Cavalier: The Story Of A 17th Century Playboy

by Lucy Worsley

William Cavendish, courageous, cultured and passionate about women, embodies the popular image of a cavalier. Famously defeated at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, he went into a long and miserable continental exile before returning to England in triumph on the restoration of King Charles II to the throne in 1660.Lucy Worsley brings to life a fascinating household of the 17th century, painting a picture of conspiracy, sexual intrigue, clandestine marriage and gossip. From Ben Jonson and Van Dyck to a savage, knife-wielding master-cook, Cavalier is a brilliant illumination of the stately home in England and all its many colourful inhabitants.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, 17th Century, Stuart, British Literature, Civil War

545 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 6, 2007

About the author

I was born in Reading (not great, but it could have been Slough), studied Ancient and Modern History at New College, Oxford, and I've got a PhD in art history from the University of Sussex.

My first job after leaving college was at a crazy but wonderful historic house called Milton Manor in Oxfordshire. Here I would give guided tours, occasionally feed the llamas, and look for important pieces of paper that my boss Anthony had lost. Soon after that I moved to the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, in the lovely job for administrator of the Wind and Watermills Section. Here I helped to organise that celebrated media extravaganza, National Mills Day. I departed for English Heritage in 1997, first as an Assistant Inspector and then as an Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings; Bolsover Castle, Hardwick Old Hall, and Kirby Hall were my favourite properties there. In 2002 I made a brief excursion to Glasgow Museums before coming down to London as Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces in 2003. Yes, this is a brilliant job, but no, you can’t have it. (Bribes have been offered, and refused.)

You might also catch me presenting history films on the old goggle box, giving the talks on the cruise ship Queen Mary 2, or slurping cocktails.

***

Lucy Worsley, OBE (born 18 December 1973) is an English historian, author, curator, and television presenter.

Worsley is Joint Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces but is best known as a presenter of BBC Television series on historical topics, including Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency (2011), Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls (2012), The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain (2014), A Very British Romance (2015), Lucy Worsley: Mozart’s London Odyssey (2016), and Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016).

-From Wikipedia

Reviews

[Lauren Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is only superficially a biography (or family biography). Worsley, the chief curator of the Historic Royal Palaces, probably knows more about how lives were lived in these places than any one else. She uses the Cavendish family history, and particularly the life of William Cavendish, as a way of portraying how nobles, their courts and their servants lived. It can sometimes be dry as when we learn how bricks were made or when we get detailed tours of the houses as they are walked through by the reimagined tenants. She is nothing if not detail oriented. We learn about the art of "pinching" or napkin folding, about men's undergarments and path a servant takes through the castle while removing a chamber pot. None of this is necessarily a criticism--it can all be fascinating--but don't read it if your main interest is biography. While you do indeed get family history and a biography of William Cavendish, it seemed to me more a social history.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a couple of chapters to get into this book -- fifteen pages of the journey of a chamber pot didn't help -- but once I did get into the book, it was an interesting read.

Cavalier tells the story of the William Cavendish during an incredibly unsettling time of English history. His life spanned Queen Elizabeth I, King James I, King Charles I, Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell, and King Charles II; in other words, from Reformation to Civil War to Restoration. Cavalier picks out eight separate days in the life of William Cavendish and tells what happens with the the Cavendish household and the country and world at large during those eight days.


Actual rating: 3.5 stars, but I round up.

[Miranda Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very concise and interesting look at the life of William Cavendish, a 17th-century playboy. He lived during a period of turmoil, conspiracy and political and religious unrest. Lucy Worsley has created, here, a historical account which is both fiction and non fiction, like a dramatised documentary of life during the civil war. A great read.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little dubious about a history covering the life of a 17th century nobleman I'd never heard of (it's not even a historical era I find very interesting) but I've always enjoyed Lucy Worsley's works, so I figured I'd give it a try.

The topic actually ended up interesting me more than I thought it would. Worsley uses William Cavendish's long life over a period of great change to highlight how English society changed between 1613 and 1670. It also goes into how great households were run, the shifting hierarchies of servants, and all the details of daily life from the sorts of utensils used to how books were purchased (by a servant, while you waited in a carriage outside, and then you had to take the pages to a separate bookbinder).

