Henry Cavendish (politician)

Sir Henry Hardwick Cavendish (1550–1616) was the eldest son of the Tudor courtier Sir William Cavendish, and Lady Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury (c. 1527–1608), known as "Bess of Hardwick". A Knight of the Shire for Derbyshire, he offered military service to Queen Elizabeth in the Netherlands as a Captain in 1578; conducted several trade expeditions across Europe and into the Islamic Near East (Constantinople); and was elected as MP for Derbyshire five times.

The Right Honourable Sir Henricus Hardwick Cavendish
Tudor Gentleman, attributed to Sir Henry Cavendish
Member of Parliament for Derbyshire
In office 1572–1596
Preceded by	Robert Wennersley
Succeeded by	John Harpur
Personal details
Born	1550 Derbyshire
Died	12 October 1616 Chatsworth, Derbyshire
Parent(s)	William Cavendish, Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury

Cavendish was disinherited by his mother after a complete breakdown in their relationship due to his friendship with Mary Queen of Scots and support for his niece, Arbella Stuart.

After his mother's death in 1608, Cavendish inherited Chatsworth from his father's estate, though not its contents. He sold the house intact to his younger brother William, who later that year became the 1st Earl of Devonshire.

Sir Henry and his wife, Lady Grace Talbot Cavendish, daughter of the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, had no surviving children.

Sir Henry was the father of over 8 illegitimate children. His eldest son, Henry Cavendish II (born 1576, of mother unknown) was acknowledged, educated, and married to Bridget Willoughby, daughter of Sir Percival and Lady Bridget Willoughby. Among their direct descendants are the Barons Cavendish of Dove; later the Barons of Waterpark.

Early life

Henry Cavendish's father, William Cavendish, possibly painted by John Bettes the Elder.

Henry Cavendish was born 27 December 1550, the eldest son of the politician and courtier Sir William Cavendish and Lady Bess of Hardwick. Henry was christened in December 1550. His godparents included Lady Elizabeth Tudor, half-sister to the King (she became Queen Elizabeth the I); also, Henry Grey, Marquess of Dorset (soon to be Duke of Suffolk, father of Lady Jane Grey), and John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, Duke of Northumberland.

Henry's father died 25 October 1557, while he was still young; only 6 years old. Henry was raised with his younger siblings William, Charles, Elizabeth, and Mary at Chatsworth House, which was completed by his mother in the 1560s, where she lived from time to time with her third husband Sir William St Loe (1518–1565) Captain of the Queens Guard, and fourth husband, George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury.

Chatsworth House- Childhood home and inheritance of Sir Henry Cavendish- built by Sir William Cavendish and wife, Lady Bess of Hardwick

Henrys childhood is described by his brother William as mutually golden and full of festivity in spite of the loss of their father when young. Their mother, originally a country lass from Derbyshire, made sure all of the seasonal and religious celebrations brought cheer to their home. She supported her children well through their education, travel, and careers while also negotiating highly strategic marriages for them.

On 9 February 1568, in more of a merger than a marriage, Henry was married (aged 17) to Lady Grace Talbot ( aged 8). The marriage took place at The Cathedral of Saint Peter, Sheffield, York, England as a double ceremony: His sister, Mary Cavendish (aged 12) was also given in marriage to Shrewsbury's eldest son Gilbert ( aged 16). Both couples were matched as part of the prenuptial agreement and condition upon which Henry's mother, Lady Bess, would agree to marry George Talbot, the Earl of Shrewsbury, Grace's widowed father.

Henry was immediately sent abroad with his brother-in-law and lifelong friend, Gilbert Talbot.

He returned to England, registered for the military, entered politics, and commenced family life by 1574 when Grace was 14.

Upon attaining his majority, Cavendish received the income from lands settled upon him by his father, income which had, until then, gone to his mother who was formerly granted his wardship. This income would not prove sufficient to cover Henry's lifestyle or debts.

Lady Elizabeth Cavendish of Hardwick, later Countess of Shrewsbury. Also known as Bess of Hardwick

His eldest son was born in 1576 (of Mother unknown. Not Henry's young bride.)

