Broad Bottom ministry

The Broad Bottom ministry was the factional coalition government of Great Britain between 1744 and 1754.[1] It was led by the two Pelham brothers in Parliament, Prime Minister Henry Pelham in the House of Commons and the Duke of Newcastle in the House of Lords.

Pelham brothers

Henry Pelham, Prime Minister of Great Britain

Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, Secretary of State

Early in 1746 the King wished a change of prime minister, and Pelham lost power, but only briefly. Returning to office he put in place a strengthened broad coalition of Whigs. The second Broad Bottom administration lasted from Pelham's resumption of power until his death in 1754.[3]

Ministry

Portfolio	Minister	Took office	Left office
First Lord of the Treasury[4] Chancellor of the Exchequer[5]	Henry Pelham*	1744	1754
Lord Chancellor[6]	The Lord Hardwicke	1744	1754
Lord President of the Council[7]	The Earl of Harrington	1744	1745
	The Duke of Dorset	1745	1751
	The Earl Granville	1751	1754
Lord Privy Seal[8]	The Lord Gower	1744	1754
Secretary of State for the Southern Department[9]	The Duke of Newcastle*	1744	1748
	The Duke of Bedford	1748	1751
	The Earl of Holderness	1751	1754
Secretary of State for the Northern Department[9]	The Earl of Harrington	1744	1746
	The Earl of Chesterfield	1746	1748
	The Duke of Newcastle*	1748	1754
Master-General of the Ordnance[10]	The Duke of Montagu	1744	1749
	Vacant	1749	1754
First Lord of the Admiralty[11]	The Duke of Bedford	1744	1748
	The Earl of Sandwich	1748	1751
	The Lord Anson	1751	1754
Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland[12]	The Duke of Argyll	1744	1754
Secretary of State for Scotland[13]	The Marquess of Tweeddale	1744	1746
Lord Chamberlain of the Household[14]	The Duke of Grafton	1744	1754
Master of the Horse[15]	The Duke of Richmond	1744	1750
	Vacant	1750	1751
	Marquess of Hartington	1751	1754

See also

• 1747 British general election

Notes

1. Colley 1985, p. 243
2. Kulisheck 2004
3. Beyond the more senior ministers listed , other significant figures in the ministry from 1746 include Henry Fox as Secretary at War and William Pitt as Paymaster of the Forces.[2]
4. Haydn 1851, p. 112
5. Haydn 1851, p. 168
6. Haydn 1851, p. 105
7. Haydn 1851, p. 119
8. Haydn 1851, p. 147
9. Haydn 1851, p. 172
10. Haydn 1851, p. 192
11. Haydn 1851, p. 160
12. Haydn 1851, p. 401
13. Haydn 1851, p. 409
14. Haydn 1851, p. 206
15. Haydn 1851, p. 209

References

• Colley, Linda (1985), In Defiance of Oligarchy: The Tory Party 1714–60, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-31311-7
• Cook, Chris; John Stevenson (1988), British Historical Facts: 1688–1760, Palgrave Macmillan UK, p. 42, ISBN 978-1-349-02369-1
• Haydn, Joseph (1851), The Book of Dignities, London: Longmans, Brown, Green, and Longmans
• Kilburn, Matthew (2007), "Broad-bottom ministry (act. 1744–1746)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.), Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/95199
• Kulisheck, P. J. (2004), "Pelham, Henry (1694–1754)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.), Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/21789 (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)