The book is set up with each chapter being the story of a specific day or time in his life. Because there are jumps in time, this means that a certain amount of it is spent on how his life has changed since the last chapter. However, this also means that there are some things that I want more information on that we never get. For instance, in the first chapter a decent amount of time is spent on William's mother, a well-born and intelligent woman from a powerful family. However she's never mentioned again. I was wondering as I read what would happen to her after her husband died (which is the focus of the first chapter) - would she stay at Welbeck Abbey until her son married, or go to live somewhere else? But I have no idea. Her death is also not mentioned (unless you count in the family tree at the beginning).

The other formatting thing that's fairly unique to this book is that it is set up almost like a story. Worsley sets the scene by describing what people wore, how they felt, and what they were doing like she's telling a story. This mostly bothered me because I don't like having to figure out when I'm reading a nonfiction what part of it is historical fact and what part is embellishment. I can understand that when she describes people's clothing she's describing what a noble man or woman of the time might wear for that activity. But in further details it gets murky for me. When, for example, she describes William's activities the morning of a masque he put on for the king and queen, how much do we know actually happened and what is an educated guess? He was a prolific writer of his day to day life, so it's possible we know for sure that he spent the night at his second home and the exact route the king and queen toured the house. But it's also possible that we don't and she was just using that as a tool to explain the general idea of what happened that day. It's this uncertainty that bothers me. The one chapter we probably know the most about for sure is the battle he loses in the Civil War, which mostly covers the various troop movements. Unfortunately I find troop movements very boring and had to fight to get through that part. But I would rather read "this is what we know for sure about his life in Antwerp, and this is what we are able to deduce based on that" than a fictionalized account of a horseback riding exhibition he probably maybe gave on the date in question.

It's the reason I only gave this three stars. Like I said, the story of William Cavendish's life ended up being more interesting than I actually expected it to be. But I spent way too much time second guessing what I was reading because I didn't know how much to take at face-value, which isn't what I want in a history.

[Jonathan Hyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant read. Initially had no real knowledge of the 17th Century but was keen to read more by Dr. Worsley after reading her other great piece "Courtiers" concerning the court life of Georgian Britain, which I thoroughly enjoyed. However, upon finishing this book I really felt I had an all encompassing view of all aspects of life during this century, but cleverly conveyed through the life of William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle. The author's enthusiasm is apparent at all times and one really gets the impression that a dedicated amount of research was undertaken in order to draft this book (at times though I even felt it was too dense, but thats just my opinion). Ultimately though this was a great read, very informative and very enlightening for a complete novice in the realm of cavaliers and roundheads!

[Manda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too clinical, dry and fact regurgitative for my taste. There are a lot of random facts thrown in that could have probably been pared out, for example that a piece of glass stuck in the mortar in a floor would be found 300 years later by archaeologists working on the property. As someone with a degree in archaeology myself, I would normally find that fact interesting except that it just seemed irrelevant to the ongoing story. Little things like that were what kept this book from being as interesting to me as I thought it had seemed at first.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucy Worsley packs this lively biography of William Cavendish with delicious snippets of detail. She ranges from architectural wonders like the erotic fountain of Venus at Bolsover Castle to descriptions of elaborate feasts complete with cook's directions on how to fix any bird from a sparrow to a swan.
Along the way she gives you a well-rounded account of English history from Charles ! through the restoration. At the center of all this stands her hero, a pretty good poet, an enthusiastic builder, a moderately successful politician, an ace rider - well worth a read.

[Guy Cranswick]

This is unreadable for one reason: the book is largely written in the present tense, though a history and shifts, on occasions, to a standard past tense. This technique of writing in the 'now' is what silly historical TV documentaries do because the viewer is apparently unable to conceive of a time before their own lives. In a book published by Faber and by a recognized historian it is an unforgivable error of judgement.

[Samantha Morris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm usually a fan of Lucy's work but I found this book incredibly boring. Couldn't finish it.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

## Lucy Worsley

I'm usually not too keen on biographies. I normally don't care all that much about the intimate details of another person's life, but I like Lucy Worsley's style and thought I'd give this book a go. I'm glad I did. I like the Restoration/Cavalier period so it was easy to get sucked into this book. William Cavendish is such an interesting and unique character, especially for the time in which he lived. He often wrote short poems in his journal, some of which are borderline pornographic; was obsessed with horses, architecture, music, good food, fine wine, and women; but also comes across as a genuinely amiable guy, doffing his hat to strangers he passes on the street. He advises the young Charles II "Sometimes a Hat or smile in the right place will advantage you. Civility cannot unprince you, but much advantage you." He is a forward thinker and believes women of equal intelligence as men. If you met him, you'd probably instantly like him (unless you were a puritan).

