Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire


Mary Alice Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, was a British courtier who served as Mistress of the Robes to Queen Elizabeth II from 1953 to 1967. She was the granddaughter of Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury.

Early life

She was born the Honourable Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil in Hatfield, Hertfordshire on 29 July 1895. She was the second daughter of James Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne, and Lady Cicely Alice Gore, who served as Extra Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Alexandra. Her maternal grandparents were Arthur Gore, 5th Earl of Arran and Lady Edith Jocelyn. Her paternal grandparents were Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury and the former Georgiana Alderson.
In 1903, her father succeeded as the Marquess of Salisbury and she was styled Lady Mary Gascoyne-Cecil. Her older brother, Robert became the 5th Marquess of Salisbury upon their father's death in 1947. Her younger brother, Lord David Cecil, was a prominent biographer, historian and academic.

Career

She was Mistress of the Robes to Elizabeth II from 1953 to 1967 and Chancellor of the University of Exeter from 1955 to 1972. She was awarded Hon. LLD in 1956.
She was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1946 and a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in 1955.

Personal life

On 21 April 1917, Lady Mary was married to Edward Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington. Edward was the eldest son of Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire and his wife, Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. In 1938, he succeeded his father as the 10th Duke of Devonshire. They had five children:
On 26 November 1950, her husband Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire, had a heart attack and died at Compton Place while being attended by John Bodkin Adams, the suspected serial killer. In the process of transferring his assets to his son, the death of the Duke fell 10 weeks prior to a required 5-year period, and his estate was subjected to taxes of 80%.
The Duchess died in Westminster, London, aged 93.