Skip to the content

The Dowager Duchess of Devonshire

Deborah Vivien Cavendish, the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, DCVO (31st March 1920 - 24th September 2014) was born at Asthall Manor, Oxfordshire. In 1950 her husband, Andrew, the 11th Duke of Devonshire, inherited estates in Yorkshire and Ireland, as well as Chatsworth, the family seat in Derbyshire. The Duchess was the main public face of Chatsworth for many decades, she wrote several books about Chatsworth, and played a key role in the restoration of the house, the enhancement of the garden and the development of commercial activities such as Chatsworth Farm Shop. These works include Counting My Chickens and Other Home ThoughtsAll In One Basket, In Tearing Haste and Home To Roost. In 1999 she was appointed a Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (DCVO) by Queen Elizabeth II, for her service to the Royal Collection Trust. She became the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire in 2004 when her son inherited the dukedom upon the death of her husband. She had three children, the 12th Duke, Lady Sophia Topley and Lady Emma Cavendish.

The Dowager Duchess of Devonshire Titles