William is a key figure leading troops into the battle of Marston Moor, but he sadly flees the lost battle for the mainland immediately after it's over. He will never shake the suspicions that he is a coward.

His second wife, Mary, was a bit odd for her time too. She wrote plays and poetry, did a bit of cross-dressing, and wore a little crown. She was proud of her bosom and would "trim them up ... by binding a gentle piece of Ribbon at the top of every one".

Unfortunately, it is their oddity that lead to their being generally disliked, certainly by the Roundheads, but also by the members of the restored court. However, that doesn't prevent William from eventually becoming the Duke of Newcastle, the highest rank in the peerage behind the king.

I was surprised to learn that hair washing was mostly an annual ritual. "The king's closet, also now known by the French name of 'cabinet', develops into something more than a room: it also becomes the name for his closest group of advisers." Forks become popular during this time, as does putting one's napkin in one's lap. Meals are more like modern ones, and "Clearing the table is called 'voiding' or 'deserting' it, hence the term 'dessert'."

One of my favorite quotes:

> William Prynne considers long hair (and in particular lovelocks) to be no less than sinful, unlawful, effeminate, vainglorious, evil, odious, immodest, indecent, lascivious, wanton, dissolute, incendiary, ruffianly, graceless, whorish, ungodly, horrid, strange, outlandish, impudent, pernicious, offensive, ridiculous, foolish, childish, unchristian, hateful, exorbitant, contemptible, slothful, unmanly, depraving, vain and unseemly.83 Yet William Cavendish will faithfully retain his long Cavalier hairstyle until his death.

Worsley's style voice is clear in the way she writes. If you've heard her speak you will hear her voice in your head when you read. She is an engaging writer, and she makes a 350 page book about an obscure gentlemen, a pleasure to read.

[Carla Hostetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worsley makes detailed nonfiction interesting by tracking the life of William Cavendish, the epitome of a British Cavalier, through the houses he builds or improves. Rather than follow his life year by year, we meet William at crucial points in his life: his father's death, before the battle of Marston Moor, after his return from exile. At one point, we follow his night soil woman through the house, examining each room she passes through to deposit her load in the bowels of her house. In another scene, the elaborate masque for King Charles reveals the layout of the palace. We even see William in exile after his disgrace in battle living in painter Reubens' former home with his second wife, Mad Madge. True the amount of detail can be wearing, but all in all, I enjoyed the innovative format and learning more about this period of history.

[Karen Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I read this wonderful book, Cavalier, by Lucy Worsley, I could hear her voice with all its lilting passion telling me the history of William Cavendish and his rise, downfall and rise again - the latter occurring along with the Restoration of Charles II. Poetic, often moving and with incredible detail about the social mores and hierarchy of the English aristocracy at the time (from old King James, his son Charles I, the Civil Wars and Cromwell, to Charles II), it's also a tale of sexual intrigue, gossip, and conspiracy. Recommended for lovers of history, architecture (there is a long chapter on the Cavendish home - a former abbey) and those who like beautifully written books. It's clear Worsley knows her subject so well and the detail leaps from the pages and is underpinned by meticulous footnoting and research. A terrific read.

[le chat gris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is NOT for everyone! Frankly, many will find it tedious with too much information presented and therefore boring. I would not call this "easy reading" and not many would just breeze through it--I certainly didn't. I think you have to have an appreciation of English history, 17th century culture, architecture, and ways of life. But I did enjoy reading the tale of Cavalier William Cavendish and actually learning a few things. It was certainly thorough--no one would deny that.
Husband and I have enjoyed Lucy Worsley's presentations on TV and YouTube and I thought I would give one of her books a go. Glad I did.

