Secretary of State (Ireland) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ireland Secretary of State
Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Ireland from 1542 to 1800
Member of	Privy Council of Ireland
Seat	Dublin Castle, Dublin
Appointer	Chief governor of Ireland
Term length	No fixed term
Formation	1560–1801
First holder	John Challoner
Final holder	Charles Abbot, 1st Baron Colchester

The Principal Secretary of State was an important government job in the old Kingdom of Ireland. This job was stopped in 1801. That's when Ireland joined with Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This happened because of laws called the Acts of Union 1800.

What Was the Principal Secretary?

This special job was created in May 1560. It was set up by the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex. The Lord Deputy was like the King's main representative in Ireland. He wanted to make sure English rule was strong there. This was part of a bigger plan called the Tudor conquest of Ireland.

The job was a bit like the Secretary of State in England. It was different from other helpers, like clerks or the Governor's private secretary.

Main Duties of the Secretary

Over time, the job changed a little. But at first, the person in this role was expected to:

• Lead meetings of the Privy Council of Ireland. This was a group of advisors to the King or Queen.
• Send and receive many letters to and from the King or Queen.

Other Important Tasks

Sometimes, the Secretary also did other things, such as:

• Guiding the clerks who worked for the Privy Council.
• Making official accusations of serious crimes like treason (betraying your country).
• Ordering the Postmaster General of Ireland to open letters. This was to check for secret messages.
• Giving advice to the chief governor of Ireland. This governor was first called the Lord Deputy, and later the Lord Lieutenant.

Changes to the Role

Later on, the job became more of a ceremonial role. This means it was more about tradition than actual power. The Lord Lieutenant and his Chief Secretary started handling more of the important letters directly. Sometimes, the Lords Justices also took on these duties.

For example, Richard Cooke held two big jobs at once. He was both the Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland. The last three people to be Secretary of State also held the more powerful job of Chief Secretary.

After the Acts of Union in 1800, no new Secretary of State was appointed. The very last person in the job left in 1802. He became the Speaker of the UK House of Commons. This was a very important role in the British Parliament.

List of Secretaries

Here is a list of the people who held this important job:

• by 1576: John Chalenor
• 1581: Sir Geoffrey Fenton and another
• 1603: Sir Richard Cooke
• 1612: Sir Dudley Norton
• 1616: Francis Annesley, 1st Baron Mountnorris
• 1634: Philip Mainwaring
• 1661: Sir Paul Davys
• 1665: George Lane, 1st Viscount Lanesborough
• 1678: Sir John Davys
• 1690: Sir Robert Southwell
• 1702: Edward Southwell Sr.
• 1730: Edward Southwell Jr.
• 1755: Thomas Carter
• 1763: Philip Tisdall
• 1766: John Hely-Hutchinson (took over in 1777)
• 1796: Thomas Pelham
  • Baron Glentworth (1795–97) and Lord Castlereagh (1797–1801) also held another job, Keeper of the Signet or Privy Seal of Ireland, during Pelham's time.
• 1801: Charles Abbot (left in 1802 to become Speaker of the UK Commons)

See also

• Privy Council of Ireland
• Chief Secretary for Ireland
• Secretary of State (United Kingdom)