1757 caretaker ministry

Government of Great Britain April 2022 Devonshire caretaker ministry April – June 1757 Prime Minister William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire Monarch William Hogarth - William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, Later 4th Duke of Devonshire - Google Art Project.jpg William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire was prime minister and led the caretaker ministry George II Whig Party (UK) darkgray Whigs Majority 1754–1761 1754 general election Tories (British political party) darkgray Tories Pitt–Newcastle ministry File:Coat_of_arms_of_Great_Britain_(1714–1801).svg Great Britain false April 1757 June 1757 Pitt–Devonshire ministry The Kingdom of Great Britain was governed by a caretaker government in April–June 1757, after George II's dismissal of William Pitt led to the collapse of the Pitt–Devonshire ministry amid the Seven Years' War. William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, continued as the nominal head of government. History October 2020 In 1756, King George II was reluctantly compelled to accept a ministry dominated by William Pitt as Secretary of State. The nominal head of this ministry, as First Lord of the Treasury, was the Duke of Devonshire. On 6 April 1757,Cook Stevenson 1988 44 none following Pitt's opposition to the execution of Admiral John Byng, the King (who distrusted Pitt) dismissed him and his brother-in-law Lord Temple, who had been First Lord of the Admiralty. The result of these events was to demonstrate beyond doubt that the "Great Commoner" (as Pitt was familiarly known) was indispensable to the formation of a ministry strong enough to prosecute a major war. Devonshire was left to lead a ministry that was manifestly far too weak to survive long—particularly in wartime. One of the major problems was that it included no figure capable of taking the lead in the House of Commons. The ministry also lacked the support of the most significant factions in the Commons. Devonshire recognised that it was necessary to reconcile Pitt and his old political foe Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, who led the strongest Whig faction in Parliament, but whose exclusion Pitt had insisted from the 1756–57 ministry. The King (after discussions with Devonshire and Newcastle in May) authorised Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke, to be his emissary to negotiate for a new ministry. Hardwick pleaded with Pitt to work with Newcastle in heading "a complete, strong, and well-cemented" government, as opposed to "a mutilated, enfeebled, half-formed system".Campbell 1849 https://archive.org/details/liveslordchance02hardgoog/page/n169 143 none The needs of the country and the lack of an obvious alternative led to the reappointment of Pitt as Secretary of State (with Newcastle as First Lord of the Treasury) on 27 June,Cook Stevenson 1988 FomvCwAAQBAJ 45 45 none forming the Pitt–Newcastle ministry. Devonshire resigned the office of First Lord to take up the less demanding responsibilities of Lord Chamberlain. Leading members y y First Lord of the TreasuryCook Stevenson 1988 54 none Leader of the House of Lords William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire 1756 yes 1757 6 yes y Lord ChancellorCook Stevenson 1988 55 none In commission 1757 yes 1757 yes Lord President of the CouncilCook Stevenson 1988 55 none John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville 1751 yes 1763 yes Lord Privy SealCook Stevenson 1988 56 none Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Gower 1755 yes 1757 yes Leader of the House of Commons Vacated by William Pitt 1757 4 yes 1757 6 yes First Lord of the AdmiraltyCook Stevenson 1988 58 none Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea 1757 yes 1757 yes Secretary of State for the Northern DepartmentCook Stevenson 1988 57 none Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness 1754 yes 1761 yes Secretary of State for the Southern DepartmentCook Stevenson 1988 57 none Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of HoldernessHolderness took over from Pitt as Southern Secretary, serving as the sole Secretary of State.Cook Stevenson 1988 56–57 none 1757 yes 1757 yes Chancellor of the ExchequerCook Stevenson 1988 58 none William Murray, 1st Earl of MansfieldAs no Chancellor had been appointed, Mansfield held the post pro tempore by virtue of being Lord Chief Justice.Cook Stevenson 1988 195 Haydn 1851 buoKAAAAYAAJ 167 167 none 1757 yes 1757 yes See also 11th Parliament of Great Britain 1757 in Great Britain Notes 30em References 30em Works cited 30em y Campbell John The Lives of the Lord Chancellors and Keepers of the Great Seal of England 8 1869 1849 Mary Scarlett Campbell https://archive.org/details/liveslordchance02hardgoog J. Murray John Campbell, 1st Baron Campbell Cook Chris British Historical Facts: 1688–1760 1988 FomvCwAAQBAJ Palgrave Macmillan UK 978-1-3490-2369-1 Stevenson John limited Haydn Joseph The Book of Dignities 1851 buoKAAAAYAAJ London Longmans, Brown, Green, and Longmans Joseph Timothy Haydn Further reading 30em y Foord Archibald S. His Majesty's Opposition 1714–1830 1964 Oxford University Press 978-0-1982-1311-6 2027/heb.00143 cs2 22337 Peters Marie 2009 Pitt, William, first earl of Chatham [known as Pitt the elder] (1708–1778) y 2004 The Prime Ministers: From Sir Robert Walpole to Edward Heath 1975 1974 Van Thal Herbert https://archive.org/details/primeministersfr0000vant/page/n807/mode/2up New York Stein and Day 978-0-8128-1738-6 Herbert van Thal registration Pitt–Devonshire ministry Government of Great Britain Pitt–Newcastle ministry 1757 4 6 1757 06 27 yes Category:British ministries Government Category:1757 establishments in Great Britain Category:1757 disestablishments in Great Britain Category:Ministries of George II of Great Britain Category:1750s in Great Britain Category:Caretaker governments Category:William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire