Cavendish (/ˈkævəndɪʃ/) is the surname of a British noble family, also known as the House of Cavendish. This Cavendish family has been one of the richest and most influential aristocratic families in England since the 16th century, and has been rivalled in political influence perhaps only by the Marquesses of Salisbury and the Earls of Derby. They are descended from Sir John Cavendish of Cavendish in the county of Suffolk (c. 1346–1381), and have held the following peerages:
The dukedom of Devonshire
The dukedom of Newcastle
The barony of Waterpark
Amanda Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (born 1944)
Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire (1920–2004), British government minister
Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1920-2014), Mitford sister and writer
Lord Edward Cavendish (1838–91), British politician
Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire (1895–1950), Minister in Winston Churchill's wartime cabinet
Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1870–1960), Mistress of the Robes to Queen Mary
Lady Dorothy Cavendish (1750–94), Duchess of Portland, 3x great grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II
Lord Frederick Cavendish (1729–1803), soldier
Lord Frederick Cavendish (1836–82), British Liberal politician
George Augustus Henry Cavendish, 1st Earl of Burlington (1754–1834)
George Henry Compton Cavendish (1784–1809), English politician
George Cavendish (1500–c.1562), English writer, biographer of Cardinal Wolsey
Lord George Augustus Cavendish (?–1794), British politician
Lord George Henry Cavendish (1810–1880), British politician
Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1757–1806), socialite
Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle (1630–91)
Sir Henry Cavendish, 1st Baronet (1707-76), Anglo-Irish politician
Henry Cavendish (1731–1810) scientist, known for the Cavendish experiment
Sir Henry Cavendish, 2nd Baronet (1732-1804), Anglo-Irish politician
Henry Cavendish, 3rd Baron Waterpark (1793–1863), MP
Hugh Cavendish, Baron Cavendish of Furness (born 1941), Baron Cavendish of Furness
John Cavendish (c.1346–81)
Lord John Cavendish (1734–96), English politician
Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington aka Kick Kennedy (1920–48), sister of U.S. president John F. Kennedy
Louisa Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1832–1911), the "Double Duchess"
Lucy Cavendish (1841–1925)
Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle (1623–73), English writer and scientist
Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1895–1988), Mistress of the Robes to Elizabeth II
Michael Cavendish (c.1565–1628), English composer
Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire (born 1944), 12th Duke of Devonshire, horse racing devotee
Richard Cavendish, 2nd Baron Waterpark (1765-1830)
Lord Richard Cavendish (1752–1781), Member of the Parliament of Great Britain
Lord Richard Cavendish (1794–1876), Member of Parliament, member of the Canterbury Association
Lord Richard Cavendish (1871–1946), author, magistrate and politician
Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire (1833–1908), British Liberal statesman
Thomas Cavendish (1555–92), "The Navigator", British explorer
Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire (1868–1938), British politician, Governor General of Canada (1916–21)
William Cavendish (1505–57), English courtier
William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle (1592-1676), English soldier, politician and writer
William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire (1698–1755), Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1737–44.
William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire (1720–64), briefly Prime Minister of Great Britain
William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire (1790–1858), Lord Chamberlain to King William IV
William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire (1808–91), Chancellor of the University of Cambridge 1861–91, for whom Cavendish Laboratory is named
William John Robert Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington (1917–44), killed in action, Belgium - World War II
William Cavendish, Earl of Burlington aka Bill Burlington (born 1969), professional photographer
The 3rd to 9th Dukes of Portland were descended from the Cavendish family in the female line and took the surname Cavendish-Bentinck or a variant thereof. Their principal seat, Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire, came to them through the Cavendish connection.
