Lady Anne Cavendish-Bentinck
Encyclopedia
Lady Alexandra Margaret Anne Cavendish-Bentinck (16 September 1916 – 29 December 2008) was a member of the British nobility
and one of the richest landowners in the country. Her father was William Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of Portland
, a British
Conservative
politician. The Duke was also known as "Chopper" for the wooden house he built in Welbeck. Her mother was Ivy Gordon-Lennox
, daughter of Lord Algernon Charles Gordon-Lennox. She had one sibling, a younger sister, Lady Margaret Parente (died 1955).
came to Britain from Holland with William of Orange
in 1670, and was created Earl of Portland
in 1689. His son, Henry, 2nd Earl
, was created Duke of Portland in 1716.
As there were no male heirs when Lady Anne's father died in March 1977, he was succeeded in the dukedom by a distant relative, his third cousin Ferdinand Cavendish-Bentinck
. However, the family seat of Welbeck Abbey
and the family fortune passed to his daughter. This was due to the legal arrangements made by Anne's grandfather (6th Duke of Portland
). Her grandfather was also the younger half-brother of the Countess of Strathmore, who was the mother of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
, who went on to be the Queen Mother.
Eventually the dukedom died out due to a lack of male heirs in 1980. However the earldom continues on presently. The 12th Earl of Portland is actor Tim Bentinck
, also known as David Archer to the listeners of the BBC Radio 4
soap opera The Archers
. Her sole heir is her nephew, William Parente, who is married with two children. He is the beneficiary to her £158 million estate.
As a débutante, she refused to marry a Belgian nobleman, destined to be Prince Charles of the Belgians. When he came to ask for her hand in marriage she reportedly refused to get out of bed. Instead she wished to marry John Osborne, 11th Duke of Leeds
. However her family refused to allow the marriage. She never married.
St. John Ambulance Brigade
and the president of Portland College
.
She enjoyed art; she possessed a treasure trove of art including works by Stubbs
and van Dyke
. She also had a sizable silver collection that she stored in her strongroom. She loved horse racing and was a horsewoman, riding and hunting side-saddle. She continued to ride horses until she was 90 years old. While she never placed a bet, her horses were successful in their races, leading her to become a leading racehorse owner in Northern England.
and 62000 acres (250.9 km²) in Scotland
, and to be worth around £158 million. In addition to this land, the legacy of the Dukes of Portland lives on. Her family lent their name to numerous addresses in Nottinghamshire including Bentink Court in Sneinton
, and Bentink Town near Kirkby-in-Ashfield
.
The Bentinck family's influence even reached Central London where they also owned considerable real estate. Included in her real estate in Central London
was 30 acre (0.1214058 km²) of priceless land around Harley Street
. She could be spotted driving around the private roads of her estates, even being seen driving in her small jeep
just a few days before her death.
She was ranked 511th on the Sunday Times Rich List in 2008
.
British nobility
-General History of British Nobility:The nobility of the four constituent home nations of the United Kingdom has played a major role in shaping the history of the country, although in the present day even hereditary peers have no special rights, privileges or responsibilities, except for residual...
and one of the richest landowners in the country. Her father was William Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of Portland
William Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of Portland
William Arthur Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of Portland KG , known as Marquess of Titchfield until 1943, was a British Conservative Party politician....
, a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician. The Duke was also known as "Chopper" for the wooden house he built in Welbeck. Her mother was Ivy Gordon-Lennox
Ivy Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland
Ivy Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland DBE , born Ivy Gordon-Lennox, was Duchess of Portland from 1943 to 1977 and afterwards Dowager Duchess. She founded the Harley Foundation, "to encourage creativity"....
, daughter of Lord Algernon Charles Gordon-Lennox. She had one sibling, a younger sister, Lady Margaret Parente (died 1955).
Family
The Dukes of Portland originally were a Dutch family. Hans Willem (or William) BentinckWilliam Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland
Hans William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, Baron Bentinck of Diepenheim and Schoonheten, KG, PC was a Dutch and English nobleman who became in an early stage the favourite of William, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder in the Netherlands, and future King of England. He was steady, sensible, modest...
came to Britain from Holland with William of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
in 1670, and was created Earl of Portland
Earl of Portland
Earl of Portland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England, first in 1633 and again in 1689.-First creation :The title of Earl of Portland was first created for the politician Richard Weston, 1st Baron Weston, in 1633...
in 1689. His son, Henry, 2nd Earl
Henry Bentinck, 1st Duke of Portland
Henry Bentinck, 1st Duke of Portland , styled Viscount Woodstock from 1689 until 1709, was a British politician and colonial statesman....
, was created Duke of Portland in 1716.
As there were no male heirs when Lady Anne's father died in March 1977, he was succeeded in the dukedom by a distant relative, his third cousin Ferdinand Cavendish-Bentinck
Ferdinand Cavendish-Bentinck, 8th Duke of Portland
Ferdinand William Cavendish-Bentinck, 8th Duke of Portland was a British peer.As the great-grandson of Lord Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck , he was the surviving male heir of his third cousin, William Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of Portland, and succeeded to the title on the latter's death in...
