First Rockingham ministry

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First Rockingham ministry
1765–1766
2nd Marquess of Rockingham (cropped).png
Rockingham (after Joshua Reynolds)
Date formed13 July 1765 (1765-07-13)
Date dissolved30 July 1766 (1766-07-30)
People and organisations
MonarchGeorge III
Prime MinisterLord Rockingham
Total no. of members12 appointments
Member partyRockingham Whigs
Status in legislatureMajority
446 / 558
Opposition partyGrenvillites
History
Legislature term(s)12th GB Parliament
PredecessorGrenville ministry
SuccessorChatham ministry

The first Rockingham ministry was a British ministry headed by the Marquess of Rockingham from 1765 to 1766 during the reign of King George III. The government was made up mainly of his followers known as the Rockingham Whigs. The most influential member of the government was the Duke of Newcastle, a former Prime Minister, who served as Lord Privy Seal. It is often referred to as the only government ever to have been made up almost entirely of members of the Jockey Club, with Rockingham himself being a prominent patron and follower of the turf. Rockingham was noted for his ignorance of foreign affairs, and his ministry failed to reverse the growing isolation of Britain within Europe (Simms 2008, p. 520).

The Rockingham ministry fell in 1766 and was replaced by one headed by William Pitt, later the Earl of Chatham.

Cabinet[]

Portfolio Minister Took office Left office
The Marquess of Rockingham*13 July 1765 (1765-07-13)30 July 1766 (1766-07-30)
Lord ChancellorThe Earl of Northington16 January 1761 (1761-01-16)30 July 1766 (1766-07-30)
Lord President of the CouncilThe Earl of Winchilsea12 July 1765 (1765-07-12)30 July 1766 (1766-07-30)
Lord Privy SealThe Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne1765 (1765)1766 (1766)
Chancellor of the ExchequerWilliam Dowdeswell16 July 1765 (1765-07-16)2 August 1766 (1766-08-02)
Secretary of State for the Northern DepartmentThe Duke of Grafton12 July 1765 (1765-07-12)14 May 1766 (1766-05-14)
Henry Seymour Conway23 May 1766 (1766-05-23)20 January 1768 (1768-01-20)
Henry Seymour Conway12 July 1765 (1765-07-12)23 May 1766 (1766-05-23)
Secretary of State for the Southern DepartmentThe Duke of Richmond23 May 1766 (1766-05-23)29 July 1766 (1766-07-29)
First Lord of the AdmiraltyThe Earl of Egmont1763 (1763)1766 (1766)
Master-General of the OrdnanceMarquess of Granby1763 (1763)1770 (1770)
Minister without PortfolioThe Duke of Cumberland1765 (1765)1766 (1766)

Changes[]

  • October 1765 – The Duke of Cumberland (also the uncle of King George III) dies.
  • May 1766 – The Duke of Grafton resigns from the cabinet. Henry Seymour Conway succeeds him as Northern Secretary, and the Duke of Richmond succeeds Conway as Southern Secretary.

Ministers not in Cabinet[]

References[]

  • Browning, Reed (1975). The Duke of Newcastle. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-01746-5.
  • Cook, Chris; Stevenson, John (1980). British Historical Facts: 1760–1830. Palgrave Macmillan UK. ISBN 978-0-333-21512-8.
  • Hibbert, Christopher (1999). George III: A Personal History. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-025737-3.
  • Simms, Brendan (2008). Three Victories and a Defeat: The Rise and Fall of the First British Empire. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-028984-8.
Preceded by Government of Great Britain
1765–1766 		Succeeded by
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