As a younger son, he was not originally destined to inherit the title.
However, poor health forced him to retire early.
He resigned his seat due to ill health, passing it to his uncle, Lord William Bentinck.
During his brief political career, Bentinck was not particularly active and rarely spoke in either House of Parliament.
Food was delivered to him in the dining room by means of a miniature railway running from the kitchen.
Nobody was allowed to see him, except his butler.
His servants were instructed to treat him as they would a piece of furniture, passing by without acknowledgment.
On one occasion, a worker who raised his hat to the Duke was promptly dismissed.
These included a complex of rooms and tunnels beneath the estate, connecting various underground chambers and above-ground buildings.
Parallel to it was another, more roughly constructed tunnel used by workmen.
It featured domed skylights visible on the surface, and by night was illuminated by gaslight.
The underground ballroom converted into gymnasium by the Welbeck College students until the College moved away.
Photo credit:Ron Young
At its peak, the Duke had 15,000 men working on his estate.
These were remarkable investments, especially considering that the Duke never hosted any guests.
Despite his reclusiveness, the Duke was a considerate employer.
He provided his employees with umbrellas and donkeys to facilitate their commute without fatigue.
His good relations with his employees earned him the nickname “the workman’s friend.”
When the Duke died in 1879, his heirs found Welbeck Abbey in a state of disrepair.
Most of the rooms were painted pink.
And thus, her son was heir to the Portland estate.
Although the case came to nothing, the publicity surrounding it ignited interest in the reclusive Duke.
In 1933, British crime fiction writer R. Austin Freeman wroteDr.
Thorndyke Intervenes, based on the Druce-Portland case.
