# Ministry of All the Talents

The Ministry of All the Talents was a national unity government in the United Kingdom formed by William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, on his appointment as Prime Minister on 11 February 1806, following the death of William Pitt the Younger.

## History

With the country remaining at war, Grenville aimed to form the strongest possible government and so included most leading politicians from almost all groupings, although some followers of the younger Pitt, led by George Canning, refused to join.
The inclusion of Charles James Fox surprised some as King George III had previously been very hostile to Fox, but the King's willingness to put aside past enmities for the sake of national unity encouraged many others to join or support the government as well. The ministry boasted a fairly progressive agenda, much of it inherited from Pitt.
The Ministry of All the Talents had comparatively little success, failing to bring the sought-after peace with France. In fact, the war continued for nearly another decade. It did, however, abolish the slave trade in Britain in 1807 before breaking up in 1807 over the question of Catholic emancipation.
It was succeeded by the Second Portland ministry, headed by William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland.

## List of ministers

Members of the Cabinet are in bold face.
| Office | Name | Date |
| First Lord of the Treasury Leader of the House of Lords | The Lord Grenville | 11 February 1806 – 31 March 1807 |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Lord Henry Petty | 11 February 1806 – 31 March 1807 |
| Joint Secretaries to the Treasury | Nicholas Vansittart | February 1806 – March 1807 |
| Joint Secretaries to the Treasury | John King | February – July 1806 |
| Joint Secretaries to the Treasury | William Henry Fremantle | July 1806 – March 1807 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Viscount Althorp, William Wickham and John Courtenay | 11 February 1806 |
| Lord Chancellor | The Lord Erskine | February 1806 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Earl Fitzwilliam | 19 February 1806 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Viscount Sidmouth | 8 October 1806 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Viscount Sidmouth | February 1806 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Lord Holland | 8 October 1806 |
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | The Earl Spencer | 5 February 1806 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | Charles Williams-Wynn | February 1806 |
| Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Leader of the House of Commons | Charles James Fox | 7 February 1806 – 13 September 1806 |
| Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Leader of the House of Commons | Viscount Howick | 24 September 1806 |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | George Walpole and Sir Francis Vincent | February 1806 – March 1807 |
| Secretary of State for War and the Colonies | William Windham | February 1806 |
| Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies | Sir George Shee and Sir James Cockburn | February 1806 – March 1807 |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | Charles Grey | 10 February 1806 |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | Thomas Grenville | 29 September 1806 |
| First Secretary to the Admiralty | William Marsden | Continued in office |
| Civil Lords of the Admiralty | Sir Philip Stephens | 10 February – 23 October 1806 |
| Civil Lords of the Admiralty | Lord William Russell and The Lord Kensington | 10 February 1806 – 31 March 1807 |
| Civil Lords of the Admiralty | William Frankland | 23 October 1806 – 31 March 1807 |
| President of the Board of Trade | The Lord Auckland | 5 February 1806 |
| Vice-President of the Board of Trade | Earl Temple | 5 February 1806 |
| President of the Board of Control | The Lord Minto | 12 February 1806 |
| President of the Board of Control | Thomas Grenville | 16 July 1806 |
| President of the Board of Control | George Tierney | 1 October 1806 |
| Secretary to the Board of Control | Thomas Creevey | 14 February 1806 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | The Earl of Derby | 12 February 1806 |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | The Earl of Moira | February 1806 |
| Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance | Sir Thomas Trigge | Continued in office |
| Treasurer of the Ordnance | Alexander Davison | 20 February 1806 |
| Surveyor-General of the Ordnance | James Murray Hadden | Continued in office |
| Clerk of the Ordnance | John Calcraft | 22 February 1806 |
| Clerk of the Deliveries of the Ordnance | James Lloyd | 12 March 1806 |
| Storekeeper of the Ordnance | John McMahon | 22 February 1806 |
| Treasurer of the Navy | Richard Brinsley Sheridan | February 1806 |
| Secretary at War | Richard FitzPatrick | February 1806 |
| Master of the Mint | Lord Charles Spencer | February 1806 |
| Master of the Mint | Charles Bathurst | October 1806 |
| Paymaster of the Forces | Earl Temple and Lord John Townshend | February 1806 – March 1807 |
| Postmaster General | The Earl of Carysfort and The Earl of Buckinghamshire | February 1806 – March 1807 |
| Minister without Portfolio | The Earl Fitzwilliam | October 1806 – March 1807 |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | The Duke of Bedford | 12 March 1806 |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | The Duke of Richmond | 11 April 1807 |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | William Elliot | February 1806 |
| Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench | The Lord Ellenborough | Continued in office |
| Attorney General | Sir Arthur Piggott | 12 February 1806 |
| Solicitor General | Sir Samuel Romilly | 12 February 1806 |
| Judge Advocate General | Nathaniel Bond | 8 March 1806 |
| Lord Advocate | Henry Erskine | February 1806 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | John Clerk | February 1806 |
| Attorney General for Ireland | William Plunket | Continued in office |
| Solicitor General for Ireland | Charles Kendal Bushe | Continued in office |
| Lord Steward of the Household | The Earl of Aylesford | Continued in office |
| Treasurer of the Household | Lord Ossulston | 12 February 1806 |
| Comptroller of the Household | Lord George Thynne | Continued in office |
| Lord Chamberlain of the Household | The Earl of Dartmouth | Continued in office |
| Vice-Chamberlain of the Household | Lord John Thynne | Continued in office |
| Master of the Horse | The Earl of Carnarvon | 8 February 1806 |
| Master of the Buckhounds | The Earl of Albemarle | 12 February 1806 |
| Captain of the Gentlemen Pensioners | The Lord St John of Bletso | 12 February 1806 |
| Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard | The Earl of Macclesfield | Continued in office |

### Notes

* ↑ Styled Viscount Howick from 11 April 1806.
* ↑ Earl Temple concurrently served as Paymaster of the Forces and Vice-President of the Board of Trade.

## Other uses of the term

The term has since been used in politics to describe an administration with members from more than one party or even a non-coalition government that enjoys cross-party support due to gifted and/or non-partisan members. Examples include the coalition government which led the United Kingdom through the Second World War and the Canadian government that won the 1896 election. In Ireland, the Government of the 20th Dáil (a Fine Gael–Labour coalition that was in office between 1973 and 1977) was widely called the "cabinet of all the talents."