Henry and Grace's marriage is said to have been an unhappy one, but Grace's letters to Lady Bess (among the Hardwick Manuscripts) seem to indicate otherwise; expressing an affection for her husband, though she is frank to admit the suffering of their perpetual state of financial insecurity. The couple had no surviving children.

Education

At 10 years old, Henry Cavendish attended Eton in 1560, four years after his father death.

He also received private tutoring and entered Gray's Inn by 1566-67.

To complete his education Cavendish was sent abroad in 1568, (immediately following marriage to his stepfather’s eight-year-old daughter). He travelled to Germany, Padua, and Venice with his brother-in-law Gilbert Talbot, later 7th Earl of Shrewsbury.

The diary of his journey still survives among the Hardwick manuscripts. Among other colourful descriptions he described the city of Venice as, "a most foul stinking sink".

Career

Military service

As a young man, perhaps under the guidance of his stepfather Sir William St Loe (Captain of the Guard for Queen Elizabeth the 1st), Cavendish had trained to proficiency in arms and later "won repute as a soldier". A man of passion, adventure, and courage (if not managerial skill) Henry eschewed the dandified life at court, as well as a settled home life, and registered for military service in 1574 to serve his country as a Volunteer Captain in the Netherlands in 1578, during the Dutch Revolt. Cavendish led a force of around 500 men, mostly from his family estates, and successfully fought off an attack by Spanish tercios led by Don Juan of Austria during the Battle of Rijmenam. War, however, was costly, and the expense of campaigning in the Netherlands, particularly to supply and transport his men, was likely the initial cause of his considerable debts, which amounted to £3,000 by 1584.

Politics

Henry's Formal Name is found within portrait- upper right-hand corner. In spite of this, however, this portrait is currently misattributed as one of Robert Dudley to whom Henry bore a striking resemblance.

Cavendish entered politics in his early twenties, becoming the Member of Parliament for the County of Derbyshire for almost 20 years. He was returned to office over five successive elections, in 1575, 1584, 1586, 1589 and 1593. This remarkable record of success may have been supported by the influence of his stepfather, the Earl of Shrewsbury. Record of his contribution in the Parliamentary journals is limited, raising the question of his actual interest in politics and government. However, as a Member of the British Parliament- Knight of the Shire- he did sit on a committee of the house in March 1575 (Journals of the House of Commons, i. 110) and again in Dec. 1584. (Simonds D'Ewes, Journals of all the parliaments during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, p. 340.) He was subsequently appointed to subsidy committees on 24 Feb. 1585, 11 Feb. 1589 and 26 Feb. 1593, and to a legal committee 9 Mar. 1593.

Shrievalty

Henry took up occupation as the Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1582-3. His brother William was later appointed High Sheriff of Derbyshire in1595. Henry again took on the work of Sheriff the year his mother died in 1608-9. The role involved duties as a ceremonial county or city official. [1]

Mary Queen of Scots

In about 1585, Cavendish and his wife were living at Tutbury Castle when the Tudor courtier Amias Paulet made arrangements for Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots to be sent there. Cavendish, knowing the formidable cost to his father in laws estate during his tenure as keeper of Mary, Queen of Scots between 1568 and 1585, was reluctant to make way for the royal prisoner and her considerable entourage without reimbursement. He asked £100 a year for the use of his home, or as an alternative, that his godmother, Queen Elizabeth I should lend him £2,000 towards the repayment of his debts. Paulet reported to the Queen that "This is his final answer....‘and in my simple opinion is not much different from reason’, but added that "It may be, although he doth not say it, that he will be content with the loan of £1,500". Henry befriended the Scottish Queen and may have taken an interest in her goals and ambition.

Travels in the East and European Trade Expeditions

Inspired by the travels of his youth, as well as recognising the potential for trade, Henry had embarked on a journey to Portugal in 1579. As this trip occurred between the early active years of his political career as a Member of Parliament, and immediately following his campaign in the Netherlands, it is worth considering if he may have been tasked also with government interests or official business.

