Sir Henry Cavendish, 2nd Baronet

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Sir Henry Cavendish, 2nd Baronet PC (29 September 1732-3 August 1804), was an Irish politician.

Cavendish was the son of Sir Henry Cavendish, 1st Baronet, and his wife Anne (née Pyne). This branch of the Cavendish family descended from Henry Cavendish, illegitimate son of Henry Cavendish of Tutbury Prior, eldest son of Sir William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick and elder brother of William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire (the ancestor of the Dukes of Devonshire). He sat in the Irish House of Commons for Lismore from 1766 to 1768, from 1776 to 1791 and from 1798 to 1800 and for Killibegs from 1791 to 1797 and served Vice-Treasurer of Ireland and as Receiver-General in Ireland. In 1779 he was admitted to the Irish Privy Council. Cavendish was also member of the British House of Commons for Lostwithiel between 1768 and 1774. He is chiefly remembered for the enormous amounts of notes he took of the debates in this session of Parliament using Gurney's system of shorthand. The 1768 to 1774 Parliament has otherwise been termed the unreported Parliament, making Cavendish's notes an important historical source. The notes, which include speeches by Edmund Burke, George Grenville, Lord North and Charles James Fox, are now stored in the British Museum.

Cavendish married Sarah, daughter of Richard Bradshaw, in 1757. In 1792 she was raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baroness Waterpark, in the County of Dublin, in honour of her husband. Cavendish died in August 1804, aged 71, and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son Richard. Lady Waterpark died in August 1807, aged 67.


Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by
James Edward Colleton
Viscount Beauchamp		 Member of Parliament for Lostwithiel
with Charles Brett
1768–1774		 Succeeded by
Charles Brett
Viscount Fairford
Baronetage of Great Britain
Preceded by
Henry Cavendish		 Baronet
(of Doveridge Hall)
1776–1804		 Succeeded by
Richard Cavendish

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