. However, the family seat of Welbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey near Clumber Park in North Nottinghamshire was the principal abbey of the Premonstratensian order in England and later the principal residence of the Dukes of Portland.-Monastic period:...
and the family fortune passed to his daughter. This was due to the legal arrangements made by Anne's grandfather (6th Duke of Portland
William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland
William John Arthur Charles James Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland KG, GCVO, PC, TD, DL , known as William Cavendish-Bentinck until 1879, was a British landowner, courtier and Conservative politician...
). Her grandfather was also the younger half-brother of the Countess of Strathmore, who was the mother of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
, who went on to be the Queen Mother.
Eventually the dukedom died out due to a lack of male heirs in 1980. However the earldom continues on presently. The 12th Earl of Portland is actor Tim Bentinck
Tim Bentinck, 12th Earl of Portland
Timothy Charles Robert Noel Bentinck, 12th Earl of Portland, 8th Count Bentinck und Waldeck Limpurg is an English peer and member of the House of Bentinck...
, also known as David Archer to the listeners of the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
soap opera The Archers
The Archers
The Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
. Her sole heir is her nephew, William Parente, who is married with two children. He is the beneficiary to her £158 million estate.
As a débutante, she refused to marry a Belgian nobleman, destined to be Prince Charles of the Belgians. When he came to ask for her hand in marriage she reportedly refused to get out of bed. Instead she wished to marry John Osborne, 11th Duke of Leeds
John Osborne, 11th Duke of Leeds
John Francis Godolphin Osborne, 11th Duke of Leeds was a British peer.He was the son of Sir George Godolphin Osborne, 10th Duke of Leeds and Lady Katherine Frances Lambton. He succeeded to the title of 11th Duke of Leeds and its subsidiary titles on 10 May 1927...
. However her family refused to allow the marriage. She never married.
Interests
She was involved with many charities throughout her life. Her charitable interests ranged widely and included Girl Guides whom she allowed to have a permanent camp at Welbeck, much to the annoyance of the caretakers. Along with working with the blind, she also helped establish the Harley Foundation in 1977 which is named after Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford, an art collector and her ancestor. The foundation is an art educational charity. Lady Anne also was the president of NottinghamshireNottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
St. John Ambulance Brigade
St. John Ambulance
St John Ambulance, branded as St John in some territories, is a common name used by a number of affiliated organisations in different countries dedicated to the teaching and practice of medical first aid and the provision of ambulance services, all of which derive their origins from the St John...
and the president of Portland College
Portland College
Portland College is an education establishment in the county of Nottinghamshire. It is situated in of Sherwood Forest approximately south of the town of Mansfield. Portland is a national residential specialist college for students with a wide range of physical disabilities and needs...
.
She enjoyed art; she possessed a treasure trove of art including works by Stubbs
George Stubbs
George Stubbs was an English painter, best known for his paintings of horses.-Biography:Stubbs was born in Liverpool, the son of a currier and leather merchant. Information on his life up to age thirty-five is sparse, relying almost entirely on notes made by fellow artist Ozias Humphry towards the...
and van Dyke
Anthony van Dyck
Sir Anthony van Dyck was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England. He is most famous for his portraits of Charles I of England and his family and court, painted with a relaxed elegance that was to be the dominant influence on English portrait-painting for the next...
. She also had a sizable silver collection that she stored in her strongroom. She loved horse racing and was a horsewoman, riding and hunting side-saddle. She continued to ride horses until she was 90 years old. While she never placed a bet, her horses were successful in their races, leading her to become a leading racehorse owner in Northern England.
Property
At the time of her death, she was said to own 17000 acres (68.8 km²) of land in NottinghamshireNottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
and 62000 acres (250.9 km²) in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and to be worth around £158 million. In addition to this land, the legacy of the Dukes of Portland lives on. Her family lent their name to numerous addresses in Nottinghamshire including Bentink Court in Sneinton
Sneinton
Sneinton is a south-eastern suburb of Nottingham, England. The area is bounded by Carlton to the north, Colwick to the south, Meadow Lane to the southwest and Bakersfield to the east.-Description:...
, and Bentink Town near Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Kirkby-in-Ashfield is a market town in Nottinghamshire, England, with a population of 25,265 . It is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area. The Head Offices of Ashfield District Council are located there....
.
The Bentinck family's influence even reached Central London where they also owned considerable real estate. Included in her real estate in Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
was 30 acre (0.1214058 km²) of priceless land around Harley Street
Harley Street
Harley Street is a street in the City of Westminster in London, England which has been noted since the 19th century for its large number of private specialists in medicine and surgery.- Overview :...
. She could be spotted driving around the private roads of her estates, even being seen driving in her small jeep
Mini SUV
Mini SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles with a length under . This class should not be confused with compact SUV, which refers to slightly larger vehicles, from ....
just a few days before her death.
She was ranked 511th on the Sunday Times Rich List in 2008
Sunday Times Rich List 2008
The Sunday Times Rich List 2008 was published on 27 April 2008.Since 1989 the UK national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times has published an annual magazine supplement to the newspaper called the Sunday Times Rich List...
.