William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire (ca.
1720 -
1764), was a
statesman and titular
prime minister of
Great Britain. He was
First Lord of the Treasury from
1756 to
1757, in an administration effectively run by
William Pitt the Elder. He married Lady Charlotte Boyle (
1731 -
1754), the daughter and heiress of
Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th
Earl of Cork, a famous
architect and
art collector. Through her, the Devonshires inherited
Chiswick House, London;
Burlington House[?];
Bolton Abbey;
Londesborough Hall[?], Yorkshire;
Lismore Castle,
County Waterford,
Ireland.
