Between 1757 and 1762, at the height of the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
, the Pitt–Newcastle ministry governed the
Kingdom of Great Britain
The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of Union 1707, wh ...
. It was headed by
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne and 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, (21 July 169317 November 1768) was a British Whig statesman who served as the 4th and 6th Prime Minister of Great Britain, his official life extended ...
, serving in his second stint as prime minister. The most influential and famous minister however was
William Pitt the Elder
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, (15 November 170811 May 1778) was a British statesman of the Whig group who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. Historians call him Chatham or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish ...
,
Secretary of State.
History
The ministry ended a period of political instability, in which Great Britain had struggled in the war. Pitt was a strong war leader, but lacked the support in
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
necessary to provide effective leadership. Newcastle provided this, as he had a strong base of support in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
. They divided duties between each other; Pitt directed defence and foreign policy, while Newcastle controlled the nation's finances and patronage.
The ministry led Britain to many victories in the war, particularly in the so-called
Annus Mirabilis of 1759, which put the country in a strong position by 1761; that year however, Pitt resigned over a dispute concerning the entry of Spain into the war. Since
King George II's death in 1760, the ministry had been under pressure by the accession of
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. Both kingdoms were in a personal union under him until the Acts of U ...
, who disliked both Pitt and Newcastle and favoured
John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute
John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, (; 25 May 1713 – 10 March 1792), styled Lord Mount Stuart between 1713 and 1723, was a British nobleman who served as the 7th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763 under George III. He was arguabl ...
. Bute, a
Tory
A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...
, was made
Northern Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Northern Department was a position in the Cabinet of the government of Great Britain up to 1782, when the Northern Department became the Foreign Office.
History
Before the Act of Union, 1707, the Secretary of S ...
in March 1761, and following Pitt's resignation the ministry is otherwise referred to as the Bute–Newcastle coalition.
In 1762 Newcastle was forced to resign, with his followers (the "Pelhamites") dismissed by Bute in what became known as the "Massacre of the Pelhamite Innocents";
this is traditionally considered to have been the moment the ministry collapsed.
Ministry
It is unclear who was a member of the Cabinet.
See also
*
11th Parliament of Great Britain
*
1761 British general election
The 1761 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 12th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. This was the first ...
*
Great Britain in the Seven Years' War
Great Britain was one of the major participants in the Seven Years' War, which in fact lasted nine years, between 1754 and 1763. British involvement in the conflict began in 1754 in what became known as the French and Indian War. However th ...
*
Whigs (British political party)
The Whigs were a political faction and then a political party in the Parliaments of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom. Between the 1680s and the 1850s, the Whigs contested power with their rivals, the Tories. ...
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitt-Newcastle ministry
British ministries
Government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...
1757 establishments in Great Britain
1762 disestablishments in Great Britain
1750s in Great Britain
1760s in Great Britain
Ministries of George II of Great Britain
Ministries of George III of the United Kingdom