William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle

His Grace The Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne KG KB PC
Portrait by William Larkin, c. 1610
Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire
In office 1660–1676
Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire
In office 1628–1638
MP for East Retford
In office 1614–1620
Personal details
Born	c. 16 December 1593 Handsworth, South Yorkshire, England
Died	25 December 1676(1676-12-25) (aged 83) Welbeck, Nottinghamshire, England
Resting place	Westminster Abbey
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Howard (1599–1643) Margaret Lucas (1623–1673)
Relations	William, Earl of Devonshire (1590–1628) Sir Charles Cavendish (1594–1654)
Children	Jane (1621–1669) Charles (1626–1659) Elizabeth (1626–1663) Henry, 2nd Duke of Newcastle (1630–1691) Frances
Parent(s)	Sir Charles and Lady Catherine Cavendish
Alma mater	St John's College, Cambridge
Occupation	Courtier, arts patron, soldier
Military service
Allegiance	Royalists
Years of service	1642—1644
Commands	Royalist commander for the North
Battles/wars	First English Civil War Battle of Adwalton Moor Siege of Hull Battle of Marston Moor

William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne, KG, KB, PC (c. 16 December 1593 – 25 December 1676), who after 1665 styled himself as Prince William Cavendish, was an English courtier and supporter of the arts. He was a renowned horse breeder, as well as being patron of the playwright Ben Jonson and the intellectual group known as the Welbeck Circle.

Despite spending the then enormous sum of £15,000 entertaining Charles I in 1634, he failed to gain a significant political post. In the early stages of the First English Civil War, he was appointed Royalist Captain-General in Northern England; he financed much of the war effort himself, later claiming this totalled in excess of £1,000,000. After the defeat at Marston Moor in July 1644, a battle fought against his advice, he went into exile in Europe.

He returned to England after the Stuart Restoration in 1660, and although created Duke of Newcastle in 1665, he remained on the fringes of the court and became critical of Charles II. He died in 1676 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.^[1]