Pitt–Devonshire ministry

The government of Great Britain was under the joint leadership of William Pitt the Elder (in the House of Commons) and William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire (in the House of Lords), between November 1756 and April 1757—when Pitt was dismissed by King George. The King disliked Pitt, but Pitt's influence in the Commons had led to his key appointment as Southern Secretary in a ministry nominally headed by Devonshire.[1]

Not to be confused with the Pitt–Newcastle ministry, formed in July 1757 under Pitt and the Duke of Newcastle.
Pitt–Devonshire ministry
Pitt (top) and Devonshire (bottom)

Ministry

Principal ministers of the Crown were as follows:

PortfolioMinisterTook officeLeft office
First Lord of the Treasury[2]The Duke of Devonshire*16 November 1756 (1756-11-16)1757 (1757)
Chancellor of the Exchequer[3]Henry Bilson-Legge16 November 1756 (1756-11-16)1757 (1757)
The Lord Mansfield13 April 1757 (1757-04-13)1757 (1757)
Lord Privy Seal[2]The Earl Gower22 December 1755 (1755-12-22)1757 (1757)
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster[2]The Lord Edgcumbe22 December 1743 (1743-12-22)1757 (1757)
Secretary of State for the Southern Department[3]William Pitt*4 December 1756 (1756-12-04)6 April 1757 (1757-04-06)
Secretary of State for the Northern Department[4]The Earl of Holderness23 March 1754 (1754-03-23)9 June 1757 (1757-06-09)
First Lord of Trade[4]The Earl of Halifax1 November 1748 (1748-11-01)1757 (1757)
First Lord of the Admiralty[5]The Earl Temple19 November 1756 (1756-11-19)6 April 1757 (1757-04-06)
The Earl of Winchilsea and Nottingham6 April 1757 (1757-04-06)1757 (1757)
Treasurer of the Navy[4]George Grenville23 November 1756 (1756-11-23)1757 (1757)
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland[4]The Duke of Devonshire2 April 1755 (1755-04-02)3 January 1757 (1757-01-03)
The Duke of Bedford3 January 1757 (1757-01-03)1757 (1757)

See also

Notes
  1. Leonard 2011, p. 65
  2. Cook & Stevenson 1988, p. 44
  3. Cook & Stevenson 1988, p. 44; Gazette 1757
  4. Cook & Stevenson 1988, p. 45
  5. Cook & Stevenson 1988, p. 45 ; Gazette 1757

References
  • Cook, Chris; Stevenson, John (1988), British Historical Facts: 1688–1760, Palgrave Macmillan UK, ISBN 978-1-349-02369-1
  • Leonard, Dick (2011), Eighteenth-Century British Premiers, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, LCCN 2011453406
  • "No. 9676", The London Gazette, 5 April 1757, p. 2
Preceded by
First Newcastle ministry		 Government of Great Britain
16 November 1756 – 6 April 1757 (1756-11-16 – 1757-04-06)		 Succeeded by
Caretaker ministry
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