Ten years later, in 1589, he was commissioned by his mother and father-in-law, to conduct a trade expedition to Constantinople. This trip took place just as Queen Elizabeth desperately sought to strengthen foreign policy and trade ventures across the Ottoman Empire and beyond. The Protestant Queen was at war with Catholic Portugal and Spain and no longer had access to their nations as trading partners, or to their allies. Instead, she had been fostering trade agreements with the wider Islamic world since the 1560's but her influence and relationships were weakening toward the end of her life. Edward Barton was the Queens trade ambassador, resident in Constantinople in 1589; someone Henry is likely to have met. Much of England's trade aims would have likely been brokered by Jewish mediators who regularly acted in the region as trade and political intermediaries between the sultans and Anglo-merchants. Also, highly influential and someone Henry may have met, Safiye Sultan, queen mother of the royal harem and her kiva, the Jewish Esperanza Malchi.

There was much fascination with the Islamic world in England at the time of Henry's adventurous journey. The wealthy of England could not get enough of their "oriental" rugs, fabrics, baubles (jewellery), sweet wines, sugar and spice while the Sultans were keenly interested in British arms. Protestantism and Islam were also theologically aligned in their abolition of idolatry and resistance to Catholic domination.

Henry's servant-companion Mr. Fox, kept an account of this journey now published as Mr. Harrie Cavendish, his Journey To and From Constantinople, 1589 Fox, His Servant [2]

See Marlow and Shakespeare's plays for context of Anglo-Ottoman relations during the late 1500's early 1600's: Tamburlaine, The Spanish Tragedy, The Jew of Malta, The Merchant of Venice and Othello

Henry's trade ventures proved successful to forward the Earl of Shrewsbury's extensive mineral trade interests. Lady Elizabeth (also called "Building Bess") was also supplied with some of the finest furnishings in England for the magnificent homes she designed. Henry is said to have had an eye for high quality design and returned with many Chinese silks, Persian or Anatolian carpets, and Gujarati embroidered bed-covers, as well as extensive networks across the Far East and Europe to arrange further import.

By 1601, it is said that his mother had amassed a collection of imported goods that included 46 Turkish carpets and a commissioned set of three large, Belgian embroidered wall hangings depicting the cardinal virtues: Hope, Faith, Love for her homes at Chatsworth and Hardwick Hall. The Elizabethan era of Islamic trade would end, however, soon after Henry's trip to Constantinople with the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603 and the ascension of James 1 who had no interest in pursuing further alliance of this nature.

Personal life

Embarking upon marriage proper in 1574, Henry and Grace had moved into Tutbury Castle, one of the more derelict of Graces fathers' properties, and set to work with renovations and the establishment of their own household. The management of such an estate, however, proved tumultuous for the young couple.

It appears that soon after their arrival two servants, who had been with the family for a long time and for whom Henry had a strong affection, fought an unexpected dual wherein one of them was killed. The two servants were named Swenerton and Langeford; it was Swenerton who won the duel and killed Langeford. The day after, Henry Cavendish wrote a letter to his mother Bess of Hardwick to break the news.

To my Lady.

To my lorde of some affecte

to my Lady

Maye yt please your Honor, I thought yt good to let your Ladyship vnderstande of a mysfortune that happened in my howse. On thursday at nyght last at supper ij of my men fell owt abowte some tryflynge woordes and to all theyr felloes iudgementes that harde theyr iangelynge, wear made good ffrendes agayne, and went and Laye togeether that nyghte, for they had byn bedfelloes of longe before, and loved one thother very well as every boddye tooke yt in the howse. On ffryday mornynge very early, by breake of daye they wente forthe, by name Swenerton, and Langeford with ij swordes a peece, as the sequele after showed, and in the fyeldes foughte together, and in fyghte, Swenerton shlewe Langeford, to my great greyfe booth for the sodeyne deathe of the one, and for the vtter dystructyon of the tother whom I loved very well. Good Madam let yt not trowble you in any thynge, we are mortall, and borne to many and strange adventures, and thearfore must temper owr myndes to bear shuche burthens as shall be by God layd on owr shoulders. My greattest greyffe, and so I iudge yt wyll be some trowble to your Ladyship that yt shoulde happen in my howse alas madam what coulde I dooe with yt, altogether not once suspectynge any thynge betwyxte them. I haue byn ryghte sorofull full for yt, and yt hath trowbled and vexed me, more then in reason yt should haue donne a wyese man. I would to God I could forget that theyr never had byn any shuch matter. Vpon the facte donne I sent for Master Adderley, and vsed hys counsell in all thynges. Swenerton ffledde presently, and ys pursued but not yet harde of. Thus humbly cravynge your Ladyship's dayly blessynge I end, more then sadde to trowble your Ladyship thus longe with thys sorrofull matter. Tutbury thys present Saturday.

