Lord William George Frederick Cavendish Bentinck - Cavendish Square, London, UK
N 51° 30.976 W 000° 08.706
30U E 698077 N 5711102
This larger than life-size bronze statue is located within the garden in the centre of Cavendish Square. The statue is in the southern part of the garden.
Waymark Code: WMJDHN
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 11/04/2013
Views: 3
The statue is on a granite plinth that has the inscription:
William
George Frederick
Cavendish Bentinck
Born MDCCCII
Died MDCCCXLVIII
The statue, by T Campbell, is dated 1851.
The
Nottingham University website tells us:
The second surviving son of the 4th Duke of Portland,
Lord George's early life was dominated by sporting and military pursuits.
As a member of the 9th Lancers, he became embroiled in a dispute with his
superior officer, Captain Ker, which led to an infamous duel between the two
men in Paris in May 1821. Though both men turned up for their 'meeting' in
the Bois de Boulogne, their duel was prevented by the intervention of Lord
George's uncle, George Canning.
Through Canning's influence, Lord George became involved in politics, being
elected as M.P. for King's Lynn in 1828.
Lord George had a short, but extremely influential political career,
becoming leader of the Protectionist cause in the House of Commons in 1846.
He vehemently opposed the repeal of the Corn Laws, and was chiefly
responsible for bringing about the fall of Peel and causing the permanent
division of Peel's party.
Perhaps the primary interest in Lord George Bentinck's life, however, was
horseracing. He carried on breeding, training and racing operations on an
almost unparalleled scale and virtually controlled Goodwood. He was
responsible for many of the reforms which helped horseracing become a more
regulated sport.