[Bettie]

to hunt down a good deal

[Alex Helling · Rating 3 out of 5]

The back cover of Cavalier by Lucy Worsley portrays the book as “the captivating story of the life and loves of 17th Century Playboy William Cavandish” which makes it sound like a biography, which I think is not really the case. Instead, it is scenes from Cavandish’s life. Worseley picks 10 days and uses them as a hook to explore the life and times. As such while William is the main character, and the only person to come into all the chapters he is not always that central despite his clearly having an interesting life; amateur architect, one of the foremost horsemen in Europe, literary pretentions, an unsuccessful stint as an army commander in the civil war, exile and return.

The plus side of this is that we learn a huge amount about social life for all classes in the 17th Century. The makeup of a great house is explained, as are the servants’ duties, sometimes at great length. There are lots of interesting details such as on the 17th century art of manège horsemanship (pp.124-5). But there also details you might not want to know such as on not cleaning underwear but instead drenching them in perfume! (p.137)

The downside of this methodology is that there isn’t really the plot and development to make this into a great story. This prevents any kind of suspense. It means while we get to know William it only ever feels like we are seeing him from the outside rather than being drawn in. It also feels meandering; in a chapter on a conspiracy, which sounds like it could be quite exciting we take a side trip to what changes have been made to Blosover castle over the previous decade (pp248-50). And this is right as we are waiting to see how the conspiracy turns out!

The extra bits in this book are excellent; we not only get a map showing all the major places that are in the book and family trees to be able to refer to who is related to whom and how but also extensive pictures. There are both colour plates showing many beautiful paintings and rooms and photographs of the remaining buildings but also numerous black and white pictures and plans throughout the book.

So somewhat hit and miss. Lots of details but they don’t always hold together very well to make a greater whole. Interesting, but not exciting or a page turner.

[grosbeak · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is what it is: Stately Home porn, yes, but Worsley ends up giving an interesting account of the changes in household structure as well as house structure in snapshot-like chapters set throughout Wm Cavendish’s life (and thus covering most of the 17th century). Worsley is a much better art and architectural historian than a literary critic, and one thing she does not succeed at is making William Cavendish seem interesting. Sorry, but Margaret Cavendish (his second wife) is always going to outshine the building- and horse-obsessed playboy and writer of really bad poetry (a lot of which the book subjects us to, along with absurdly literal biographical readings).

But it does give a good sense of the space of a 17th century Great Household and all the people in it, from the gently born upper servants and officers to the scullery maids and the “night-soil woman”. Worsley is best on the use of space, the layout of rooms (and there are lovely floor plans) and the movement through them. Everything else is pretty superficial, but definitely makes me want to dig into serious social history of domestic service in the 17th century. One of the most interesting chapters tackles the construction site of a Stately Home itself, the hierarchies among the masons, where the bread is made to feed the laborers, how stones are moved around, how lime and bricks are made, the history of largescale manufacture of window-glass in England, and so on.

Still I do wish that more writers of historical fiction and scifi/fantasy set in pre-modern and early-modern periods (or based on them) would read books like this and stop writing about aristocrats who rule fiefdoms that are half a planet, but only need the help of one secretary.

[Misty Gardner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this has to be a 'Marmite' read. This was my third or fourth attempt to get through it and in many ways it was a 'duty' read as it is 'my' period and a visit to Bolsover Castle was instrumental in me getting my academic career back on track somewhat late in the day!
I think my main criticism is that the content does not really 'do what it says on the tin'. It is not really a biography of William, Duke of Newcastle but more an ?introduction to the building, staffing and working of an early to middle 17th century great household. There are some excursions to visit William and his wives but there is far more about the social environment in which they lived.
I had started to try to read this when it was first published back in 2007 when I was struggling with numerous other things. At the time I gave up after a few pages - Lucy's style is not for everyone and is not easy to read quickly. I tried again some years later but failed to reach the end of Chapter 1 and in many ways I only tried again this time round because I was fed up with seeing it on my reading shelf!
My copy is the paperback edition and some of the illustrations, particularly the colour plates, presumably suffer from being reduced in size from the original version which is a pity.
On the whole I am now 'neutral' as to whether the 'journey' [reading time] was worth it. Had it been presented as a social history of the period reflected against a case study of William it would have been easier to digest but, as biography of someone who played such a key part in the civil wars, it was a let down and all I really learned about him which I had not fully appreciated before was his 'erotic/poetic' dimension.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

