Secretary of State for the Northern Department facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Great Britain Office of the Secretary of State for the Northern Department
Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Great Britain Government
Longest serving William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington 19 June 1730 – 12 February 1742
The Northern Department
Style	The Right Honourable (Formal prefix)
Member of	British Cabinet
Seat	Westminster, London
Appointer	The British Monarch on advice of the Prime Minister
Term length	No fixed term
Formation	1660-1782
First holder	Sir William Morice
Final holder	David Murray, 7th Viscount Stormont

The Secretary of State for the Northern Department was an important job in the Cabinet of the government of Great Britain. This position existed until 1782. After that, the Northern Department changed into the Foreign Office, and the job became what we now call the Foreign Secretary.

What Was the Northern Department?

This section explains the history and responsibilities of this old government role.

Early Days: Before Great Britain

Before the Act of Union, 1707, the Secretary of State mainly worked for the English government. It was not yet for the whole of Great Britain. Even after England and Scotland joined, there was sometimes a separate Secretary of State for Scotland. This Scottish role continued from an older job in the Kingdom of Scotland.

Dividing the Work: North and South

Before 1782, there were two main Secretaries of State. They were in charge of the Northern and Southern Departments. Their jobs were divided by geography, not by topic.

The Secretary for the Northern Department handled relations with countries to the north and east. These included the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Poland, Russia, and the Holy Roman Empire.

The Secretary for the Southern Department managed relations with countries to the south. These included Ireland, the Channel Islands, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, the states of Italy, and the Ottoman Empire. This Secretary also looked after the American colonies until 1768. After that, a new job, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, took over.

Both Secretaries shared duties for domestic affairs in England and Wales. After the union with Scotland in 1707, they also took care of Scottish matters when there was no specific Secretary for Scotland.

Changing Importance Over Time

At first, the Southern Department was usually seen as more important. The person in charge of the Northern Department would often move to the Southern Department when a spot opened up.

However, during the reigns of King George I and King George II, the Northern Department grew in importance. This was because it handled matters related to the monarchs' original home, Hanover. By the time George III was king, both departments were seen as equally important.

How the Role Changed

In 1782, the two Secretary of State roles were reorganized. They became the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

During the 1700s, if a Secretary of State for the Northern Department was a peer (a noble), they often also led the House of Lords.

Secretaries of State for the Northern Department (1660–1782)

Here is a list of the people who held the important job of Secretary of State for the Northern Department.

Portrait	Name Constituency	Term of office		Notes
	Sir William Morice MP for Plymouth	27 May 1660	29 September 1668
	Sir John Trevor MP for Arundel until 1661 MP for Great Bedwyn after 1661	29 September 1668	8 July 1672
	Henry Coventry MP for Droitwich	3 July 1672	11 September 1674
	Sir Joseph Williamson MP for Thetford	11 September 1674	20 February 1679
	Robert Spencer The Earl of Sunderland	10 February 1679	26 April 1680
	Sir Leoline Jenkins MP for Oxford University	26 April 1680	2 February 1681
	Edward Conway The Earl of Conway	2 February 1681	January 1683
	Robert Spencer The Earl of Sunderland	28 January 1683	1684
	Sidney Godolphin MP for Helston	17 April 1684	24 August 1684
	Charles Middleton The Earl of Middleton MP for Winchelsea after 1685	24 August 1684	28 October 1688
	Richard Graham The Viscount Preston MP for Cumberland	29 October 1688	2 December 1688
	Daniel Finch The Earl of Nottingham	5 March 1689	26 December 1690
	Henry Sydney The Viscount Sydney	26 December 1690	3 March 1692
	Sir John Trenchard MP for Poole	23 March 1693	2 March 1694
	Charles Talbot The Duke of Shrewsbury	2 March 1694	3 May 1695
	Sir William Trumbull MP for Oxford University	3 May 1695	2 December 1697
	James Vernon MP for Penryn until 1699 MP for Westminster after 1699	2 December 1697	5 November 1700
	Sir Charles Hedges MP for Malmesbury	5 November 1700	29 December 1701
	James Vernon MP for Westminster	4 January 1702	1 May 1702
	Sir Charles Hedges MP for Malmesbury until 1702 MP for Calne after 1702	2 May 1702	18 May 1704
	Robert Harley MP for Radnor	16 May 1704	13 February 1708
	Henry Boyle MP for Westminster	13 February 1708	21 September 1710
	Henry St John The Viscount Bolingbroke MP for Berkshire until 1712 Viscount Bolingbroke after 1712	21 September 1710	17 August 1713
	Sir William Bromley MP for Oxford University	17 August 1713	17 September 1714
	Charles Townshend The Viscount Townshend	17 September 1714	12 December 1716
	James Stanhope	12 December 1716	12 April 1717
	Charles Spencer The Earl of Sunderland	12 April 1717	2 March 1718
	James Stanhope The Earl Stanhope	19 March 1718	4 February 1721
	John Carteret The Lord Carteret	5 February 1721	21 February 1721
	Charles Townshend 2nd Viscount Townshend	21 February 1721	16 May 1730
	William Stanhope The Lord Harrington	19 June 1730	12 February 1742
	John Carteret The Lord Carteret	12 February 1742	24 November 1744
	William Stanhope The Earl of Harrington	24 November 1744	January 1746
	John Carteret The Earl Granville	12 February 1746	March 1746	as sole Secretary
	William Stanhope The Earl of Harrington	March 1746	19 October 1746
	Philip Dormer Stanhope The Earl of Chesterfield	29 October 1746	6 February 1748
	Thomas Pelham-Holles The Duke of Newcastle	6 February 1748	23 March 1754
	Robert Darcy The Earl of Holdernesse	April 1757	June 1757	as sole Secretary
	John Stuart The Earl of Bute	25 March 1761	27 May 1762
	George Grenville MP for Buckingham	5 June 1762	9 October 1762
	George Montagu-Dunk The Earl of Halifax	14 October 1762	9 September 1763
	John Montagu The Earl of Sandwich	9 September 1763	10 July 1765
	George Montagu-Dunk The Earl of Halifax	September 1763	July 1765
	Augustus Henry Fitzroy The Duke of Grafton	12 July 1765	14 May 1766
	Henry Seymour Conway MP for Thetford	23 May 1766	20 January 1768
	Thomas Thynne The Viscount Weymouth	20 January 1768	21 October 1768
	William Nassau de Zuylestein The Earl of Rochford	21 October 1768	19 December 1770
	John Montagu The Earl of Sandwich	19 December 1770	12 January 1771
	George Montagu-Dunk The Earl of Halifax	22 January 1771	6 June 1771
	Henry Howard The Earl of Suffolk	12 June 1771	7 March 1779
	David Murray The Viscount Stormont	27 October 1779	27 March 1782

See Also

• Secretary of State England
• Secretary of State for the Southern Department
• Home Secretary

Sources