Duke of Devonshire; opened estate to tourists

LONDON -- The 11th Duke of Devonshire, whose vast Chatsworth estate has one of the finest and most-visited houses in Britain, died late Monday at his estate. He was 84.

The duke, known as an easygoing man, opened Chatsworth to the public in the 1950s and, with his wife, Deborah, made it a thriving business, attracting a half-million visitors a year to its art collections and acres of parkland. The house, largely built at the end of the 17th century, is surrounded by 35,000 acres of estate land in a national park in Derbyshire county, central England.

In addition to Chatsworth, the family property includes Lismore Castle in Ireland; Bolton Abbey in North Yorkshire, England; two hotels and one of the finest private art collections in the country.

Andrew Robert Buxton Cavendish was born Jan. 2, 1920, and educated at Eton and at Cambridge University. In 1941, he married Deborah, one of the famously unconventional Mitford sisters -- who included writers Nancy and Jessica Mitford and Lady Diana Mosley.

Lord Andrew's elder brother, William, was killed in action during World War II. So when their father, the 10th duke, died in 1950, Andrew became the 11th duke.

With the estate, where the Cavendish family had lived for four centuries, came an estate-tax bill for $19.6 million. The new duke and duchess survived the financial crisis by selling family treasures and opening Chatsworth to tourists.

The duke was known for charitable work, and for his self-effacing manner.

He served in the army throughout World War II and won a Military Cross for distinguished service in battle. Yet he told a newspaper last year that he had won his medal for "being cheerful." Once asked by his estate workers when he planned to retire, he answered, "I've never worked a day in my life, so how can I retire?"