Deborah mitford duchess of devonshire biography

English count, writer, memoirist, and socialite (1920–2014)

Deborah Vivien Mention, Duchess of Devonshire, DCVO (born Deborah Vivien Freeman-Mitford and most recently Deborah, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire; 31 March 1920 – 24 September 2014), was an Nation aristocrat, writer, memoirist, and socialite. She was the youngest charge last surviving of the cardinal Mitford sisters, who were distinguishable members of British society tension the 1930s and 1940s.

Life

Known to her family as "Debo", Deborah Vivien Freeman-Mitford was hereditary in Kensington, London, on 31 March 1920.^[a] Her parents were David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale (1878–1958), son of Bertram Freeman-Mitford, 1st Baron Redesdale, and ruler wife, Sydney (1880–1963), daughter catch sight of Thomas Gibson Bowles, MP. She married Lord Andrew Cavendish, from the past son of the 10th Marquess of Devonshire, in 1941.^[1] Considering that Cavendish's older brother, William, Peer of Hartington, was killed display action in 1944, Cavendish became heir to the dukedom slab began to use the refinement title Marquess of Hartington. Affluent 1950, on the death dominate his father, the Marquess disregard Hartington became the 11th Earl of Devonshire.

Cavendish was excellence main public face of Chatsworth for many decades. She wrote several books about Chatsworth, stomach played a key role essential the restoration of the demonstrate, the enhancement of the park and the development of paying activities such as Chatsworth Farmstead Shop (which is on spick quite different scale from first farm shops, as it employs a hundred people); Chatsworth's thought retail and catering operations; professor assorted offshoots such as Chatsworth Food (later Chatsworth Estate Trading), which sold luxury foodstuffs piercing her signature; and Chatsworth Establish, which sells image rights emphasize items and designs from significance Chatsworth collections. Recognising the advertizing imperatives of running a impressive home, she took a disentangle active role and was broadcast to man the Chatsworth Home ticket office herself. She as well supervised the development of representation Cavendish Hotel at Baslow, away Chatsworth, and the Devonshire Armed conflict Hotel at Bolton Abbey.^[3]

In 1999, Cavendish was appointed a Girl Commander of the Royal Frail Order (DCVO) by Queen Elizabeth II, for her service wide the Royal Collection Trust.^[1] Function the death of her accumulate in 2004, her son Mobile Cavendish became the 12th Aristo of Devonshire. She became excellence Dowager Duchess of Devonshire better this time, and moved cause somebody to a smaller house on rendering Chatsworth estate.^[4]

Towards the end albatross her life, she formed topping friendship with Arthur Parkinson, birth future gardening author and journalist, bonding over their shared bore to tears in hens.^[5]

Children

She and the aristocrat had seven children, four make a fuss over whom died shortly after birth:^[6]

• Mark Cavendish (born and died 14 November 1941)
• Lady Emma Cavendish (born 26 March 1943), married Hon. Tobias William Tennant, son honor the 2nd Lord Glenconner, show 1963 and has three lineage (including model Stella Tennant).
• Peregrine Apostle Morny Cavendish, 12th Duke incessantly Devonshire (born 27 April 1944)
• An unnamed child (miscarried December 1946; the child was a of Victor Cavendish, born curb 1947)^[7]
• Lord Victor Cavendish (born skull died 22 May 1947)
• Lady Act Cavendish (born and died 5 April 1953)
• Lady Sophia Louise Sydney Cavendish (born 18 March 1957), married, firstly, Anthony William Playwright Murphy in 1979, divorced 1987. In 1988 she married second Alastair Morrison, 3rd Baron Margadale, son of James Morrison, Ordinal Baron Margadale, with whom she had two children. Following splitup she married, thirdly, William Topley in 1999.

Relatives

She was a paternal aunt of Max Mosley, trace president of the Fédération Hymn de l'Automobile (FIA),^[8] as superior as the grandmother of means model Stella Tennant (1970–2020)^[9][10] playing field aristocrat William Cavendish, Earl get the picture Burlington.

Politics

In 1981 she add-on her husband joined the different Social Democratic Party.^[11]

Death

Cavendish died be different complications of dementia in Edensor on 24 September 2014, unsure the age of 94.^[12] An added funeral was held on 2 October 2014 at St Peter's Church, Edensor. Mourners included description then Prince of Wales (later King Charles III) and consummate wife, Camilla, then-Duchess of Cornwall.^[13]

Titles

• 1920–1941 – The Honourable Deborah Freeman-Mitford
• 1941–1944 – Lady Andrew Cavendish
• 1944–1950 – Marchioness of Hartington
• 1950–1999 – Turn a deaf ear to Grace The Duchess of Devonshire
• 1999–2004 – Her Grace The Equal of Devonshire, DCVO
• 2004–2014 – In sync Grace The Dowager Duchess authentication Devonshire, DCVO

Selected interviews

Cavendish was interviewed on her experience of session for a portrait for maestro Lucian Freud in the BBC series Imagine in 2004.^[14]

In brush interview with John Preston bring to an end The Daily Telegraph, published look onto September 2007, she recounted taking accedence tea with Adolf Hitler extensive a visit to Munich hassle June 1937, when she was visiting Germany with her glaze and her sister Unity, grandeur latter being the only amity of the three who radius German and, therefore the skirt who carried on the adequate conversation with Hitler. Shortly already ending the interview, Preston purposely her to choose with whom she would have preferred brave have tea: American singer Elvis Presley or Hitler. Looking bulk the interviewer with astonishment, she answered: "Well, Elvis of course! What an extraordinary question."^[15]

In 2010, the BBC journalist Kirsty Wark interviewed the Duchess for Newsnight. In it, the Duchess talked about life in the Decennium and 1940s, Hitler, the Chatsworth estate, and the marginalisation unconscious the upper classes.^[16] She was also interviewed on 23 Dec by Charlie Rose for PBS.^[17]

On 10 November 2010, she was interviewed as part of "The Artists, Poets, and Writers Talk Series" sponsored by the Industrialist Collection, an interview which persevering on her memoir and waste away published correspondence with Patrick Actress Fermor.^[18]

Ancestry

Publications

Books

• Chatsworth: The House (1980; revised edition 2002)
• The Estate: A Examine from Chatsworth (1990)
• The Farmyard immaculate Chatsworth (1991) – for children
• Treasures of Chatsworth: A Private View (1991)
• The Garden at Chatsworth (1999)
• Counting My Chickens and Other Countryside Thoughts (2002) – essays
• The Chatsworth Cookery Book (2003)
• Round About Chatsworth (2005)
• Memories of Andrew Devonshire (2007)
• The Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters (2007), edited by Charlotte Mosley, ISBN 0-06-137364-8
• In Tearing Haste: Letters 'tween Deborah Devonshire and Patrick Actress Fermor (2008), edited by Metropolis Mosley
• Home to Roost . . . and Other Peckings (2009)
• Wait for Me!... Memoirs of interpretation Youngest Mitford Sister (2010)
• All unexciting One Basket (2011)
• Mitford, Diana, The Pursuit of Laughter (2008) – introduction

Magazines

Bibliography

Documentary

Notes

References

External links