Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck

Major-General Lord Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck, born on 2 November 1781, was a British military officer and politician. He died on 10 February 1828 in Rome. He was the youngest child and the fourth son of William Cavendish-Bentinck, the 3rd Duke of Portland, and Lady Dorothy Cavendish.

Cavendish-Bentinck was educated at Westminster School. His military career began in 1797 when he joined the British Army as an Ensign in the 32nd Regiment of Foot. He subsequently purchased promotions to Lieutenant and then Captain in the 24th Light Dragoons. During the War of the Second Coalition, he was attached to the combined Russian and Austrian forces in Italy, participating in the Battles of Novi in 1799 and Marengo in 1800, as well as being present at the Siege of Alexandria in 1801.

Following the disbandment of the 24th Light Dragoons, Cavendish-Bentinck returned to the British Army as a Captain in the 52nd Foot. In March 1804, he purchased a promotion to Major in the 45th Foot, and a month later, he purchased a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel in the 7th Foot. In 1805, he exchanged his Lieutenant Colonelcy of the 7th Foot for the role of company commander in the 1st Foot Guards. With the Guards, he served in Sicily, was present at the Battle of Corunna alongside his elder brother Lord William Bentinck, and participated in the Walcheren Campaign. He continued service in Spain and Portugal during the Peninsular War.

In 1814, Cavendish-Bentinck was appointed Lieutenant Colonel commanding the 1st Foot Guards, a position he held until 1821. He was promoted to Major-General in 1819 and also served as Captain-Commandant of the Mansfield Troop of Volunteer Cavalry that same year. His final military appointment was as Colonel of the 58th Foot, a ceremonial role.

In his political career, Cavendish-Bentinck was encouraged by his cousin, Thomas Thynne, 2nd Marquess of Bath, to become a Member of Parliament (MP). Thynne's family controlled the pocket borough of Weobley in Herefordshire. Cavendish-Bentinck was elected unopposed to represent Weobley in 1816, succeeding William Bathurst. He was re-elected unopposed in 1818 and 1820. In 1824, he vacated this seat and was elected MP for Queenborough on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, a borough controlled by the Board of Ordnance, which was headed by the Duke of Wellington. He served as MP for Queenborough until 1826, when he was defeated in the general election.

There were considerations for Cavendish-Bentinck to return to politics through his wife's family connections, notably William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, but his health declined, and he did not pursue further political office. He was known to have been a Tory voter but rarely participated in parliamentary debates, with no records of speeches or contributions in Hansard.

He married Lady Mary Lowther, daughter of William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, on 16 September 1820. They had one son, George Cavendish-Bentinck, born on 9 July 1821. In 1826, Cavendish-Bentinck became ill with a rectal fissure and traveled to Italy seeking recovery. He died in Rome on 10 February 1828.