Catherine Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
Catherine Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1700 – 8 May 1777), formerly Catherine Hoskins (or Hoskyn), was the wife of William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire, and mother of the 4th Duke. Family background. She was the only child and heiress of John Hoskins of Oxted (1640–16 May 1717), and his wife, the former Catherine Hale (1673–1703). Her mother's brother was the judge, Sir Bernard Hale, and her first cousins were the army generals Bernard and John Hale. Marriage and children. She married Cavendish, then an MP and known as the Marquess of Hartington, on 27  March 1718. The Marquess inherited the dukedom in 1729. Their children were: In 1733, Devonshire House (formerly Berkeley House), their London home, burned down while in the process of refurbishment, possibly because of the builders' carelessness. They employed William Kent to design their new residence, which stood until the 1920s, when much of the contents was transferred to Chatsworth House, the family seat in Derbyshire. Later life. The duke died in 1755 and was succeeded by their eldest son, William, to whose marriage to the exceptionally wealthy Lady Charlotte Boyle Catherine was bitterly opposed. However, at her husband's death , since Charlotte had died the previous year and the young duke did not remarry, Catherine remained mistress of Chatsworth until her grandson, the 5th Duke, married 17-year-old Georgiana Spencer in 1774.