Prime Ministers (18th Century), Part 2

1756-66: the Duke of Devonshire, Earl Waldegrave, the Earl of Bute, George Grenville, the Marquess of Rockingham

Ten years later, when the Duke of Newcastle had taken over from his brother, George II appointed the 4th Duke of Devonshire (William Cavendish, 1720-64) "First Lord of the Treasury" in 1756 at the beginning of the Seven Years War (about the colonies in America and India, against France), largely because William Pitt the Elder (1708-78), whose inclusion in a war ministry was considered necessary, refused to serve under Newcastle, but, on the other hand, wasn´t a favourite of the King and wasn´t asked to form a government himself. Devonshire was ineffectual, and he resigned six months later in favour of the 2nd Earl of Waldegrave (8th-12th June), who, however, isn´t recognized generally as "Prime Minister". After four days, Newcastle, who "shared" responsibilities with Pitt this time (1757-62), returned, now as "in-name- only" leader, under the dynamic Pitt.

The signature of Devonshire is the scarcest of all Prime Ministers, so here are scans from a different source (than my collection) of Devonshire and Waldegrave.

The unofficial leadership of Pitt, the Elder (later Earl of Chatham) ended, as it had begun: suddenly. The Houses of Commons and Lords thought they had spent enough money on the (successful!) war against France (and its allies) to get most of America and India, so George III. (who had become King in 1760) asked the Earl of Bute (1713-92; one of his former teachers on court) in 1762 to form a government. Bute was the first Sottish Prime Minister, and his most significant achievement was to lose what Britain had won so far. According to British author Ray Rawlins, the signature of the Earl of Bute is the rarest next to Devonshire, not easy to find.

After Bute, the next one, George Grenville (1712-70, brother-in-law of Pitt, the Elder) was asked, but his short term (1763-65) ended, when he acted "tactlessly and clumsy" during attempts to cover the King´s first serious mental illness.

On the left you can see Grenville´s signature from the days in 1751 when he was one of the Lords of the Treasury under PM Henry Pelham.

The next unsuccessful attempt was made by the Marquess of Rockingham (1730-82), who held the leading position 1765/66.

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