Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess Of Devonshire

Evelyn Emily Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (née Fitzmaurice), was born on 27 August 1870 and died on 2 April 1960. She was the eldest daughter of politician and diplomat Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, and Lady Maud Hamilton, daughter of the 1st Duke of Abercorn. Her family belonged to the Anglo-Irish aristocracy; her father served as Governor General of Canada from 1883 to 1888, as Viceroy of India from 1888 to 1894, and as Leader of the Conservative Party in the House of Lords from 1903 to 1916. Raised amid public life due to her father's political career, she was closely connected to British and Irish aristocratic families.

On 30 July 1892, Evelyn Fitzmaurice married Victor Cavendish, the youngest member of the House of Commons and nephew and heir of the 8th Duke of Devonshire. The couple resided at Holker Hall in Lancashire. They had two sons—Edward William Spencer Cavendish, who became the 10th Duke of Devonshire, and Lord Charles Arthur Francis Cavendish—and five daughters: Lady Maud Louisa Emma Cavendish, Lady Blanche Katherine Cavendish, Lady Dorothy Evelyn Cavendish, Lady Rachel Cavendish, and Lady Anne Cavendish. They also had twenty-one grandchildren.

In 1908, Victor Cavendish succeeded his uncle as the 9th Duke of Devonshire; Evelyn consequently became the Duchess of Devonshire. The family managed multiple estates, including four large English estates and an Irish castle, with Evelyn overseeing estate reorganization and management. She played a role in public and charitable activities, founding the Derbyshire branch of the Red Cross in 1909 and serving as its first president.

Evelyn served as Mistress of the Robes to Queen Mary from 1910 until 1916. During that period, her husband was appointed Governor General of Canada, and she accompanied him along with six of their children. While in Canada, their daughter Lady Dorothy married Harold Macmillan, who later became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Evelyn was reportedly dissatisfied with her son's marriage to Macmillan, considering him from a tradesman family, and preferred her daughter Dorothy to marry into the family of the Duke of Buccleuch. Nonetheless, Dorothy married Macmillan in April 1920.

After her husband's tenure in Canada ended in 1921, Evelyn resumed her role as Mistress of the Robes to Queen Mary, holding this position until the Queen's death in 1953. Queen Mary invested her as a Dame Grand Cross of The Royal Victorian Order in 1937.

In 1925, the 9th Duke suffered a stroke that led to mental deterioration and increased tension within the family. Despite her husband's ill health, Evelyn gained authority over the estates, making significant repairs and administrative decisions. The Duke died in May 1938. After his death, she resided at Hardwick Hall, overseeing restoration work on its historic textiles. In 1950, after the death of the 10th Duke and the imposition of high death duties, many of the family’s assets and estates were sold. In 1956, Hardwick Hall was transferred to HM Treasury in lieu of estate duties, and in 1959, it was transferred to the National Trust, with her remaining in occupation until her death.

Evelyn Emily Mary Cavendish was widowed in 1938 and spent her final years living at Hardwick Hall until her death in 1960.