Catherine Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire


Catherine Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, formerly Catherine Hoskins, was the wife of William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire, and mother of the 4th Duke.

Family background

She was the only child and heiress of John Hoskins of Oxted, and his wife, the former Catherine Hale. Her mother's brother was the judge, Sir Bernard Hale, and her first cousins were the army generals Bernard and John Hale.

Marriage and children

She married Cavendish, then an MP and known as the Marquess of Hartington, on 27 March 1718. The Marquess inherited the dukedom in 1729.
Their children were:
The duke and duchess were the most recent common ancestors of Charles, Prince of Wales, and his first wife Lady Diana Spencer, Charles being descended from the 4th Duke, while Diana was descended from his daughter, Lady Elizabeth Cavendish.
In 1733, Devonshire House, their London home, burned down while in the process of refurbishment, possibly because of the builders' carelessness. They employed William Kent to design their new residence, which stood until the 1920s, when much of the contents was transferred to Chatsworth House, the family seat in Derbyshire.

Later life

The duke died in 1755 and was succeeded by their eldest son, William, to whose marriage to the exceptionally wealthy Lady Charlotte Boyle Catherine was bitterly opposed. However, at her husband’s death, since Charlotte had died the previous year and the young duke did not remarry, Catherine remained mistress of Chatsworth until her grandson, the 5th Duke, married 17-year-old Georgiana Spencer in 1774.