Your Ladyship's most bounden humble and obedyent sonne:

Henry Cavendyshe.

Danielle Everton proposes that: "Swenerton, despite being pursued, was not yet caught; in fact it seems he had been permitted to flee. Considering the blatant affection that Henry Cavendish felt for him, it is entirely possible that he was perhaps trying to help Swenerton to escape the law, or at least delay it."

Henry became restless and was much away from home from this time. The following year he was elected to parliament, taking him often to London; two years later he headed off to war; and the following year he took up continental travel and trade.

Reputedly unhappy in his marriage, and unable or unwilling to produce a legitimate living heir with his wife, Cavendish pursued extra-marital liaisons. At one point he accused his wife of the same, but her portrait proclaims "Loyalty" as one of her highest values. He was popularly known as "the common bull of Derbyshire and Staffordshire" and a libertine. Sadly, as his immoral behaviour was no different to many other a promiscuous peer of this era, the possibility of politically motivated libel or biased historic narrative must be considered. There is an alternate narrative that he cared deeply for one mistress, the love of his life and mother of his children, working tirelessly for she and their children's welfare. This offers another possible reason for Henry's ongoing issue of debt (in the support of two households), and also a deeply sad reason for the lifelong suffering of his wife, Lady Grace. Tragedy seems to have hallmarked both of their lives.

It is believed he fathered at least eight illegitimate children and, unusually for the day, acknowledged them. The identity of the children's mother is unknown, but she is believed to have been a peer as their children were accepted among the upper echelons and married into it. These include:

• Henry Cavendish, Esquire (1576-1624). Sir Henry's eldest illegitimate son married Bridget Willoughby 14 October 1610. She was the daughter of Sir Percival and Lady Bridget Willoughby of Wollaton Hall, Nottingham. The Willoughby family's many trade interests overlapped with the Cavendish family. From this couple descend the Barons Cavendish of Doveridge (Later the Barons of Waterpark), and the American family branch of William Hunter Henderson Cavendish (born at Doveridge, Derbyshire, in 1734), second son of Sir Henry John Cavendish, 1st Baronet Cavendish of Dove, and his wife Anne Pyne. William Hunter Cavendish migrated (1756/1760?) from Ireland, where he had been raised, to Warm Springs, West Virginia, USA in pursuit of freedom of religion.
• Anne (Cavendish) Lowe (born 11 March 1594, in London, England). Anne married Vincent Lowe, Esq., of Denby, Derbyshire,1613, in Denby, Derbyshire, and had a large family. They were the parents of at least 8 sons and 10 daughters. She died on 12 October 1661, at the age of 67, and was buried in Denby, Derbyshire, England. Her grandson Colonel Henry Lowe emigrated to Maryland and became a planter and politician.

