The Devonshire Diary

The Devonshire Diary: Memoranda on State of Affairs (accessible through https://archive.org/details/devonshirediarym0000devo) is a collection of papers written by William Cavendish. It was edited by Peter Douglas Brown and Karl W Schweizer, and published in 1982.

Forewarning: nearly all eldest sons in this family are named 'William Cavendish'.

William Cavendish (same name) served as chief justice under Edward III in the 14th century. He invested into land, particularly in Suffolk.

His grandsons, George Cavendish and William Cavendish (same name), added substantially to the family wealth. The younger in particular served in the Treasury and as a principal assistant to Thomas Cromwell during the dissolution of the monasteries. Cavendish's third and final marriage in 1547, to Bess of Hardwick, cemented this family into aristocracy. The family's land holdings were consolidated in Devonshire, particularly in Hardwick Hall.

Through one of his sons (Charles Cavendish), he had a grandson (William Cavendish, same name) who became a leading supporter of Charles I in the civil war and was rewarded with the duchy of Newcastle.

Another of his sons, William Cavendish (same name), inherited Hardwick Hall and Chatsworth House and was created baron of Hardwick in 1605, and then earl of Devonshire in 1618. This earldom was passed on to his son (William Cavendish, same name), grandson (William Cavendish, same name), and great-grandson (William Cavendish, same name) in time.

This last Cavendish was a Whig and a leading opponent of James' succession during the Exclusion crisis. He was fined and forced to retire from the House of Lords. He continued to conspire against James II, and is counted among the Immortal Seven who invited William III to take the English throne. For his part in the Glorious Revolution, he was raised to duke of Devonshire and marquis of Hartington.

Cavendish's son, William Cavendish (same name), continued the family tradition of Whig politics and was appointed to the Walpole government. And his son, William Cavendish (same name), became a central figure of the Whig faction that Walpole founded and Pelham continued.

His son, the William Cavendish who wrote these papers, entered the House of Commons in 1741. He married Charlotte Boyle, heir to the duchy of Burlington and baroness de Clifford in her own right. This afforded him several pocket boroughs, and he emerged as a major political force. He supported Fox over Pitt as Pelham's successor.

In 1754, the peace established by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle fell apart. England was not prepared for the Seven Years' War, and suffered a devastating loss in Menorca. There were calls to execute members of the government, up to and including the current duke of Newcastle.

Pitt suggested that Cavendish form a new government, as he was acceptable to both factions. He was appointed in November 1756 and worked with Pitt to quickly form a list of new ministers.

By March, Goerge II was conspiring with Fox to appoint a new government. Furthermore, William demanded that Pitt be removed as a condition to taking command over the defense of Hanover, which was accepted. The backlash was so great that the appointees of a prospective Fox government were turned away in June, and Cavendish began clearing way for a Pitt government.

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