Deborah mitford duchess of devonshire biography

English aristocrat, writer, memoirist, and socialite (–)

Deborah Vivien Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, DCVO (born Deborah Vivien Freeman-Mitford and latterly Deborah, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire; 31 March – 24 September ), was an English aristocrat, writer, memoirist, and socialite. She was the youngest and last surviving of the six Mitford sisters, who were prominent members of British society in the s and s.

Life

Known to her family as "Debo", Deborah Vivien Freeman-Mitford was born in Kensington, London, on 31 March Her parents were David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale (–), son of Bertram Freeman-Mitford, 1st Baron Redesdale, and his wife, Sydney (–), daughter of Thomas Gibson Bowles, MP. She married Lord Andrew Cavendish, younger son of the 10th Duke of Devonshire, in When Cavendish's older brother, William, Marquess of Hartington, was killed in action in , Cavendish became heir to the dukedom and began to use the courtesy title Marquess of Hartington. In , on the death of his father, the Marquess of Hartington became the 11th Duke of Devonshire.

Cavendish was the main public face of Chatsworth for many decades. She wrote several books about Chatsworth, and played a key role in the restoration of the house, the enhancement of the garden and the development of commercial activities such as Chatsworth Farm Shop (which is on a quite different scale from most farm shops,

Youngest of the famous Mitford sisters, the Hon. Deborah Mitford married Lord Andrew Cavendish in in the bomb-damaged Priory Church of St Bartholomew-the-Great in Smithfield, London.

Her husband’s elder brother was killed in action in , and when his father died unexpectedly in , the course of his life – and that of his wife – was dramatically changed on his inheritance of the dukedom. 

Having lived in Edensor House for twelve years, in Duchess Deborah and her husband moved into Chatsworth, which had been opened to the public for the first time after the War in

The Duchess oversaw the redecoration of Chatsworth and the rearrangement of its contents, imprinting her character on a house which had become neglected during the War years when it was home to a girls’ school evacuated from North Wales.

She became extremely knowledgeable about the house’s history and her changes were always made in awareness of what had been before. Her book The House: A Portrait of Chatsworth responds to and complements earlier handbooks of the house written by the 6th Duke of Devonshire, and Duchess Evelyn, and it is rich with anecdotes about previous generations. 

The Duchess was also a writer and in published Counting My Chickens… and other home thoughts, a collection of far ranging observations on life at Chatsworth including her love of poultry, gardening, the Turner Prize and breeding cattle.

The Duchess also published a tribute to her husband the 11th Duke after his death in entitled Memories of Andrew Devonshire. Other publications included In Tearing Haste: Letters between Deborah Devonshire and Patrick Leigh Fermor, Home to Roost and Other Peckings and Wait for Me! Memoirs of the Youngest Mitford Sister.

She was also a contributor to The Spectator and The Daily Telegraph. Her last book, All in One Basket, was published in

The Duchess was an astute businesswoman, and played a significant part in making Ch

Last month saw the sad news of the death of the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, who has personal heroine of mine since I began to read the novels of her sister Nancy Mitford at school. As I learnt more about anecdotes and antics of her family, I developed a real soft spot for their youngest daughter, Deborah. I thought a short piece on her life might be interesting. Variously known in society as &#;Debo&#;, as the saviour of Chatsworth House, and as an all round &#;good egg&#;, Debo was a national treasure; and shall be remembered warmly in the hearts of many.

Our heroine was born the Hon. Deborah Freeman-Mitford. She was the youngest of the famous Mitford sisters, who became stars of the literary and political social scene in pre and post war London. Daughter to the 2nd Baron Redesdale, the ever growing Mitford family grew up in the Oxfordshire countryside, They enjoyed a rough and tumble kind of life, surrounded by numerous ponies, dogs and chickens. With six older sisters and one brother, Debo was reminded at every opportunity that the Mitford&#;s would have loved another son. None of the sisters were educated beyond reading, writing and learning to hunt, but luckily they all ended up highly proficient in all three disciplines. Always happiest out of doors, Debo adored all animals. The younger children concocted many secret languages, stories, family jokes and nicknames with which to entertain themselves. Their unique humour and sharp wit made them a hit with friends and peers alike.  Debo was routinely terrorised by her older siblings, especially by the acid tongue of the eldest Nancy; who was soon to become a successful novelist. Nancy (pictured below) had a wickedly sharp humour, and was idolised by Debo.

The family already knew the Churchills, the Kennedys and Evelyn Waugh. As Debo&#;s older siblings, Nancy, Pamela, Thomas, Diana, Unity, and Jessica (known as Decca) grew older and began to socialise in &#;