Biography of William John Arthur Charles James Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland (1857-1943)
- [Hans] William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland (1649-1709)
- [William] Henry Bentinck, 1st Duke of Portland (1682-1726)
- William Bentinck, 1st Count Bentinck (1704-1774)
- Charlotte Sophie, Countess Bentinck, née Countess of Aldenburg (1715-1800)
- William Bentinck, 2nd Duke of Portland (1709-1762)
- Margaret Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland (1715-1785)
- John Albert Bentinck (1737-1775; naval captain and M.P.)
- William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland (1738-1809)
- William Bentinck (1764-1813; Vice-Admiral)
- William Henry Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland (1768-1854)
- Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck (1774-1839; M.P. and Governor General of India)
- William John Cavendish-Bentinck-Scott, 5th Duke of Portland (1800-1879)
- Lord [William] George Frederic Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck (1802-1848)
- Lord [William] Henry Cavendish-Bentinck (1804-1870)
- William John Arthur Charles James Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland (1857-1943)
- Winifred Anna Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland (1863-1954)
- William Arthur Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of Portland (1893-1977)
- Ferdinand William Cavendish-Bentinck, 8th Duke of Portland (1888-1980)
- Victor Frederick William Cavendish-Bentinck, 9th Duke of Portland (1897-1990)
- Henry Noel Bentinck, 11th Earl of Portland (1919-1997)
- Timothy Charles Robert Noel Bentinck, 12th Earl of Portland (b 1953)
William was the grandson of Lord [William] Charles Augustus Cavendish-Bentinck, and a great-grandson of the 3rd Duke of Portland. He succeeded to the title when his cousin the 5th Duke of Portland died without heirs in 1879. Educated at Eton, he embarked initially on a military career, serving in, amongst other regiments, the Coldstream Guards.
The 6th Duke held a number of honours, including Chairman of the First Royal Commission on Horsebreeding, President of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, and Lord Lieutenant of both Caithness and Nottinghamshire. He was also Provincial Grand Master of the Freemasons for Nottinghamshire, as well as being Chancellor of the Order of the Garter, a trustee of the British Museum and Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of St John of Jerusalem.
Like many members of his family, he was involved in horseracing and his horses won the Derby in both 1888 and 1889.
An engraved portrait of the duke is available on the National Portrait Gallery website.
Family
In 1889 he married Winifred Anna Dallas-Yorke (1863-1954), daughter of Thomas Dallas-Yorke and had:
- William Arthur Henry (1893-1977), later 7th Duke of Portland
- Francis Morven Dallas (d 1950) died unmarried
- Victoria Alexandrina Violet (b 1890) m Captain Michael J.E. Wemyss in 1918
Archive Collections
Published Works by the 6th Duke of Portland
- Bentinck, William J.A.C. Cavendish-, 6th Duke of Portland, Fifty years and more of sport in Scotland : deerstalking, salmon fishing, grouse shooting and other pleasant memories, 1800-1932 (London, 1933)
- Bentinck, William J.A.C. Cavendish-, 6th Duke of Portland, Memories of Racing and Hunting (London, 1935) [King’s Meadow Campus Oversize Not 468.V38 BEN]
- Bentinck, William J.A.C. Cavendish-, 6th Duke of Portland, The Red Deer of Langwell and Braemore, 1880-1934 (London, 1935)
- Bentinck, William J.A.C. Cavendish-, 6th Duke of Portland, Men, Women and Things (London, 1937) [King’s Meadow Campus Oversize Not 468.V38 BEN]