| Content Description | The Cumberland estates were amongst those granted to the 1st Earl of Portland by King William III. The precise nature and extent of what had been granted formed the basis of the dispute with the Lowther family, ancient grandees in Cumberland and Westmorland, which also had political overtones (see Pl E5/5 below).
As with other 'paternal' estates, property in Cumberland was sold off under the 1777 trust; many properties went piecemeal, but the 3rd Duke of Portland's brother-in-law, the 5th Duke of Devonshire (owner of large estates in Furness and Craven) bought the bulk in 1787. A small property was retained and administered by the same agent as the Northumberland properties. The 3rd Duke of Portland's brother, Lord Edward Bentinck, also had a small property in Cumberland, acquired in connection with the 1768 Cumberland election. This too was sold to the Dukes of Devonshire.
See Portland (London) Correspondence, especially Pl C 29, Pl C 33, Pl C 34, and Pl C 42, for correspondence relating to this estate and the election and 'forest' law suits. |