Lord Richard Frederick Cavendish
Encyclopedia
Lord Richard Frederick Cavendish, CB, CMG
, DL
, JP
(31 January 1871–7 January 1946), known as Richard Cavendish until 1908, was a British
aristocrat
, author
, magistrate
and politician
.
, he was a younger son of Lord Edward Cavendish
, third son of the 7th Duke of Devonshire
. The 8th Duke of Devonshire
was his uncle and the 9th Duke of Devonshire
his elder brother. His mother was Emma Elizabeth, daughter of the Hon. William Lascelles. He was educated at Eton
and Trinity College, Cambridge
.
as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for North Lonsdale
. He crossed the floor from being a supporter of the Liberal Unionists to being a member of the Liberal Party
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
was not passed by the House of Lords
and was admitted to the Privy Council in 1912. As President of the Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society, Cavendish visited Lancaster
in 1925. He 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 and a keen golfer.
, in 1895. They had two sons and five daughters. Ordinarily, as the male-line grandson of a Duke he would not be entitled to use the prefix "Lord" before his Christian name, but because his elder brother Victor Cavendish, acceded as the 9th Duke of Devonshire in 1908, he was elevated to the rank of a son of a duke along with his younger brother Lord John Cavendish. His grandson Lord Cavendish of Furness
is 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.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
, JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(31 January 1871–7 January 1946), known as Richard Cavendish until 1908, was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Background and education
A prominent figure in the Cavendish familyHouse of Cavendish
Cavendish is the surname of a British noble family, also known as the House of Cavendish, descended from Sir John Cavendish of Cavendish in the county of Suffolk Cavendish is the surname of a British noble family, also known as the House of Cavendish, descended from Sir John Cavendish of Cavendish...
, he was a younger son of Lord Edward Cavendish
Lord Edward Cavendish
Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Edward Cavendish was a 19th century British politician.Born in Marylebone, Cavendish was the third son of William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire, by his wife, Lady Blanche Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire...
, third son of the 7th Duke of Devonshire
William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire
William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire KG, PC , styled as Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1831 and 1834 and known as The Earl of Burlington between 1834 and 1858, was a British landowner, benefactor and politician.-Background and education:Cavendish was the son of William Cavendish, eldest...
. The 8th Duke of Devonshire
Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire
Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire KG, GCVO, PC, PC , styled Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1834 and 1858 and Marquess of Hartington between 1858 and 1891, was a British statesman...
was his uncle and the 9th Duke of Devonshire
Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire
Victor Christian William Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire , known as Victor Cavendish until 1908, was a British politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 11th since Canadian Confederation....
his elder brother. His mother was Emma Elizabeth, daughter of the Hon. William Lascelles. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
.
Political career
Cavendish was elected in the 1895 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
as the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for North Lonsdale
North Lonsdale (UK Parliament constituency)
North Lonsdale was a parliamentary constituency in north Lancashire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
. He crossed the floor from being a supporter of the Liberal Unionists to being a member of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
in 1904. Therefore he was one of the few Liberal MPs who lost their seat in the 1906 election
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
. 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
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC, KC served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916...
list of peers in case the Parliament Act 1911
Parliament Act 1911
The Parliament Act 1911 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 which make up the Houses of Parliament. This Act must be construed as one with the Parliament Act 1949...
was not passed by the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
and was admitted to the Privy Council in 1912. As President of the Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society, Cavendish visited Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
in 1925. He was the Lord of the Manor, residing at Holker Hall
Holker Hall
Holker Hall is a country house with a celebrated garden situated on the Cartmel Peninsula, which was historically part of the county of Lancashire, but is now part of the county of Cumbria....
(where his descendants remain to this day) and owned the Swan Hotel at Newby Bridge. He was an active freemason and a keen golfer.
Family
Cavendish married Lady Moyra, daughter of the William Beauclerk, 10th Duke of St AlbansWilliam Beauclerk, 10th Duke of St Albans
William Amelius Aubrey de Vere Beauclerk, 10th Duke of St Albans PC , styled Earl of Burford until 1849, was a British Liberal politician...
, in 1895. They had two sons and five daughters. Ordinarily, as the male-line grandson of a Duke he would not be entitled to use the prefix "Lord" before his Christian name, but because his elder brother Victor Cavendish, acceded as the 9th Duke of Devonshire in 1908, he was elevated to the rank of a son of a duke along with his younger brother Lord John Cavendish. His grandson Lord Cavendish of Furness
Hugh Cavendish, Baron Cavendish of Furness
Hugh Cavendish, Baron Cavendish of Furness FRSA , who usually uses the name Hugh Cavendish, is a British Conservative politician and landowner. He owns Holker Hall, and its 17,000 acre estate, that overlooks Morecambe Bay in Cumbria...
is third in line to succeed his cousin Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire
Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire
Peregrine Andrew Morny Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire, KCVO, CBE , is a British peer. He is the only surviving son of the 11th Duke of Devonshire and his wife, the former Deborah Mitford. He succeeded to the dukedom following the death of his father on 3 May 2004...
as Duke of Devonshire after William Cavendish, Earl of Burlington and his son.