Monarch George IV Prime Minister George Canning Name William 4th | Spouse Henrietta Scott (m. 1795) Monarch George IV | |
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Preceded by The Earl of Westmorland Role Former Lord President of the Council Died March 27, 1854, Welbeck Abbey, Welbeck, United Kingdom Parents William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland Children William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland Siblings Lord William Bentinck, Lord Charles Bentinck Similar People William Cavendish‑Bentinck - 3rd Duke, William Cavendish‑Scott‑Bentinck - 5th Duke, Lord Charles Bentinck, Lord William Bentinck, Margaret Bentinck - Duchess | ||
Succeeded by The Earl of Carlisle Prime Minister The Viscount Goderich | ||
William Henry Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland (24 June 1768 – 27 March 1854), styled Marquess of Titchfield until 1809, was a British politician who served in various positions in the governments of George Canning and Lord Goderich.
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Background and education
Portland was the eldest son of Prime Minister William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland and Lady Dorothy, daughter of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire and Charlotte Boyle, Baroness Clifford. He was the elder brother of Lord William Bentinck and Lord Charles Bentinck.
He was educated first in Ealing under the tutelage of Samuel Goodenough graduating in 1774, followed by Westminster School (1783). He attended Christ Church, Oxford for two years but did not take a degree. The third Duke, who spared no expense for his heir, sent him to The Hague in 1786 for experience working with the crown's envoy, Sir James Harris. He returned in 1789.
He later received an honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law from Oxford in 1793. He also served as a Family Trustee of the British Museum; in 1810, he loaned the famed Portland Vase to the museum.
Political career
Portland was Member of Parliament for Petersfield between 1790 and 1791 and for Buckinghamshire between 1791 and 1809.
He served under his father as a Lord of the Treasury between March and September 1807. He remained out of office until April 1827 when he was appointed Lord Privy Seal by his brother-in-law George Canning. He was sworn of the Privy Council the same year. When Lord Goderich became Prime Minister in August 1827, Portland became Lord President of the Council, an office he retained until the government fell in January 1828. Over time the Duke became less of a staunch Conservative, softening to some of the more liberal stances of Canning.
Portland also held the honorary post of Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex between 1794 and 1841.
Family
Portland married Henrietta, eldest daughter and heiress of Major-General John Scott of Fife and his wife Margaret (née Dundas), in London on 4 August 1795. At the time of his marriage he obtained Royal Licence to take the name and arms of Scott in addition to that of Cavendish-Bentinck. They were parents of nine children:
Death and legacy
The Duchess of Portland died 24 April 1844. Nearly 10 years later, Portland died at the family seat of Welbeck Abbey, Nottinghamshire, in March 1854, aged 85. Two of their sons predeceased their parents; their eldest dying of a brain lesion and their third son dying of a heart attack.
The duke expressed a desire to be buried in the open churchyard in Bolsover, Derbyshire, near the other family seat at Bolsover Castle. However he was instead interred in the ancient Cavendish vault, that had previously been unopened for 138 years.
He was succeeded in the dukedom by his second but eldest surviving son, William.
The department of Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of Nottingham holds a number of papers relating to Portland: His personal and political papers are part of the Portland (Welbeck) Collection while the Portland (London) Collection contains papers relating to his estate business. The Portland Estate Papers held at Nottinghamshire Archives also contain items relating to Portland's properties.
Titles
His full titles were Duke of Portland, Marquess of Titchfield, Earl of Portland, Viscount Woodstock, and Baron Cirencester.