# Southern Department (Great Britain)

The Southern Department was a department of the government of the Kingdom of England and later the Kingdom of Great Britain from 1660 until 1782 when its functions (and the functions of the Northern Department) were reorganised into the new Home Office and Foreign Office. The department was tasked with home affairs, foreign affairs in parts of Southern Europe, and with governing the English and later British colonies, among other matters.

## History

The department was initially established in 1660. It had a variety of responsibilities, including Irish policy, the Channel Islands, and foreign affairs concerning southern European powers such as France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Italian states, Greece and the Ottoman Empire. Colonial policy was also the responsibility of the Southern Department until 1768, at which time it was assigned to the newly created Secretary of State for the Colonies. Domestic affairs in England and Wales were shared indifferently between the Southern and Northern Departments. Scotland, which joined with England into the Kingdom of Great Britain after 1707, was at times represented by a separate Secretary of State for Scotland, though at others (1725–1741 and 1746–1782) it too was represented by the Northern and Southern Departments.
It was administered by the Secretary of State for the Southern Department. The Southern Department's opposite number within government was the Northern Department, responsible for government dealings in northern Europe. In 1782, the Northern and Southern Departments were reorganised, with the Foreign Office taking over their foreign affairs responsibilities and Home Office taking over their domestic, military affairs, and colonial responsibilities. (Military and colonial affairs were later transferred to a new offices).
History of English and British government departments with responsibility for foreign affairs and those with responsibility for the colonies, dominions and the Commonwealth :
| Northern Department 1660–1782 Secretaries — Undersecretaries | Southern Department 1660–1768 Secretaries — Undersecretaries | Southern Department 1660–1768 Secretaries — Undersecretaries | — |
| Northern Department 1660–1782 Secretaries — Undersecretaries | Southern Department 1768–1782 Secretaries — Undersecretaries 1782: diplomatic responsibilities transferred to new Foreign Office | Colonial Office 1768–1782 Secretaries — Undersecretaries | — |
| Foreign Office 1782–1968 Secretaries — Ministers — Undersecretaries | Home Office 1782–1794 Secretaries — Undersecretaries | Home Office 1782–1794 Secretaries — Undersecretaries | | — |
| Foreign Office 1782–1968 Secretaries — Ministers — Undersecretaries | Colonial Office 1854–1925 Secretaries — Undersecretaries | Colonial Office 1854–1925 Secretaries — Undersecretaries | India Office 1858–1937 Secretaries — Undersecretaries |
| Foreign Office 1782–1968 Secretaries — Ministers — Undersecretaries | Colonial Office 1925–1966 Secretaries — Ministers — Undersecretaries | Dominions Office 1925–1947 Secretaries — Undersecretaries | India Office 1858–1937 Secretaries — Undersecretaries |
| Foreign Office 1782–1968 Secretaries — Ministers — Undersecretaries | Colonial Office 1925–1966 Secretaries — Ministers — Undersecretaries | Dominions Office 1925–1947 Secretaries — Undersecretaries | India Office and Burma Office 1937–1947 Secretaries — Undersecretaries |
| Commonwealth Relations Office 1947–1966 Secretaries — Ministers — Undersecretaries ||
| Commonwealth Office 1966–1968 Secretaries — Ministers — Undersecretaries |||
| Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1968–2020 Secretaries — Ministers — Undersecretaries ||||
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Since 2020 Secretaries — Ministers — Undersecretaries ||||