William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke Of Portland

William Arthur Charles Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland, was born on December 28, 1857, and died on April 26, 1943. He was a British landowner, courtier, and Conservative politician. He served as Master of the Horse from 1886 to 1905.

Early Life:

He was the son of Lieutenant-General Arthur Cavendish-Bentinck (1819–1877) and Elizabeth Sophia Hawkins-Whitshed, who was a granddaughter of Admiral Sir James Hawkins-Whitshed. His paternal grandfather was Lord Charles Bentinck, the third son of Prime Minister William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, and Lady Dorothy Cavendish, daughter of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire. Portland's mother died shortly after his birth. He received his education at Eton College.

Inheritance and Estates:

In 1879, he inherited the Portland estates centered around Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire from his cousin, William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland. He also succeeded his stepmother as the second Baron Bolsover in 1893. His holdings included approximately 183,000 acres primarily in Caithness (about 101,000 acres), Nottinghamshire (around 43,000 acres), and Northumberland (approximately 35,000 acres). His notable half-sister was Lady Ottoline Morrell, known as a society hostess and patron of the arts associated with the Bloomsbury Group.

Military Career:

Portland initially pursued a military career, serving as a lieutenant in the Coldstream Guards from 1877 to 1880. He was also a lieutenant-colonel in the Honourable Artillery Company from 1881 to 1889 and held honorary colonelcies in several artillery units, including the 1st Lanarkshire Artillery Volunteers, the 4th Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters, and the 7th (Robin Hood) Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters.

Public and Court Life:

He was a member of the House of Lords where he sat on the Conservative benches. Portland held the position of Master of the Horse, serving under Prime Ministers Lord Salisbury (1886–1892, 1895–1902) and Arthur Balfour (1902–1905). In 1886, he was sworn into the Privy Council. He received numerous honors, including being appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in 1896, receiving the Royal Victorian Chain, and being made a Knight of the Garter in 1900. Additional international honors included the Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III (Spain), the Order of St. Sava (Serbia), the Order of the Crown (Belgium), and the Order of St. Stephen (Austria-Hungary).

He attended the 1903 Delhi Durbar in India, which celebrated King Edward VII's ascension to the throne. Portland served as Lord-Lieutenant of Caithness (1889–1919) and Nottinghamshire (1898–1939), was a Deputy Lieutenant of Ayrshire, and was a trustee of the British Museum. In 1913, he hosted Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria at Welbeck Abbey.

Later Roles:

From 1937 until his death in 1943, he was Chancellor of the Order of the Garter. At the coronation of King George VI, Portland carried the crown of Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother). His estate at Langwell was the site of the crash of the Sunderland Flying Boat carrying the Duke of Kent.

Equestrian Pursuits:

He inherited a stud farm near Clumber Park, North Nottinghamshire. His ownership included horses such as St. Simon, winner of the 1884 Ascot Gold Cup, and Ayrshire and Donovan, winners of The Derby in 1888 and 1889, respectively. In 1890, Portland constructed "The Winnings," a row of six almshouses at Welbeck Abbey using proceeds from his horse racing successes.

Personal Life:

In 1889, Portland married Winifred Anna Dallas-Yorke, daughter of Thomas Dallas-Yorke. They had three children:

- Lady Victoria Alexandrina Violet Cavendish-Bentinck (1890–1994), who married Captain Michael Erskine-Wemyss.

- William Arthur Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, who became the 7th Duke of Portland (1893–1977).

- Lord Francis Morven Dallas Cavendish-Bentinck (1900–1950).

The family resided at 3 Grosvenor Square in London until 1936, when the building was demolished. Portland died in April 1943 and was buried at St. Winifred's Churchyard, Holbeck. His heir was his eldest son, William.

Legacy and Publications:

He was a collector of fine art and maintained a generous attitude toward his staff, who generally had long tenures and received care through estate hospital facilities. His estate probate was valued at £201,516 in 1943.

Portland authored several memoirs, including "Fifty Years and More of Sport in Scotland" (1933), "Memories of Racing and Hunting" (1935), and "Men, Women and Things" (1937).

Family and Ancestry:

He was a descendant of prominent British aristocratic families, with ancestors linked to the Dukes of Portland and the Dukes of Devonshire notably prominent in British political and social history.

The University of Nottingham holds estate papers of the 6th Duke in its Portland (London) Collection.