Despite being the eldest son, and working often at cost in his mother's service, Cavendish was later disinherited by Lady Bess, from whom he had become estranged. There are several possible reasons for her decision: 1) Henry had failed to produce a legitimate dynastic heir with Grace Talbot, to inherit (from her father) the Earl of Shrewsbury's property. 2) When Bess's marriage with the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury fell into difficulties, Cavendish sided with his stepfather against his mother. 3) His mother also objected to Henry's developing friendship with Mary Queen of Scots, Bess's nemesis. (Bess had accused Mary of seducing her husband and possibly bearing him two children, though she later retracted this rumour . For her part, Mary attributed their animosity to her own great displeasure with Bess upon discovery that she was secretly raising Arabella Stuart (Mary's niece and a girl to whom she had shown great kindness to during their mutual confinement in Bess's homes) with designs to weaken her own claim and place the girl on the throne). 4) Bess later claimed a subsequent unforgivable offence by her son, Henry, when he attempted to help his niece, Arbella Stuart, escape from Bess's oppressive "care". It was his collaboration during the botched rescue attempt with Stapleton, a Yorkshire Catholic, that proved to be the last straw. This infuriated Bess of Hardwick so much that she forever after referred to her eldest as "my bad son Henry".

Bess had maintained ever tightening control over her granddaughter, Arbella, even keeping her under house guard as she was a potential contender to the throne after Arbella's paternal aunt, Mary Queen of Scots, was executed in 1587. This situation prompted Henry to act. A rescue attempt occurred in 1602 just as Arabella had despaired of ever making an approved match and began to plot her own marriage to Edward Seymour. Both young people were claimants to the throne. (Arabella would later secretly marry his brother William.) With the help of a horse lent to her by her Uncle Henry Cavendish, Arabella sent a message to Edward via her most trusted servant, Dodderage. But Edwards father, the Earl of Hertford outed them to the Queen. On January 7th, 1603, Sir Henry Bronker, the Queen of England's right-hand-man, arrived at Hardwick. He gave a letter to Bess and asked to speak with Arabella in private. Arabella was ordered to write her confession but would not comply. He eventually wrote it and she signed it, begging pardon from the Queen.

Henry somehow, remained free.

Henry and niece Arbella were entirely written out of Lady Bess's will from this time. They were the two persons in whom she had invested the most to develop, and the two who continually frustrated her ambitions for their lives by insisting upon choosing their own path. Instead, his younger brother William, who was more amenable to their mother's guidance, was favoured. William later became the First Earl of Devonshire and inherited his mother's vast estates.

It is interesting to note that after their mother, Lady Bess, died, Henry's sister, Mary Talbot the wife of his friend and twice brother-in-law Gilbert Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury would also offer dramatic assistance to their niece, Arbella. Shortly after Queen Elizabeth died, Arbella had secretly married William Seymour (1610), Edwards brother, hoping for a life of peace with him overseas away from British politics. The Crown feared this marriage would be used by the Catholics and Arbella was arrested by James VI an I for marrying without royal permission. Her aunt, Mary Talbot, went so far as to arrange her escape from the Tower of London to France. Arbella was apprehended before she reached Calais and subsequently died from a hunger strike in the tower. Mary Talbot was also incarcerated in the Tower for 6 years (1611-1618) for her participation in what was deemed a Catholic plot and only released after paying an enormous ransom.

Henry was suspected of Catholic sympathies, communication and interest in Scottish and Continental politics, and later of involvement in the Bye and Main Plot, which led James VI and I to arrest Henry Brooke, Lord Cobham and Walter Raleigh. Nothing was proven, however, and his complicity deemed unlikely (he had campaigned years before against the Spanish and Hapsburgs and promoted alternate allies across the Muslim world.) Somehow, once again, Henry remained free.

One unexplored possibility is that he and his sister, may have cared more for principle than pragmatism, and were simply intent to support the freedom of their loved ones to pursue a life of their own choosing.... If so, they both paid a high price for it. To pursue freedom and the rights of the individual during such dark times would have required much courage. Henry certainly often took the unexpected path of more resistance while also honing a savvy knack for survival. Money or rank do not seem to have been among his highest values, preferring freedom of agency. Could he have been conflicted concerning the foundation of his families' fortunes as based upon his father's participation in the Dissolution of the Monasteries?

Hot-headed Henry did receive an official reprimand by order on 30 May 1592. He was instructed to desist from hostility in a private armed feud which ensued between himself and William Agard (reason for conflict unknown). Both were engaged in pitched battle via their private armies until Henry's brother-in-law, Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury intervened, asked the privy council that 'all matters of quarrell and pyke betwyxt them and theyrs' should be adjudicated by Robert Devereux Earl of Essex, and himself." Peace was soon after restored.

