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The Kingdom of Great Britain was governed by a caretaker government in April–June 1757, after the King'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

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In 1756, King George 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, 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".

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, forming the Pitt–Newcastle ministry. Devonshire resigned the office of First Lord to take up the less demanding responsibilities of Lord Chamberlain.

Leading members

See also

• 11th Parliament of Great Britain
• 1757 in Great Britain

Notes

1. Holderness took over from Pitt as Southern Secretary, serving as the sole Secretary of State.
2. As no Chancellor had been appointed, Mansfield held the post pro tempore by virtue of being Lord Chief Justice.

References

1. Cook & Stevenson 1988, p. 44
2. Campbell 1849, p. 143
3. Cook & Stevenson 1988, p. 45
4. Cook & Stevenson 1988, p. 54
5. ^ Cook & Stevenson 1988, p. 55
6. Cook & Stevenson 1988, p. 56
7. ^ Cook & Stevenson 1988, p. 58
8. ^ Cook & Stevenson 1988, p. 57
9. Cook & Stevenson 1988, pp. 56–57
10. Cook & Stevenson 1988, p. 195; Haydn 1851, p. 167

Works cited

• Campbell, John (1849), Mary Scarlett Campbell (ed.), The Lives of the Lord Chancellors and Keepers of the Great Seal of England, vol. 8, J. Murray (published 1869)
• Cook, Chris; Stevenson, John (1988), British Historical Facts: 1688–1760, Palgrave Macmillan UK, ISBN 978-1-3490-2369-1
• Haydn, Joseph (1851), The Book of Dignities, London: Longmans, Brown, Green, and Longmans

Further reading

• Foord, Archibald S. (1964), His Majesty's Opposition 1714–1830, Oxford University Press, hdl:2027/heb.00143, ISBN 978-0-1982-1311-6
• Peters, Marie (2009), "Pitt, William, first earl of Chatham (1708–1778)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.), Oxford University Press (published 2004), doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/22337
• Van Thal, Herbert, ed. (1974), The Prime Ministers: From Sir Robert Walpole to Edward Heath, New York: Stein and Day (published 1975), ISBN 978-0-8128-1738-6

v t e British governments
Great Britain (1707–1801)	Godolphin–Marlborough Harley Townshend Stanhope–Sunderland I Stanhope–Sunderland II Walpole–Townshend Walpole Carteret Broad Bottom I and II Short-lived Newcastle I Pitt–Devonshire 1757 Caretaker Pitt–Newcastle (Newcastle II) Bute Grenville Rockingham I Chatham Grafton North Rockingham II Shelburne Fox–North (Portland I) Pitt I
UK (GB and Ire) (1801–1922)	Addington Pitt II All the Talents Portland II Perceval Liverpool Canning Goderich Wellington–Peel Grey Melbourne I Wellington Caretaker Peel I Melbourne II Peel II Russell I Who? Who? (Derby–Disraeli I) Aberdeen Palmerston I Derby–Disraeli II Palmerston II Russell II Derby–Disraeli III (Disraeli I) Gladstone I Disraeli II Gladstone II Salisbury I Gladstone III Salisbury II Gladstone IV Rosebery Salisbury III and IV Balfour Campbell-Bannerman Asquith I–III Asquith Coalition Lloyd George I and II
UK (GB and NI) (1922–present)	Law Baldwin I MacDonald I Baldwin II MacDonald II National Government I National Government II National Government III National Government IV Chamberlain War Churchill War Churchill Caretaker Attlee I and II Churchill III Eden Macmillan I and II Douglas-Home Wilson I and II Heath Wilson III and IV Callaghan Thatcher I Thatcher II Thatcher III Major I Major II Blair I Blair II Blair III Brown Cameron–Clegg (Cameron I) Cameron II May I May II Johnson I Johnson II Truss Sunak Starmer
Current ministry

• British ministries
• Whigs (British political party)
• 1757 establishments in Great Britain
• 1757 disestablishments in Great Britain
• Ministries of George II of Great Britain
• 1750s in Great Britain
• Caretaker governments