# Pitt–Newcastle ministry

Between 1757 and 1762, at the height of the Seven Years' War, the Pitt–Newcastle ministry governed the Kingdom of Great Britain. It was headed by Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, serving in his second stint as prime minister. The most influential and famous minister, however, was William Pitt the Elder, Secretary of State.

## History

The ministry ended a period of political instability in which Great Britain had struggled in the war. Pitt was a strong war leader but lacked the support in Parliament necessary to provide effective leadership. Newcastle provided this, as he had a solid support base in the House of Commons. They divided duties between each other; Pitt directed the defence and foreign policies, while Newcastle controlled the nation's finances and patronage.
The ministry led Britain to many victories in the war, particularly in the so-called Annus Mirabilis of 1759, which put the country in a strong position by 1761; that year, however, Pitt resigned over a dispute concerning the entry of Spain into the war. Since King George II died in 1760, the ministry had been under pressure by the accession of George III, who disliked both Pitt and Newcastle and favoured John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute. Bute, a Tory, was made Northern Secretary in March 1761, and following Pitt's resignation, the ministry is otherwise referred to as the Bute–Newcastle coalition.
In 1762 Newcastle was forced to resign, with his followers (the "Pelhamites") dismissed by Bute in what became known as the "Massacre of the Pelhamite Innocents"; this is traditionally considered to have been the moment the ministry collapsed.

## Ministry

It is unclear who was a member of the Cabinet.
| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office |
| First Lord of the TreasuryLeader of the House of Lords | Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle(head of ministry) | 1757 (1757) | 1762 (1762) |
| Chancellor of the ExchequerSecond Lord of the Treasury | Henry Bilson-Legge | 1757 (1757) | 1761 (1761) |
| Chancellor of the ExchequerSecond Lord of the Treasury | William Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington | 1761 (1761) | 1762 (1762) |
| Lord Chancellor (after 1761)Lord Keeper of the Great Seal (before 1761) | Robert Henley, 1st Baron Henley | 1757 (1757) | 1762 (1762) |
| Lord President of the Council | John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville | 1757 (1757) | 1762 (1762) |
| Lord Privy Seal | Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple | 1757 (1757) | 1761 (1761) |
| Lord Privy Seal | In commission | 1761 (1761) | 1761 (1761) |
| Lord Privy Seal | John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford | 1761 (1761) | 1762 (1762) |
| Leader of the House of Commons | William Pitt(head of ministry) | 1757 (1757) | 1761 (1761) |
| Leader of the House of CommonsTreasurer of the Navy | George Grenville | 1761 (1761) | 1762 (1762) |
| Secretary of State for the Southern Department | William Pitt(head of ministry) | 1757 (1757) | 1761 (1761) |
| Secretary of State for the Southern Department | Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont | 1761 (1761) | 1762 (1762) |
| Secretary of State for the Northern Department | Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness | 1757 (1757) | 1761 (1761) |
| Secretary of State for the Northern Department | John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute | 1761 (1761) | 1762 (1762) |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough | 1757 (1757) | 1758 (1758) |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | Vacant | 1758 (1758) | 1759 (1759) |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | John Ligonier, 1st Viscount Ligonier | 1759 (1759) | 1762 (1762) |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | George Anson, 1st Baron Anson | 1757 (1757) | 1762 (1762) |
| Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland | Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll | 1757 (1757) | 1761 (1761) |
| Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland | Charles Douglas, 3rd Duke of Queensberry | 1761 (1761) | 1762 (1762) |
| Lord Chamberlain of the Household | The Duke of Devonshire | 1757 (1757) | 1762 (1762) |
| Lord Steward of the Household | John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland | 1757 (1757) | 1761 (1761) |
| Lord Steward of the Household | William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot | 1761 (1761) | 1762 (1762) |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Richard Edgcumbe, 1st Baron Edgcumbe | 1757 (1757) | 1758 (1758) |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Thomas Hay, 9th Earl of Kinnoull | 1758 (1758) | 1762 (1762) |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford | 1757 (1757) | 1761 (1761) |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax | 1761 (1761) | 1762 (1762) |
| Master of the Horse | Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Gower | 1757 (1757) | 1760 (1760) |
| Master of the Horse | Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon | 1760 (1760) | 1761 (1761) |
| Master of the Horse | John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland | 1761 (1761) | 1762 (1762) |
| Paymaster of the Forces | Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland | 1757 (1757) | 1765 (1765) |