More than just a biography of a man, this is a thorough study of the 17th century, its way of life, the politics, the literature, and just about every aspect one could think of. Lucy Worsley is noted for her somewhat light tv documentaries, which are always entertaining and informing. This an early work of hers and is scholarly yet still enjoyable. William Cavendish was definitely a man of his time. He certainly would have a difficult time fitting in with present day mores. He was a poet, a famous horseman, a visionary when it came to building, a very loyal Royalist, and an outgoing fun type of guy. He was also a snob and a womanizer to whom no touch was ever inappropriate. His reputation forever stained by losing the battle of Marston Moor and running away to Europe, the latter half of his life was sad. His wife was despised by the rest of society, and his servants were rebellious. This was a great read, a thorough portrait of a man and the age he typified.

[Jenny OH · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Lucy Worsley's writing is packed with well-researched, thoroughly-cited historical fact, but reads like a cozy gossip. Far less concerned with Which King Won Which Battle-type history (although, given the time period, Which Battle does play into it) than with all the fascinating, familiar-yet-not detail of how people dressed, ate, decorated their homes, started their days, argued with their children, sexually harassed their employees - wait. Yes, that too. It's not a rosy portrait by any means but a nuanced one, and you can really feel how much of a deep dive Worsley has made into Cavendish's life (not surprising since, as she mentions in the afterword, the book is based on her D. Phil. thesis).

Highly recommend to fans of historical drama (in book or film/tv), and authors who get into the minutiae of history and documentation, like Ruth Goodman and Kate Summerscale.

[Andrew Ming Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great telling of the story of Bolsover Castle and the love story between Margaret and William Cavendish.
There is a great documentary on the BBC where Lucy Worsley explains her love of the castle and why it holds a special place in her heart.
William, Marquis of Newcastle, was a true cavalier in that he loved horses, was a ladies man and a bit of a showy spendthrift, building the castle to impress Charles I and have masques there.
Margaret was a strong and fierce woman who among many other things wrote the first ever science fiction novel "The Blazing World" (which is not an easy read!).
After losing the battle of Marston Moor, William and Margaret lived in poverty, in exile, in Antwerp.
They return to Bolsover but Margaret, having lived fast, she dies relatively young and William is too ill to attend the funeral.

[Rose Auburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited about reading this book, it's my favourite historical period, I have read a lot already but I cannot resist anything set against the background of the Reformation, especially if there is a non-fiction narrative woven among the detail. So, why the three stars? I just could not get into this, it was so heavy with detail - I couldn't seem to focus on either the detail or the story as both were so dense. It was just hard work and it's a shame as there is some good stuff in there. The level of research is outstanding but it just did not flow and I really found it uphill. But, for the gems of interest and detail that do come out, it's worth a read if you like this period - if you do not, I think it would be incredibly heavy-going.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very well written which isn't a surprise because Lucy Worsley is so awesome at explaining things. That being said if you're not interested in knowing all the details and working of the households of the nobility of England during the Reigns of Charles the first and the second then this book will not interest you. As much as I am fascinated by history and I Love Lucy Worsley finishing this book was almost like being in school again. It was interesting but I didn't need to know that much detail

[Ian Willey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book to read about 17th Century England and it's occupants but is over flowery with it's descriptions. Also makes the very frustrating error of accrediting the defeat of Charles I to Cromwell. Such a massive basic error calls into question the authors understanding of the Civil War period beyond the most basic of reading general guides.

[Julie Chandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of facts and told in an easy to read style, as befits Historic Royal Palace’s chief curator, but I found it a little dry and struggled to get into the story. The title offers a teasing insight into a tale that actually didn’t seem that passionate. Good if you want detail of the period.

[Misty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book, but a little muddled by the author’s unfortunate choice to try to write in present tense, but not tell a linear narrative. She would have done better to choose whether she was writing a biography of a man or his buildings instead of both.

[Laurie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Horses, castles, architecture, history, women poets, all of great interest to me. Having heard Lucy Worsley's narration of many historical programs on PBS, it was easy to enjoy her wit as she virtually walks through the daily lives of the Cavendish family and household.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly inspired me to visit the places mentioned in the books

[Ben Philcox · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written tale of one of the most famous Cavaliers

[Candice Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Lucy Worsley, but I’m not so sure about this William Cavendish fellow.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

an good history of an 17th century playboy