Private Secretaries to First Lord 1743-1870

Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 1, Treasury Officials 1660-1870. Originally published by University of London, London, 1972.

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Citation:

'Private Secretaries to First Lord 1743-1870', in Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 1, Treasury Officials 1660-1870, ed. J C Sainty( London, 1972), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/office-holders/vol1/pp74-76 [accessed 5 November 2024].

'Private Secretaries to First Lord 1743-1870', in Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 1, Treasury Officials 1660-1870. Edited by J C Sainty( London, 1972), British History Online, accessed November 5, 2024, https://www.british-history.ac.uk/office-holders/vol1/pp74-76.

"Private Secretaries to First Lord 1743-1870". Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 1, Treasury Officials 1660-1870. Ed. J C Sainty(London, 1972), , British History Online. Web. 5 November 2024. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/office-holders/vol1/pp74-76.

In this section

Private Secretaries to First Lord 1743-1870

Before 1806 very little information exists in the Treasury records concerning the Private Secretaries to the First Lord. They received, as such, no salaries from public funds and their recruitment and remuneration were questions which were entirely within the discretion of successive First Lords to decide. The emergence of the position of Private Secretary as distinct from that of Secretary to the Treasury itself was a gradual process the details of which are likely to remain obscure. However, from the time of Pelham's period of office (1743-54) a regular series of Private Secretaries can be identified with reasonable certainty. During the eighteenth century First Lords usually appointed their Private Secretaries from outside the Treasury. In some cases these individuals were rewarded with favourable positions in the clerical organisation (fn. 1) or with sinecure offices within the structure of the department. (fn. 2) Occasionally Clerks already on the establishment were selected for this function. (fn. 3)

In 1806 provision was made for a salary of £300 for one Private Secretary to the First Lord, payable out of the fee fund. (fn. 4) From 1812 a salary of the same amount was made available for a second Private Secretary. (fn. 5) Thereafter the First Lord usually selected one of his Private Secretaries from amongst the Treasury Clerks and the other from outside the office. (fn. 6) For the former the salaries were additional to their ordinary remuneration. No salary was paid to Private Secretaries who were members of the House of Commons.

LIST OF APPOINTMENTS

Pelham 1743-54 1743 Aug. Roberts, J.
Newcastle 1754-6 1754 March Roberts, J.
Devonshire 1756-7 No appointment traced
Newcastle 1757-62 1757 July Jones, H. V.
Bute 1762-3 1762 May Jenkinson, C.
Grenville 1763-5 1763 June Lloyd, C.
Rockingham 1765-6 1765 July Burke, E.
Grafton 1766-70 1766 Aug. Stonehewer, R.
North 1770-82 1770 Jan. Brummell, W.
Rockingham 1782 1782 April King, Rev. W.
Shelburne 1782-3 1782 July Broughton, B.
1782 Oct. Morin, J.
Portland 1783 1783 April O'Beirne, Rev. T. L.
Pitt 1783-1801 1783 Dec. Pretyman, Rev. G.
1787 March Smith, J.
Addington 1801-4 1801 March Barton, N.
Pitt 1804-6 1804 May Adams, W. D.
Grenville 1806-7 1806 10 Feb. Fisher, J.
Portland 1807-9 1807 April Adams, W. D.
Perceval 1809-12 1809 31 Oct. Herries, J. C.
1811 5 July Brooksbank, T. C.
Liverpool 1812-27 1812 16 June Willimot, R.
1812 13 Aug. Brooksbank, T. C.
Canning 1827 1827 30 April Stapleton, A. G.
1827 April Drummond, E.
Goderich 1827-8 1827 13 Sept. Balfour, B. T.
1827 13 Sept. Drummond, E.
Wellington 1828-30 1828 28 Jan. Greville, A. F.
1828 28 Jan. Drummond, E.
Grey 1830-4 1830 31 Dec. Wood, C.
1830 31 Dec. Martin Leake, S. R.
1832 Grey, Hon. C.
Melbourne 1834 1834 2 Sept. Young, T.
1834 2 Sept. Martin Leake, S. R.
Wellington 1834 No appointment traced
Peel 1834-5 1834 Dec. Venables, T.
1834 Dec. Drummond, E.
Melbourne 1835-41 1835 April Cowper, Hon. W. F.
1835 8 May Anson, G. E.
1839 15 Oct. Howard, Hon. C. W. G.
1840 24 June Fortescue, Hon. H.
Peel 1841-6 1841 8 Sept. Drummond, E.
1841 8 Sept. Stephenson, W. H.
1843 3 Feb. Arbuthnot, G.
Russell 1846-52 1846 7 July Howard, Lord E. G.
1846 7 July Grey, C. S.
1846 12 July Keppel, Hon. G. T.
1847 23 Nov. Law, W.
By 1848 Grey, R. W. (additional)
1850 13 Dec. Russell, A. J. E.
Derby 1852 1852 5 March Bootle Wilbraham, Hon. E.
1852 5 March Stronge, C. W.
1852 13 March Talbot, Hon. W. P. M. C.
Aberdeen 1852-5 1853 18 Jan. Hamilton Gordon, Hon. A.
1853 18 Jan. Cole, J. H.
1853 8 April Dawkins, C. G. A.
Palmerston 1855-8 1855 13 Feb. Clifford, C. C.
1855 13 Feb. Law, W.
1856 25 Oct. Barrington, C. G.
1857 13 Nov. Ponsonby, Hon. G. H. B.
1858 11 Feb. Ashley, Hon. A. E. M.
Derby 1858-9 1858 8 March Bootle Wilbraham, Hon. E.
1858 8 March Drummond, M.
1858 22 March Talbot, Hon. W. P. M. C.
Palmerston 1859-65 1859 24 June Ashley, Hon. A. E. M.
1859 24 June Barrington, C. G.
Russell 1865-6 1865 27 Dec. Elliott, Hon. G. F. S.
1865 27 Dec. Barrington, C. G.
Derby 1866-8 1866 14 July Barrington, Hon. G. W.
1866 14 July Murray, H. H.
1867 25 June Abbot, Hon. R. C. E.
1867 20 Nov. Cathcart, A.
Disraeli 1868 1868 5 March Lowry Corry, M. W.
1868 5 March Fremantle, C. W.
Gladstone 1868 1868 24 Dec. West, A. E.
1868 24 Dec. Gurdon, W. B.

Footnotes

  • 1. Thomas, Private Secretary to Treasurer Oxford, was appointed a Chief Clerk in 1713. C. Lloyd, Private Secretary to Grenville, was placed specially in tenth position as an Under Clerk in 1763.
  • 2. Morin, Private Secretary to Shelburne, was appointed Keeper of Papers in 1783. H. V. Jones, Private Secretary to Newcastle, had been appointed Solicitor in 1744, before his patron came to the Treasury.
  • 3. W. Brummell was selected by North; B. Broughton by Shelburne; J. Smith by Pitt. By TM 15 Aug. 1787 Smith was released from departmental work and allowed to retain his salary and seniority as a Clerk while serving as Private Secretary (T 29/58 p. 499).
  • 4. TM 20 Dec. 1806 (T 29/88 pp. 504-5).
  • 5. TM 23 July 1813 (T 29/124 p. 359); this salary, originally paid out of the special service fund, was transferred to the estimates by TM 24 March 1835 (T 29/363 pp. 461-2).
  • 6. Russell had three Private Secretaries for part of his term of office (1846-52).