The government of Great Britain was under the joint leadership of William Pitt the Elder and William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, 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 crucial appointment as Southern Secretary in a ministry nominally headed by Devonshire.

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. Originally, its holder was responsible for the monarch's personal (privy) seal until the use of such a seal became obsolete. Though one of the oldest offices in European governments, it has no particular function today because the use of a privy seal has been obsolete for centuries; it may be regarded as a traditional sinecure, but today, the holder of the office is invariably given a seat in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, and is sometimes referred to as a minister without portfolio.