Lot Essay
George Augustus Henry Cavendish, 1st Earl of Burlington (1754-1834), known as Lord George Cavendish before 1831 when he was created Earl of Burlington of the second creation, the title having become extinct on the death of his maternal grandfather, known as the Architect Earl in 1753. Cavendish served in Parliament from 1775, sitting variously from Knaresborough, from 1775 to 1780; Derby from 1780 to 1797 and Derbyshire from 1797 to 1831 when he was raised to the peerage.
He married, in London on 27 February 1782, Lady Elizabeth Compton, daughter and heiress of Charles Compton, 7th Earl of Northampton. The couple together had eleven children, though only six survived to adulthood.
Perhaps his greatest legacy is Burlington Arcade, which he had built 'for the sale of jewellery and fancy articles of fashionable demand, for the gratification of the public' on property which had formerly been a garden next to Burlington House which Lord George had inherited. It is thought that he ordered it built to stop people from throwing rubbish over the wall of his house. Opening in 1819, Burlington Arcade was designed by the architect Samuel Ware and comprised a top light walkway with two story units on either side.
He married, in London on 27 February 1782, Lady Elizabeth Compton, daughter and heiress of Charles Compton, 7th Earl of Northampton. The couple together had eleven children, though only six survived to adulthood.
Perhaps his greatest legacy is Burlington Arcade, which he had built 'for the sale of jewellery and fancy articles of fashionable demand, for the gratification of the public' on property which had formerly been a garden next to Burlington House which Lord George had inherited. It is thought that he ordered it built to stop people from throwing rubbish over the wall of his house. Opening in 1819, Burlington Arcade was designed by the architect Samuel Ware and comprised a top light walkway with two story units on either side.