Histories
At the edge of the Peak District, in the heart of Derbyshire, stands Chatsworth House. The home has been in the Cavendish family for nearly 500 years! Originally, Chatsworth comes from a Norse family called Chetel. Howerver, in 1549, the lands were sold to William Cavendish, Treasurer of the King's Chamber and his wife Bess Hardwick of Hardwick Hall.
The house has seen much history as the Cavendish status grew into Earldom and eventually Dukedom, the current occupier being the 12th Duke of Devonshire. Mary Queen of Scots was both guest and prisoner at Chatsworth. Queen Mary and Bess Hardwick were both skilled at needlework and worked together on what is now called the Oxburgh Hangings (can be seen at Oxburgh Hall).
The 5th Duke, William Cavendish, married Georgiana Spenser (a distant relation to Princess Diana). Georgiana was known for her beauty and fashion, as well as her gambling and alcohol addictions. It was no secret she entered a loveless marriage at the age of 17 in which the Duke took many mistresses, even fathering a daughter before his marriage to Georgiana. Georgiana raised the child as well as her own she had with the Duke, 2 girls and eventually a male heir. The 5th Duke and Duchess are renowned for their menage a trois and odd relationship which included Lady Elizabeth Foster who was both lover to the Duke and best friend to Georgiana. The Duke, Duchess, and Lady Foster all lived together. While it wasn't rare for men to take a mistress (or more) it was to have the mistress living in the same home. Georgiana eventually took a lover, Charles Grey, and had 2 more children. During this time, she was exiled to France. She gave up Charles Grey to return home to her children. She died in 1806. She left a lasting impression, not just in society, but also the Whig party of which she was a major influence which was highly unusual for a woman.
Continuing with scandal and public spotlight, Chatsworth also witnessed the tragedy of that belonging to President JFK's sister Kathleen 'Kick' and William 'Billy' Cavendish. Kick was the only rebel of the Kennedy family, an very devout Irish-Catholic family, and when she announced her intention to marry Billy Cavendish, a Protestant, much scandal surrounded the couple. Her family finally gave their consent in 1944, however, by the end of the year Kick was widowed as Billy was killed in Belgium during WWII. Kick was devastated. 4 years later, Kick herself died in a plane crash headed to France with lover Peter Fitzwilliam, also a Protestant, married, and known womanizer. Today, many do not know about Kick when thinking about the Kennedy's. It would seem that she has been silently erased from the family history.
The House
The house itself has seen changes, but not so much that it changed the integrity of the home. Throughout the years, the Cavendish families have added to the art and garden of the home, but none so much as the 6th Duke (also known as the Bachelor Duke). He was an avid traveller, collector of art and sculptures, and books. He was also an avid gardener. He spent 47 years re-purposing the house and gardens, converting various rooms to guest rooms for the likes of those such as Queen Victoria and Charles Dickens, and expanding the gardens.
Today, the house is owned by the Chatsworth House Trust (the current Duke and Duchess actually pay rent to continue to live there). Not all of the home is open to visitors, to allow the Cavendish family their privacy while visitors are on the property. The house is adorned with art, sculptures, and so much history! The Painted Hall is probably the most beautiful in that the ceiling is one massive painted artwork. However, I am always partial to the library, and Chatsworth's does not disappoint! No wonder Jane Austen may or may not have based Pemberly on Chatsworth!
For fans of Jane Austen, Chatsworth House is featured in the Kiera Knightly version of Pride and Prejudice. There's also a large bust of Mr. Darcy (Matthew McFadyen), fan girl out!
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