High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne KG KB PC (6 December 1592 – 25 December 1676) was an English polymath and aristocrat, having been a poet, equestrian, playwright, swordsman, politician, architect, diplomat and soldier. Born into the very wealthy Cavendish family at Handsworth in the county of Yorkshire, William`s family had a good relationship with the ruling Stuart monarchy and began to gather prominence after he was invested as a Knight of the Bath and soon inherited his father`s Northern England estates.