Sir Jeffrey Wyatville to design the North Wing at Chatsworth House.

The Sixth Duke also made improvements to the grounds outside the house and expanded Chatsworth’s art collection before his death in 1858. As the Sixth Duke did not have an heir at the time of his death, his estate and title was passed to his cousin, the Second Earl of Burlington, William Cavendish.

After his predecessor’s indulgence at Chatsworth House, the Seventh Duke of Devonshire was comparatively much more restrained not making any major improvements to the house before his death in 1891.

The house was then passed to Spencer Cavendish, a close friend of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria. During the Eigth Duke’s tenure, the Cavendish’s played host regularly at Chatsworth House.

The 1900s

The Eighth Duke died in 1907. As the Duke did not have any heirs at the time of his death, his estate was passed to his nephew Victor Cavendish.

By the time Victor Cavendish had moved into Chatsworth, the property was in a state of disrepair so a lot of refurbishments were required. Due to financial woes, the Ninth Duke was required to sell off a portion of the art works and books at the house.

Victor Cavendish was succeeded by his son Edward Cavendish in 1938. Edward’s plans to make changes to Chatsworth House were put on hold following the outbreak of World War II in 1939. During the war, the house played host to Penrhos College, a girl’s boarding school in Colwyn Bay.

Edward’s eldest son William (and husband of JFK’s sister, Kathleen Kennedy) was killed in action in Belgium in 1944. As William had been Edward’s heir, his second son, Andrew became the inheritor of Cavendish estate following his father’s death in 1950.

Andrew and his wife Deborah made the decision to move back into Chatsworth in 1957 where they set to work modernising the house which included the installation of a central heating system.

Following a number of financial difficulties caused by the maximum death duties of 80% being applied to Edward following his death, Andrew was required to sell of a large quanitity of his estate including properties and artwork to the treasury.