Secretary of State (Jacobite)

The Secretary of State was one of the senior ministers of the Jacobite court in exile following the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

In common with Jacobite attempts to create a shadow court in exile that matched of that in London, the role was based on the British position of Secretary of State. In London the role had been split into two Northern Secretary and Southern Secretary. At the Jacobite court in exile, first in Paris and then in Rome, the claimants alternated between having one or two Secretaries of State. From 1689 to 1759 a series of unsuccessful attempts were made to invade Britain which would have restored the Secretaries effective power.

Selected list of holders[]

• John Drummond, 1st Earl of Melfort (1688-1694)
• Charles Middleton, 2nd Earl of Middleton (1693-1713)^[1]
• Thomas Higgons (1713-1715)^[2]
• Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (1715-1716)
• John Erskine, Earl of Mar (1716-1724)
• John Hay, Duke of Inverness (1724-1727)^[3]
• James Murray, Earl of Dunbar (1727-1747)
• Daniel O'Brien, Earl of Lismore (1747-1759)
• (1759-1763)^[4]
• James Edgar (1763-1764)
• Andrew Lumisden (1764-1768)
• John Baptist Caryll (1768-1777)

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Melville, Henry Massue Ruvigny Et Raineval. The Jacobite Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, and Grants of Honour. Genealogical Publishing, 2003.
• Miller, Peggy. James. George Allen & Unwin, 1971.
• Szechi, Daniel. 1715: The Great Jacobite Rebellion. Yale University Press, 2006.