When Bess of Hardwick died on 13 February 1608, it appears that Cavendish did not attend his mother's funeral. Long estranged, he received nothing from her in her will. However, he did inherit Chatsworth from his father's estate after his mother's death, but without its contents; a hard blow for one who had chosen and supplied so much of it. As a result, and in order to pay off his debts, he sold the estate intact to his brother William the following year. William allowed Henry and Grace to live at Chatsworth until the time of Henry's death in 1616. Henry is buried at his brother's side in St. Peter's Church, Edensor, Derbyshire.

Death and legacy

The Cavendish Memorial in St Peter's Church, Edensor

Cavendish died on 12 October 1616 at Chatsworth, Derbyshire, England. The Cavendish Memorial, a magnificent early-17th-century church monument to Henry and his brother William, may have been designed by their mother prior to her death. It can be seen in St Peter's Church, Edensor, Derbyshire, where he is buried. Henry is symbolically depicted by his armour, which hangs on the wall; by a magnificent carved marble statue of Mars- God of War, by Maxamillion Colt; as well as by the startlingly realistic bare bones of his effigy, indicating his disavowal of his mother's values and resistance to participate in her dynastic agenda. It may be that Lady Bess attempted to shame him beyond the grave by this design.... or it may well refer to Henry's own sense of humour, a final act of defiance to conformity.

The Latin inscription for the two brothers on the church monument provides fascinating insight into their lives indicating, both, a stark contrast and strong fraternal bond:

SACRED to the Memory of Henry,

eldest son of William Cavendish, Knight of Chatsworth, in the County of Derby, and of the much celebrated

Elizabeth Hardwick of Hardwick, in the same County, who afterwards

Effigy of Henry Cavendish- Soldier

married her fourth husband, George Earl of Shrewsbury.

He was a strenuous and brave man, and particularly distinguished himself

among the English Volunteer Commanders in the campaign in the Netherlands,

in the year 1578, in which he displayed perseverance, skill, diligence,

activity, and fortitude.

When however his military engagements gave place to the enjoyment of ease,

he indulged in the liberal and sumptuous use of his fortune

in such a manner as to retain the character of splendour and festivity

and to avoid the reproach of luxurious indolence.

His Arms and Armour being deposited in this County,

and fixed in the wall, his Body lies here awaiting instead of the Clarion of Fame

the Trumpet of the Resurrection.

He died the 12th day of October in the year of our Lord 1616.

SACRED to the Memory of William Cavendish

the second son of the same parents, who also here put off his earthly dress.

He was a man born to fill every honourable Station,

and in the simplicity of his virtues deserving rather than courting Glory.

Whom when James the 1st of Blessed Memory, King of Great Britain,

had honoured with the Titles first of Baron Hardwick,

and afterwards Earl of Devonshire, he appeared not so much to

do Honour to the man as to the title, with what Wisdom, Integrity, and Applause,

he sustained the Duties of his Province; Common Fame is seldom false.

He was not only the best man of his own but of every age,

nor can his character be suppressed or spoken of without difficulty.

He was capable of the utmost diligence and of unsullied faith,

with the appearance of the greatest indolence.

He claimed no Honour and yet obtained all.

To Him having ordered that he might be buried

without splendour and in a plain grave,

this Monument is erected with an affection greater than its expense.

He died the third of March in the year of our Lord 1625.

References

• D. J. B. Trim, ‘Cavendish, Henry (1550–1616)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 accessed 25 Sept 2017. This is a subscription site but access is free to readers of British libraries whose library subscribes.
• Dictionary of National Biography (Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900) http://search.Ancestry.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=dictnatbiogv1&h=83215&ti=5544&indiv=try&gss=pt Death: 1616
• Cavendish, Margaret. The Life of William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle (John Russell Smith, London, 1872) Page 196-7
• Henry Cavendish at the History of Parliament retrieved 7 August 2018