The Arms of William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, the 3rd Duke of Portland
The armorial bearings as engraved upon this George III English Sterling Silver Beaker
by W.S. hallmarked London 1766
are those of William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, the 3rd Duke of Portland. They may be blazoned as follows:
Arms:
Quarterly 1st and 4th Azure a cross moline argent (for Bentinck)
2nd Gules fretty or a canton ermine (for Noel)
3rd Azure a cross or between four falcons close argent (for Wriothesley)
The arms are ensigned with a duke's coronet, the whole resting upon a robe of estate.
This beaker was at one time part of a suite of beaker as is indicated the inscribed 'No 4' upon its base.
Given that it is my belief that the engraving of the arms is contemporaneous with the beaker
it was undoubtedly in the possession of His Grace William Henry Cavendish Bentinck,1
the 3rd Duke of Portland (born 14th April 1738 died 30th October 1809).
William was the eldest son of William Bentinck, the 2nd Duke of Portland
and his wife, Lady Margaret Cavendish Harley.2
He married Lady Dorothy Cavendish (died 3rd June 1794),
the only daughter of William Cavendish, the 3rd Duke of Devonshire and his wife,
Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle, Baroness Clifford.3
William was a noted statesman during the reign of King George III,
having served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (April to August 1782)4
and served two terms as Prime Minister of Great Britain (1783) and of the United Kingdom (1807 – 09).
Prior to entering the House of Lords upon the succession as the 3rd Duke upon the death of his father in 1762,
he was elected as one of the two Members of Parliament for Weobley the previous year.
William also held the office of Chancellor of the University of Oxford (1792 – 1809).
He was appointed a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter on the 16th July 1794.
As a genealogical aside, Queen Elizabeth II, of the United Kingdom is the great,
great, great granddaughter of William.
_______________________________________
1 The Duke assumed for himself and his issue the prefix surname and arms
of Cavendish by Royal License dated the 5th October 1801.
2 Lady Margaret was only daughter and heiress of Edward Harley, the 2nd Earl of Oxford.
3 Lady Charlotte held this barony in her own right. The Barony of Clifford (of the 1628 creation) was a
barony by writ within the Peerage of England.
4 During the second administration of Charles Watson-Wentworth, the 2nd Marquess of Rockingham
Heraldry Courtesy of John Tunesi of Liongam
MSc, FSA Scot, Hon FHS, QG
|
