Private Secretaries to Secretary of State
1795-1870
The office of Private Secretary to the Secretary of State first acquired official standing
in 1795 when a salary of £300 was made available to its holder. (fn. 1) Before 1824 only
Planta held the office while serving as a Clerk on the establishment. Thereafter Clerks
frequently held the office. (fn. 2)
At various times an Assistant Private Secretary held office, usually without salary.
In the years 1808-9 and 1826-7 a salary of £150, payable out of the contingent fund,
was made available to the Assistant Private Secretary. (fn. 3)
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| Grenville |
1791-1801 |
1795 |
5 Jan. |
Goddard, C.
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1796 |
24 Feb. |
Taylor, B. |
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1801 |
1 Feb. |
Williams Wynn, H. W. |
| Hawkesbury |
1801-4 |
1801 |
20 Feb. |
Lamb, T. D. |
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1802 |
5 July |
Pierrepont, Hon. H. M. |
| Harrowby |
1804-5 |
1804 |
c. May |
Hamilton, W. R. |
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1804 |
5 July |
Woodcock, C. |
| Mulgrave |
1805-6 |
1805 |
Jan. |
Smith, G. |
| Fox |
1806 |
1806 |
7 Feb. |
Trotter, J. B. |
| Howick |
1806-7 |
1806 |
24 Sept. |
Trotter, J. B. |
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1806 |
12 Dec. |
Talbot, R. |
| Canning |
1807-9 |
1807 |
5 April |
Ross, J. T. |
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1808 |
10 Oct. |
Turner, W. (Assistant) |
| Bathurst |
1809 |
1809 |
11 Oct. |
Vaughan, C. R. |
| Wellesley |
1809-12 |
1810 |
5 Jan. |
Forbes, J. |
| Castlereagh/Londonderry |
1812-22 |
1812 |
10 Oct. |
Ward, E. M. |
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1814 |
5 July |
Planta, J. |
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1817 |
5 July |
Clanwilliam, Earl of |
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1819 |
5 July |
Ancram, Earl of |
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1820 |
5 Jan. |
Clanwilliam, Earl of |
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1822 |
29 Jan. |
Seymour, G. H. |
| Canning |
1822-7 |
1822 |
10 Oct. |
Cavendish Bentinck, Lord W. G. F. |
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1824 |
5 April |
Stapleton, A. G. |
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1826 |
1 Nov. |
Liddell, Hon. T. (Assistant) |
| Dudley |
1827-8 |
1827 |
30 April |
Wrangham, D. C. |
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1827 |
30 April |
Liddell, Hon. T. (Assistant) |
| Aberdeen |
1828-30 |
1828 |
30 May |
Wrangham, D. C. |
| Palmerston |
1830-4 |
1830 |
25 Nov. |
Walpole, Hon. J. |
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1833 |
3 May |
Sulivan, S. H. |
| Wellington |
1834-5 |
1834 |
17 Nov. |
Greville, A. F. |
| Palmerston |
1835-41 |
1835 |
11 May |
Cowper, Hon. C. S. |
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1840 |
5 Jan. |
Howard, Hon. J. K. |
| Aberdeen |
1841-6 |
1841 |
3 Sept. |
Dawkins, C. G. A. |
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1841 |
3 Sept. |
Hamilton Gordon, Hon. A. (Assistant) |
| Palmerston |
1846-51 |
1846 |
9 July |
Ponsonby, Hon. S. C. B. |
| Granville |
1851-2 |
1851 |
26 Dec. |
Ponsonby, Hon. S. C. B. |
| Malmesbury |
1852 |
1852 |
27 Feb. |
Harris, G. |
| Russell |
1852-3 |
1852 |
29 Dec. |
Russell, A. J. E. |
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1852 |
29 Dec. |
Boileau, J. E. (Assistant) |
| Clarendon |
1853-8 |
1853 |
22 Feb. |
Ponsonby, Hon. S. C. B. |
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1853 |
22 Feb. |
Lister, T. V. (Assistant) |
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1855 |
12 Feb. |
Fullerton, W. G. (Assistant) |
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1857 |
7 Dec. |
Lister, T. V. |
| Malmesbury |
1858-9 |
1858 |
26 Feb. |
Bidwell, J. |
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1858 |
26 Feb. |
Wolff, H. D. (Assistant) |
| Russell |
1859-65 |
1859 |
18 June |
Elliot, Hon. G. F. S. |
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1859 |
19 June |
Russell, G. (Assistant) |
| Clarendon |
1865-6 |
1865 |
3 Nov. |
Lister, T. V. |
| Stanley |
1866-8 |
1866 |
6 July |
Sanderson, T. H. |
| Clarendon |
1868-70 |
1868 |
10 Dec. |
Lister, T. V. |
| Granville |
1870 |
1870 |
6 July |
Meade, Hon. R. H. |
Footnotes
| 1 |
Order in council 27 Feb. 1795 (16th Rept. on Finance, 309-11). |
| 2 |
Brook Taylor (1796-1801) and Williams Wynn (1801) were Clerks when appointed to the office of
Private Secretary. Both ceased to draw salary as Clerks on their appointment, but were allowed to
retain their rank in the clerical establishment should they wish subsequently to return to their duties
(FO 366/670 p. 371; FO 366/671 p. 155). Neither, in fact, resumed his clerkship. Thereafter, of the
Clerks appointed to the office only Sulivan (1833-4) was not permitted to draw his salary as a Clerk
(FO 366/673 p. 218; FO 366/382). |
| 3 |
FO 366/671 p. 356; FO 366/673 p. 30. |