1.
Kingdom of Great Britain
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The Kingdom of Great Britain, officially Great Britain, was a sovereign state in western Europe from 1 May 1707 to 31 December 1800. It did not include Ireland, which remained a separate realm, the unitary state was governed by a single parliament and government that was based in Westminster. Also after the accession of George I to the throne of Great Britain in 1714, the early years of the unified kingdom were marked by Jacobite risings which ended in defeat for the Stuart cause at Culloden in 1746. On 1 January 1801, the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland were merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922, five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom, the name Britain descends from the Latin name for the island of Great Britain, Britannia or Brittānia, the land of the Britons via the Old French Bretaigne and Middle English Bretayne, Breteyne. The term Great Britain was first used officially in 1474, in the instrument drawing up the proposal for a marriage between Edward IV of Englands daughter Cecily and James III of Scotlands son James. The Treaty of Union and the subsequent Acts of Union state that England and Scotland were to be United into one Kingdom by the Name of Great Britain. However, both the Acts and the Treaty also refer numerous times to the United Kingdom and the longer form, other publications refer to the country as the United Kingdom after 1707 as well. The websites of the UK parliament, the Scottish Parliament, the BBC, additionally, the term United Kingdom was found in informal use during the 18th century to describe the state. The new state created in 1707 included the island of Great Britain, the kingdoms of England and Scotland, both in existence from the 9th century, were separate states until 1707. However, they had come into a union in 1603. Each of the three kingdoms maintained its own parliament and laws and this disposition changed dramatically when the Acts of Union 1707 came into force, with a single unified Crown of Great Britain and a single unified parliament. Ireland remained formally separate, with its own parliament, until the Acts of Union 1800, legislative power was vested in the Parliament of Great Britain, which replaced both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. In practice it was a continuation of the English parliament, sitting at the location in Westminster. Newly created peers in the Peerage of Great Britain were given the right to sit in the Lords. Despite the end of a parliament for Scotland, it retained its own laws. As a result of Poynings Law of 1495, the Parliament of Ireland was subordinate to the Parliament of England, the Act was repealed by the Repeal of Act for Securing Dependence of Ireland Act 1782. The same year, the Irish constitution of 1782 produced a period of legislative freedom, the 18th century saw England, and after 1707 Great Britain, rise to become the worlds dominant colonial power, with France its main rival on the imperial stage
2.
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
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William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, PC, FRS was a British statesman of the Whig group who led the government of Great Britain twice in the middle of the 18th century. Historians call him Pitt of Chatham, or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish from his son, William Pitt the Younger, Pitt was also known as The Great Commoner, because of his long-standing refusal to accept a title until 1766. Pitt was a member of the British cabinet and its leader from 1756 to 1761. He again led the ministry, holding the title of Lord Privy Seal. Much of his power came from his brilliant oratory, Peters argues his statesmanship was based on a clear, consistent, and distinct appreciation of the value of the Empire. The British parliamentary historian Peter D. G, Thomas argues that Pitts power was based not on his family connections but the extraordinary parliamentary skills by which he dominated the House of Commons. He displayed a commanding manner, brilliant rhetoric, and sharp debating skills that cleverly utilized broad literary and historical knowledge. Pitt was the grandson of Thomas Pitt, the governor of Madras, known as Diamond Pitt for having discovered and this transaction, as well as other trading deals in India, established the Pitt family fortune. He made further purchases and became one of the dominant political figures in the West Country controlling seats such as the rotten borough of Old Sarum. Williams father was Robert Pitt, the eldest son of Governor Pitt and his mother was Harriet Villiers, the daughter of Edward Villiers-FitzGerald and the Irish heiress Katherine FitzGerald. Both Williams paternal uncles Thomas and John were MPs, while his aunt Lucy married the leading Whig politician, William Pitt was born at Golden Square, Westminster, on 15 November 1708. His older brother Thomas Pitt had been born in 1704, there were also five sisters, Harriet, Catherine, Ann, Elizabeth, and Mary. From 1719 William was educated at Eton College along with his brother, William disliked Eton, later claiming that a public school might suit a boy of turbulent disposition but would not do where there was any gentleness. It was at school that Pitt began to suffer from gout, in 1726 Governor Pitt died, and the family estate at Boconnoc passed to Williams father. When he died the year, Boconnoc was inherited by Williams elder brother. In January 1727, William was entered as a commoner at Trinity College. There is evidence that he was a reader, if not a minutely accurate classical scholar. William diligently cultivated the faculty of expression by the practice of translation and re-translation, in these years he became a close friend of George Lyttelton, who would later become a leading politician
3.
