William George Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire
William George Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire (
1790 -
1858), was known as the "Bachelor Duke". In
1811, at the age of 21, he inherited eight stately homes and 200,000 acres of land. He went on to improve his houses and gardens (including the rebuilding of the village of Edensor) and traveled extensively. He was
Lord Chamberlain to King
William IV and a close friend of Czar
Nicholas I of Russia. Among his friends were also
Antonio Canova,
Charles Dickens, and his head gardener, Sir
Joseph Paxton.