[2] In 1547 he married Bess of Hardwick, and the couple began the construction of Chatsworth House in 1552, a project which would not be completed until after his death.

His second son William Cavendish (1552–1626) became the first Earl of Devonshire, purchasing his title from the impecunious King James I.

He was the younger son of Thomas Cavendish (1472–1524), who was a senior financial official, the Clerk of the Pipe,[further explanation needed] in the Court of Exchequer, and his wife, Alice Smith of Padbrook Hall.

[1][3] He was connected to the Seymour brothers Edward and Thomas, and via them to the family of Jane Grey, but he also took care to send tokens of goodwill to the Lady Mary.

Although for centuries Sir William was said to be its author, historians now attribute it to his older brother George Cavendish (1494–1562).