Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire

The Duchess of Devonshire
Photograph of the Duchess of Devonshire from the Library of Congress
Mistress of the Robes to
Queen Mary
In office
1910–1916
MonarchMary of Teck
Preceded byNone
Succeeded byThe Duchess of Sutherland
In office
1921–1953
MonarchMary of Teck
Preceded byThe Duchess of Sutherland
Succeeded byNone
Personal details
Born
Evelyn Emily Mary Fitzmaurice

(1870-08-27)27 August 1870
Died2 April 1960(1960-04-02) (aged 89)
NationalityBritish
Spouse
(m. 1892; died 1938)
Children
Parents
Portrait of Lady Evelyn Cavendish, John Singer Sargent (1902)

Evelyn Emily Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, DStJ, GCVO, JP (née Fitzmaurice; 27 August 1870 – 2 April 1960), was the wife of Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire. She was the elder daughter of politician and diplomat Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, and grew up amidst public life. Evelyn's marriage to Cavendish, nephew and heir presumptive of Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire, led to her becoming Duchess of Devonshire in 1908. With her position, she oversaw the reorganisation of the Devonshire estates and presided over four English houses and one Irish castle.

Evelyn held the position of Mistress of the Robes to Queen Mary from 1910 until 1916, when she accompanied her husband upon his appointment as Governor General of Canada. The Duchess held the position Viceregal Consort until the Duke's term ended in 1921. Upon returning to England, the Duchess again was appointed Mistress of the Robes to Queen Mary, holding the position until the latter's death in 1953. The Dowager Duchess, widowed since 1938, spent her final years living at Hardwick Hall, which was made over to HM Treasury in 1956, in part payment of death duties.