Short-lived ministry

The Bath–Granville ministry,[1] better known as the "short-lived" ministry or derisively as the "Silly Little Ministry", was a ministry of Patriot Whigs that existed briefly in February 1746.

Bath–Granville ministry

Bath (top) and Granville (bottom)

On 10 February, with the resignation of Henry Pelham and the Cobhamites, William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath, undertook the formation of a ministry with John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, the former Northern Secretary. However, it only lasted two days, collapsing on 12 February (even before all the ministers could be appointed), and Pelham was reappointed by the King to resume the Broad Bottom ministry on 14 February.[2]

Cabinet

Below are Bath's appointments before he abandoned the attempt to form a ministry; it does not appear that either Carlisle or Winchilsea actually received the seals of office from the King.

Portfolio	Minister	Took office	Left office
First Lord of the Treasury[3]	The Earl of Bath*	10 February 1746	12 February 1746
Lord Privy Seal[3]	The Earl of Carlisle	10 February 1746	12 February 1746
First Lord of the Admiralty[3]	The Earl of Winchilsea	10 February 1746	12 February 1746
Secretary of State for the Southern Department Secretary of State for the Northern Department[4]	The Earl Granville*	10 February 1746	12 February 1746

Other appointments which had been determined upon but not made, according to contemporary rumour, were:

• Secretary of State – The Earl of Cholmondeley
• Lord Lieutenant of Ireland – The Duke of Bolton
• Master of the Horse – The Duke of Portland
• Leader of the House of Commons – Sir John Rushout

Notes

1. Sedgwick 1970
2. Cook & Stevenson 1988, p. 42
3. Haydn 1851, p. 93
4. Cook & Stevenson 1988, p. 42; Haydn 1851, p. 93

References

• Cook, Chris; Stevenson, John (1988), British Historical Facts: 1688–1760, Palgrave Macmillan UK, ISBN 978-1-349-02369-1
• Haydn, Joseph Timothy (1851), The Book of Dignities, London: Longman Brown
• Sedgwick, Romney R. (1970), "IV. Oppositions, 1742–4 and 1747–51", in R. Sedgwick (ed.), The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715–1754, ISBN 978-0-11-880098-3, retrieved 7 October 2020 – via History of Parliament Online