# First Salisbury ministry

The Marquess of Salisbury formed a caretaker government in June 1885, upon his appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by Queen Victoria, succeeding William Ewart Gladstone. His ministry lasted for over seven months.

## Cabinet

| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office |
| Secretary of State for Foreign AffairsLeader of the House of Lords | The Marquess of Salisbury(head of ministry) | 23 June 1885 (1885-06-23) | 6 February 1886 (1886-02-06) |
| First Lord of the Treasury | The Earl of Iddesleigh | 29 June 1885 (1885-06-29) | 1 February 1886 (1886-02-01) |
| Lord Chancellor | The Lord Halsbury | 24 June 1885 (1885-06-24) | 28 January 1886 (1886-01-28) |
| Lord President of the Council | The Viscount Cranbrook | 24 June 1885 (1885-06-24) | 6 February 1886 (1886-02-06) |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Earl of Harrowby | 24 June 1885 (1885-06-24) | 28 January 1886 (1886-01-28) |
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | Sir Richard Cross | 24 June 1885 (1885-06-24) | 1 February 1886 (1886-02-01) |
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | Frederick Stanley | 24 June 1885 (1885-06-24) | 28 January 1886 (1886-01-28) |
| Secretary of State for War | William Henry Smith | 24 June 1885 (1885-06-24) | 21 January 1886 (1886-01-21) |
| Secretary of State for War | The Viscount Cranbrook | 21 January 1886 (1886-01-21) | 6 February 1886 (1886-02-06) |
| Secretary of State for India | Lord Randolph Churchill | 24 June 1885 (1885-06-24) | 28 January 1886 (1886-01-28) |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | Lord George Hamilton | 1885 (1885) | 1886 (1886) |
| Chancellor of the ExchequerLeader of the House of Commons | Sir Michael Hicks Beach | 24 June 1885 (1885-06-24) | 28 January 1886 (1886-01-28) |
| President of the Board of Trade | The Duke of Richmond | 24 June 1885 (1885-06-24) | 19 August 1885 (1885-08-19) |
| President of the Board of Trade | Edward Stanhope | 19 August 1885 (1885-08-19) | 28 January 1886 (1886-01-28) |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | William Henry Smith | 23 January 1886 (1886-01-23) | 28 January 1886 (1886-01-28) |
| Postmaster General | Lord John Manners | 1885 (1885) | 1886 (1886) |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | The Earl of Carnarvon | 27 June 1885 (1885-06-27) | 28 January 1886 (1886-01-28) |
| Lord Chancellor of Ireland | The Lord Ashbourne | 1885 (1885) | February 1886 (1886-02) |
| Secretary for Scotland | The Duke of Richmond | 17 August 1885 (1885-08-17) | 28 January 1886 (1886-01-28) |
| Vice-President of the Council | Edward Stanhope | 24 June 1885 (1885-06-24) | 17 September 1885 (1885-09-17) |

### Changes

* August 1885 – The Duke of Richmond becomes Secretary for Scotland. Edward Stanhope succeeds him at the Board of Trade; his successor as Vice-President of the Council is not in the Cabinet.
* January 1886 –
** The Lord-Lieutenantship of Ireland goes into commission.
** William Henry Smith becomes Chief Secretary for Ireland. Lord Cranbrook succeeds him as Secretary for War while remaining Lord President.

## List of ministers

Cabinet members are listed in bold face.
| Office | Name | Date |
| Prime ministerLeader of the House of Lords | The Marquess of Salisbury | 23 Jun 1885 – 28 Jan 1886 |
| First Lord of the Treasury | The Earl of Iddesleigh | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Chancellor of the ExchequerLeader of the House of Commons | Sir Michael Hicks Beach | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury | Aretas Akers-Douglas | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Sir Henry Holland | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Sir Matthew White Ridley | 1885 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | William Jackson | 1886 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Charles Dalrymple | 29 Jun 1885 – 28 Jan 1886 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Sidney Herbert | 29 Jun 1885 – 28 Jan 1886 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | William Walrond | 29 Jun 1885 – 28 Jan 1886 |
| Lord Chancellor | The Lord Halsbury | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Viscount Cranbrook | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Earl of Harrowby | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | Sir R. A. Cross | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | Charles Stuart-Wortley | 30 Jun 1885 |
| Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | The Marquess of Salisbury | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Robert Bourke | 25 Jun 1885 |
| Secretary of State for War | William Henry Smith | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Under-Secretary of State for War | Viscount Bury | 26 Jun 1885 |
| Financial Secretary to the War Office | Henry Northcote | 26 Jun 1885 |
| Surveyor-General of the Ordnance | Guy Dawnay | 27 Jun 1885 |
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | Frederick Stanley | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | The Earl of Dunraven | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Secretary of State for India | Lord Randolph Churchill | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Under-Secretary of State for India | The Lord Harris | 25 Jun 1885 |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | Lord George Hamilton | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty | Charles Ritchie | 1 Jul 1885 |
| Civil Lord of the Admiralty | Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett | 1 Jul 1885 |
| Vice-President of the Committee on Education | Edward Stanhope | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Vice-President of the Committee on Education | Sir Henry Holland | 17 Sep 1885 |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | Sir William Hart Dyke | 25 Jun 1885 |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | William Henry Smith | 23 Jan 1886 |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | The Earl of Carnarvon | 27 Jun 1885 |
| Lord Chancellor of Ireland | The Lord Ashbourne | 27 Jun 1885 |
| Postmaster General | Lord John Manners | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Secretary for Scotland | The Duke of Richmond | 17 Aug 1885 |
| President of the Board of Trade | The Duke of Richmond | 24 Jun 1885 |
| President of the Board of Trade | Edward Stanhope | 19 Aug 1885 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade | Baron Henry de Worms | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Henry Chaplin | 24 Jun 1885 |
| President of the Local Government Board | Arthur Balfour | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board | The Earl Brownlow | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Paymaster General | The Earl Beauchamp | 24 Jun 1885 |
| First Commissioner of Works | David Robert Plunket | 24 Jun 1885 |
| Attorney General | Sir Richard Webster | 27 Jul 1885 |
| Solicitor General | John Eldon Gorst | 2 Jul 1885 |
| Judge Advocate General | William Thackeray Marriott | 13 Jul 1885 |
| Lord Advocate | John Macdonald | 2 Jul 1885 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | James Robertson | 2 Jul 1885 |
| Attorney-General for Ireland | Hugh Holmes | 3 Jul 1885 |
| Solicitor-General for Ireland | John Munroe | 3 Jul 1885 |
| Solicitor-General for Ireland | John George Gibson | 1885 |
| Lord Steward of the Household | The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe | 27 Jun 1885 |
| Lord Chamberlain of the Household | The Earl of Lathom | 27 Jun 1885 |
| Vice-Chamberlain of the Household | Viscount Lewisham | 27 Jun 1885 |
| Master of the Horse | The Earl of Bradford | 1 Jul 1885 |
| Treasurer of the Household | Viscount Folkestone | 27 Jun 1885 |
| Comptroller of the Household | Lord Arthur Hill | 27 Jun 1885 |
| Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms | The Earl of Coventry | 6 Jul 1885 |
| Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard | The Viscount Barrington | 27 Jun 1885 |
| Master of the Buckhounds | The Marquess of Waterford | 27 Jun 1885 |
| Mistress of the Robes | The Duchess of Buccleuch | 27 Jun 1885 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord de Ros | 27 Jun 1885 – 28 Jan 1886 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Earl of Kintore | 27 Jun 1885 – 28 Jan 1886 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Viscount Hawarden | 27 Jun 1885 – 28 Jan 1886 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Henniker | 27 Jun 1885 – 28 Jan 1886 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Earl of Hopetoun | 27 Jun 1885 – 28 Jan 1886 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Elphinstone | 27 Jun 1885 – 28 Jan 1886 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Boston | 6 Jul 1885 – 28 Jan 1886 |
| Extra Lord in Waiting | The Lord Sackville | 1 Oct 1876 – 1 Oct 1888 |