Birthday profile

Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire

Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, British aristocrat, socialite and author (died 2014)

Born
March 31, 1920
Died
September 24, 2014
Zodiac sign
Aries
Birth year
1920

About Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire

Deborah Vivien Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (née Freeman-Mitford; 31 March 1920 – 24 September 2014), 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 1930s and 1940s. == Early life == Known to her family as "Debo", Deborah Vivien Freeman-Mitford was born in Kensington, London, on 31 March 1920. Her parents were David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale (1878–1958), son of Bertram Freeman-Mitford, 1st Baron Redesdale, and his wife, Sydney (1880–1963), daughter of Thomas Gibson Bowles, MP. Deborah was the youngest of the six Mitford sisters, namely Nancy (born 1904), Pamela (1907), Diana (1910), Unity (1914), Jessica (1917) and Deborah herself (1920). There was one brother, Tom (born 1909), who was killed in action in 1945. Deborah was a contented, loving and cheerful child who, unlike her politically active sisters, was happy to accept life as she found it, and never felt the need to right the world's injustices. In a later memoir, she wrote "as everything in life is unfair, perhaps the sooner it is realised the better". == Marriage == In 1941 Deborah married Lord Andrew Cavendish, younger son of the 10th Duke of Devonshire in the Priory Church of St Bartholomew-the-Great, Smithfield, London. When Cavendish's older brother, William, Marquess of Hartington, was killed in action in 1944, Cavendish became heir to the dukedom and began to use the courtesy title Marquess of Hartington. In 1950, on the death of his father, Deborah's husband became the 11th Duke of Devonshire.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire timeline

  1. Deborah was the youngest of the six Mitford sisters, namely Nancy (born 1904), Pamela (1907), Diana (1910), Unity (1914), Jessica (1917) and Deborah herself (1920).
  2. In 1950, on the death of his father, Deborah's husband became the 11th Duke of Devonshire.
  3. Upon the death of her husband in 2004, her son Peregrine Cavendish became the 12th Duke of Devonshire.

The world when Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire was born

Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire was born in 1920. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1920

  • #1 song"Swanee" – Al Jolson
  • Top movieThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
  • Best-selling bookThe Age of Innocence – Edith Wharton

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentBabe Ruth sold to the New York Yankees
  • Top headlineWomen win the right to vote with the 19th Amendment
  • Technology milestoneFirst commercial radio broadcasts
  • Defining fadFlappers and the Jazz Age
  • Notable inventionBand-Aid adhesive bandages
  • World population1.86 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderWoodrow Wilson
  • Sports championCleveland Indians (World Series)
  • U.S. population106.0M

1920 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19202026
Gas$0.30$3.45/gal
Average home$6,296$435,000
Average income$3,269$67,500
Movie ticket$0.15$11.95
Postage stamp$0.02$0.73
Population106.0M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Library of Congress, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.