First Lord of the Treasury
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The First Lord of the Treasury is the head of the commission exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom, and is now always also the Prime Minister. As of the beginning of the 17th century, the running of the Treasury was frequently entrusted to a commission, as of 1714, it has permanently been in commission. The commissioners have always since that date been referred to as Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, the term Prime Minister was initially, but decreasingly, used as a term of derogation, it was first used officially in a royal warrant only in 1905. William Pitt the Younger once opined that the Prime Minister ought to be the person at the head of the finances, as of 1827, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has always been Second Lord of the Treasury when he was not also Prime Minister. By convention, the other Lords Commissioners of the Treasury are also Government Whips in the House of Commons,10 Downing Street is the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury, and not of the Prime Minister. As all modern prime ministers have simultaneously been First Lord of the Treasury, thereafter the posts of First Lord of the Treasury and Prime Minister have continually been held by the same person, see the list of 20th century British prime ministers. Chief Baron of the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury List of Lords Commissioners of the Treasury E. B, roy, ed. Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition Haydn, Joseph Timothy. The Book of Dignities HM Government, First Lord of the Treasury
4.
Lord Privy Seal
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The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the sinecure offices of state. Originally, its holder was responsible for the personal seal. Today, the holder of the office is given a seat in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. Since the premiership of Clement Attlee, the position of Lord Privy Seal has frequently been combined with that of Leader of the House of Lords or Leader of the House of Commons. The office of Lord Privy Seal, unlike those of Leader of the Lords or Commons, is eligible for a ministerial salary under the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975. The office does not confer membership of the House of Lords, leading to Ernest Bevins remark on holding office that he was neither a Lord, nor a Privy. During the reign of Edward I, prior to 1307, the Privy Seal was kept by the Controller of the Wardrobe, the Lord Privy Seal was the president of the Court of Requests during its existence
5.
Henry Seymour Conway
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Field Marshal Henry Seymour Conway was a British general and statesman. A brother of the 1st Marquess of Hertford, and cousin of Horace Walpole and he eventually rose to the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Forces. Conway was the son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Baron Conway by his third wife. He entered Eton College in 1732 and from that time enjoyed a friendship with his cousin Horace Walpole. Conway joined the Molesworths Regiment of Dragoons on 27 June 1737 as a lieutenant and he was transferred to the 1st Foot Guards and was promoted to captain on 14 February 1741 and to captain-lieutenant on 10 May 1742. During the War of Austrian Succession he served on the staff of Field Marshal George Wade at Dettingen in June 1743, appointed colonel of the 48th Foot on 6 April 1746, he took part in Culloden later that month during the Jacobite Rebellion. His next battle, in July 1747, was at Lauffeld, in which he escaped death, being captured by the French. In July 1749, he transferred from the 48th Foot to the 34th Foot, Conway was elected unopposed to the Irish Parliament in 1741 for Antrim County, and to the British Parliament for Higham Ferrers in December 1741 on the recommendation of Sir Robert Walpole. He was elected in 1747 for Penryn and for St Mawes in 1754 and he was promoted to major-general on 12 March 1755. In April 1755, he was unexpectedly appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland by William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington and he then finally took his seat for County Antrim in the Irish House of Commons in October 1755. He became a Groom of the Bedchamber in April 1757 to both George II and George III, Conway was the British military second in command on the Rochefort expedition in 1757, and repeatedly advocated an attack on Fort Fouras, but his colleagues would only agree a night attack. Ultimately the expedition returned to Portsmouth having achieved nothing, though Mordaunt was acquitted by his court-martial, the affair damaged both their reputations. In his displeasure, George II refused to employ Conway on the 1758 campaigns and he was not employed again until the next reign, except that he was sent to sign a cartel for an exchange of prisoners at Sluys in 1759. On 21 April 1759 he became colonel of the 1st The Royal Dragoons, in 1761, he served in Germany as deputy to John Manners, Marquess of Granby, the British commander in the army led by Ferdinand of Brunswick. At the Battle of Villinghausen in July 1761 he commanded a corps which was at the centre of the line and he was also present at the Battle of Wilhelmsthal in June 1762, and captured the castle of Waldeck the following month. After peace preliminaries were signed at Fontainebleau in November, he supervised the embarkation of British troops from Europe, Conway was re-elected to the House of Commons in April 1761, this time for Thetford and on 4 July 1761 he became a member of the Privy Council. This led to the publication of accusation and counter-accusation in pamphlets, following his resignation in January 1768, Conway returned to the military, and was made a full general on 26 May 1772 and Governor of Jersey on 22 October 1772. He remained an important figure in the Commons, opposing the British attempt to suppress the American Revolt and he was rewarded with a cabinet position and the office of Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the new Rockingham ministry in March 1782
6.
Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple
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Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple KG, PC was a British politician. He is best known for his association with his brother-in-law William Pitt who he served with in government during Britains participation in the Seven Years War between 1756 and 1761 and he resigned along with Pitt in protest at the cabinets failure to declare war on Spain. In 1752, on the death of his mother, he inherited her titles together with the estates of Stowe and Wotton. The turning point in his fortunes was the marriage of his sister Hester in 1754 to William Pitt. Although Lord Temple had no outstanding qualities, his career became linked with that of his brother-in-law. In November 1756 Temple became First Lord of the Admiralty in the ministry of Devonshire and he was intensely disliked by George II, who dismissed both him and Pitt from office in April 1757. But when the coalition cabinet of Newcastle and Pitt was formed in June of the same year. He was the member of the cabinet who supported Pitts proposal to declare war with Spain in 1761. From this time Temple became one of the most violent and factious of politicians and he himself is said to have avowed that he loved faction, and had a great deal of money to spare. Without his co-operation Pitt could not, or would not proceed, Temple then began to libel Pitt, and in conjunction with his brother George he concentrated the whole Grenville connection in hostility to the government. After George Grenvilles death in 1770 Lord Temple retired almost completely from public life, Lord Temple was a great intriguer, and is said to have been the author of several anonymous libels, and the inspirer of many more. In private life he used his wealth with generosity to his relations, friends. Pitt was under obligation to him. He was the backer behind The North Briton weekly newspaper. He also provided Wilkes with the freehold qualification which enabled him to stand for Middlesex in the election of 1768. Although known as a man given to confrontation and strife, Earl Temple did get involved with one of Londons most fashionable charities of his time. He served as a president for the Foundling Hospital from 1760 to 1768. It cannot be ruled out that his involvement in charity was motivated purely by compassion
7.
George Grenville
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George Grenville, PC was a British Whig statesman who rose to the position of Prime Minister of Great Britain. Grenville was born into a political family and first entered Parliament in 1741 as an MP for Buckingham. He emerged as one of Cobhams Cubs, a group of members of Parliament associated with Lord Cobham. In 1754 Grenville became Treasurer of the Navy, a position he held twice until 1761, in October 1761 he chose to stay in government and accepted the new role of Leader of the Commons causing a rift with his brother-in-law and political ally William Pitt who had resigned. Grenville was subsequently made Northern Secretary and First Lord of the Admiralty by the new Prime Minister Lord Bute, on 8 April 1763, Lord Bute resigned, and Grenville assumed his position as Prime Minister. His government tried to bring public spending under control and pursued a foreign policy. His best known policy is the Stamp Act, a tax in Great Britain onto the colonies in America. Grenville had increasingly strained relations with his colleagues and the King and in 1765 he was dismissed by George III, for the last five years of his life Grenville led a group of his supporters in opposition and staged a public reconciliation with Pitt. George Grenville was born at Wotton House on 14 October 1712 and he was the second son of Richard Grenville and Hester Temple. He was one of five brothers, all of whom became MPs and his sister Hester Grenville married the leading political figure William Pitt. His elder brother was Richard Grenville, later the 2nd Earl Temple and it was intended by his parents that George Grenville should become a lawyer. Grenville received his education at Eton College and at Christ Church, Oxford and he entered Parliament in 1741 as one of the two members for Buckingham, and continued to represent that borough for the next twenty-nine years until his death. He was disappointed to be giving up what appeared to be a legal career for the uncertainties of opposition politics. In Parliament he subscribed to the Boy Patriot party, which opposed Sir Robert Walpole, in December 1744 he became a Lord of the Admiralty in the administration of Henry Pelham. He allied himself with his brother Richard and with William Pitt in forcing Pelham to give them promotion by rebelling against his authority, in June 1747, Grenville became a Lord of the Treasury. In 1754 Grenville was made Treasurer of the Navy and Privy Councillor, opposition to European entanglements was a cornerstone of Patriot Whig thinking. He and Pitt joined the opposition, haranguing the Newcastle government, Grenville and Pitt both championed the formation of a British militia to provide additional security rather than the deployment of Hessian mercenaries favoured by the government. As the military situation deteriorated following the loss of Minorca, the government grew increasingly weak until it was forced to resign in Autumn 1756, Pitt then formed a government led by the Duke of Devonshire
8.
Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton
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Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, KG, PC, styled Earl of Euston between 1747 and 1757, was a British Whig statesman of the Georgian era. He is one of a handful of dukes who have served as Prime Minister, however, he struggled to demonstrate an ability to counter increasing challenges to Britains global dominance following the nations victory in the Seven Years War. He was widely attacked for allowing France to annex Corsica, and stepped down in 1770, handing over power to Lord North. He was a son of Lord Augustus FitzRoy, a Captain in the Royal Navy, and Elizabeth Cosby, daughter of Colonel William Cosby, who served as a colonial Governor of New York. His father was the son of the 2nd Duke of Grafton and Lady Henrietta Somerset. He was notably a fourth-generation descendant of King Charles II and the 1st Duchess of Cleveland and his younger brother was the 1st Baron Southampton. From the death of his uncle in 1747, he was styled Earl of Euston as his grandfathers heir apparent, Lord Euston was educated at Newcomes School in Hackney and at Westminster School, made the Grand Tour, and obtained a degree at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge. In 1756, he entered Parliament as MP for Boroughbridge, a borough, several months later, he switched constituencies to Bury St Edmunds. However, a later, his grandfather died and he succeeded as 3rd Duke of Grafton. He first became known in politics as an opponent of Lord Bute, in 1765, Grafton was appointed a Privy Counsellor, then, following discussions with William Pitt the Elder, he was appointed Northern Secretary in Lord Rockinghams first government. However, he retired the year, and Pitt formed a ministry in which Grafton was First Lord of the Treasury. Also, in 1768, Grafton became Chancellor of Cambridge University and he became Lord Privy Seal in Lord Norths ministry but resigned in 1775, being in favour of conciliatory action towards the American colonists. In the second Rockingham ministry of 1782, he was again Lord Privy Seal, in later years he was a prominent Unitarian, being one of the early members of the inaugural Essex Street Chapel under Rev. Theophilus Lindsey when founded in 1774. Grafton had associated with a number of liberal Anglican theologians when at Cambridge, devoted time to theological study. In 1773 in the House of Lords he supported a bill to release Anglican clergy from subscribing to all the Thirty Nine Articles and he became an advocate of moral reformation among the upper classes and of liturgical reform. He was author of, Hints Submitted to the Serious Attention of the Clergy, Nobility and Gentry, Serious Reflections of a Rational Christian from 1788-1797. The Grafton Centre Shopping Mall in Cambridge is also named after him, cape Grafton in Far North Queensland was named after him by Lieutenant James Cook during his first voyage of discovery. On 29 January 1756, he married The Hon. Anne Liddell, daughter of Henry Liddell, 4th Baronet Ravensworth and they had three children, Lady Georgiana FitzRoy, who married John Smyth on 4 June 1778
9.
Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden
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Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, PC was an English lawyer, judge and Whig politician who was first to hold the title of Earl of Camden. As a lawyer and judge he was a proponent of civil liberties, championing the rights of the jury. However, he clung to office himself, even when Pitt was out of power, serving in the cabinet for fifteen years, during his life, Pratt played a leading role in opposing perpetual copyright, resolving the regency crisis of 1788 and in championing Foxs Libel Bill. He started the development of the settlement that was later to become Camden Town in London. Born in Kensington in 1714, he was a descendant of an old Devon family of high standing, charless mother, Elizabeth, was the daughter of Rev. Hugh Wilson of Trefeglwys, and the aunt of landscape painter Richard Wilson and he received his early education at Eton, where he became acquainted with William Pitt, and Kings College, Cambridge. He had already developed an interest in law and civil liberties. In 1734 he became a fellow of his college, and in the following year obtained his degree of BA, having adopted his fathers profession, he had entered the Middle Temple in 1728, and ten years later he was called to the Bar. He practised at first in the courts of law, travelling also the western circuit. For some years his practice was so limited, and he became so discouraged that he seriously thought of turning his back on the law. He listened, however, to the advice of his friend Sir Robert Henley, a brother barrister, reputedly, once instructed as Henleys junior, Henley feigned illness so that Pratt could lead and earn the credit. The first case brought him prominently into notice and gave him assurance of ultimate success was the government prosecution, in 1752, of a bookseller. The author had left the country so the weight of the governments censure fell on Owen, the jury disagreed and acquitted Owen. Pratt was appointed Kings Counsel in 1755, and knighted in December 1761, in 1756, Newcastle offered Pratt a judgeship but Pratt preferred to take the role of Attorney General to the Prince of Wales. In July 1757, Pitt formed a government with Newcastle. Pratt was preferred over Solicitor General Charles Yorke, Yorke was the son of Lord Hardwicke, a political ally of Newcastle who, as Lord Chancellor had obstructed Pratts career in favour of his own son. They asserted that, while the Crown of Great Britain enjoyed sovereignty over both, only the property of the former was vested in the Crown, though the original opinion related to the British East India Company, it came to be applied elsewhere in the developing British Empire. The same year he entered the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for the borough of Downton in Wiltshire and he sat in Parliament for four years, but did not distinguish himself as a debater
10.
William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne
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He succeeded in securing peace with America and this feat remains his most notable legacy. He was also known as a collector of antiquities and works of art. Lord Shelburne was born in Dublin in 1737 and spent his years in Ireland. After attending Oxford University he served in the British army during the Seven Years War taking part in the Raid on Rochefort, as a reward for his conduct at the Battle of Kloster Kampen, Shelburne was appointed an aide-de-camp to George III. He became involved in politics, becoming a member of parliament in 1760, after his fathers death in 1761 he inherited his title and was elevated to the House of Lords and took an active role in politics. He served as President of the Board of Trade in the Grenville Ministry but resigned this position only a few months. When Pitt was made Prime Minister in 1766 Shelburne was appointed as Southern Secretary and he departed office during the Corsican Crisis and joined the Opposition. Along with Pitt he was an advocate of a policy towards Britains American Colonies. Following the fall of the North government Shelburne joined its replacement led by Lord Rockingham, Shelburne was made Prime Minister in 1782 following Rockinghams death with the American War still being fought. Shelburne however had a vision of long-term benefit to Britain through trade with a large and increasingly prosperous United States, after he was forced from office in 1783 at age 45, he permanently lost his power and influence. Shelburne lamented that his career had been a failure, despite the high offices he held over 40 years. He blamed his poor education—although it was as good as that of most peers—and said the problem was that it has been my fate through life to fall in with clever. Historians, however, point to a nasty personality that alienated friend and his contemporaries distrusted him as too prone to trickery and duplicity. Biographer John Cannon says His uneasiness prompted him to alternate flattery and hectoring, which most of his colleagues found unpleasant, in debate he was frequently vituperative and sarcastic. Success came too early, and produced jealousy, especially when he was tagged as an upstart Irishman and he never understood the power of the House of Commons, or how to deal with its leaders. He advocated numerous reforms, especially trade, religious toleration. He was ahead of his time, but was unable to build a network of support from his colleagues who distrusted his motives. In turn he distrusted others, and tried to do all the work himself so that it would be done right and he was born William Fitzmaurice in Dublin in Ireland, the first son of John Fitzmaurice, who was the second surviving son of the 1st Earl of Kerry
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