Secretaries 1660-1870

Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 1, Treasury Officials 1660-1870. Originally published by University of London, London, 1972.

Citation:

'Secretaries 1660-1870', in Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 1, Treasury Officials 1660-1870, ed. J C Sainty( London, 1972), British History Online https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/office-holders/vol1/pp29-31 [accessed 16 November 2024].

Having originated as the personal servant of the Treasurer, the Secretary of the Treasury had by the Restoration acquired functions which were essential to the conduct of the business of the office. (fn. 1) Apart from a special arrangement in 1685-6 when Gwyn acted as additional Secretary for the Irish business of the Treasury, there was only one Secretary until 1711 when a second secretaryship was created on a permanent basis. (fn. 2) The right of nomination to the offices rested formally with the Treasurer or the Board. (fn. 3) The Secretaries did not receive instruments of appointment, their entry into office being marked only by their being called in to take their seats at the Board. These events were not regularly recorded in the minutes until 1730. (fn. 4)

The tenure of the offices was never formally defined and varied considerably at different periods. Between 1660 and 1695 it was relatively insecure, new appointments usually being made whenever there was a change of Treasurer or a substantial alteration in the composition of the Board. From the time of Lowndes' appointment in 1695 until the death of Scrope in 1752 the tenure of the secretaryship which they held was in practice permanent and unaffected by political changes. The tenure of the second secretaryship, on the other hand, was from the first precarious, new appointments usually being made whenever there was a change of First Lord. After 1752 it was the general rule for both Secretaries to retire with their political patrons. Until that year the Secretary with permanent tenure enjoyed precedence over his colleague. Thereafter a new practice was introduced in accordance with which the Junior Secretary succeeded as a matter of course to the senior office when it fell vacant. (fn. 5) This practice continued to be generally observed until 1830 after which, with the development of distinct parliamentary and financial secretaryships, it ceased to operate. The adoption of the terms Parliamentary and Financial as opposed to Senior and Junior Secretaries was never specifically authorised by the Treasury and is impossible to date with precision. For the purposes of these lists the year 1830 has been selected as being less open to objection than any other. (fn. 6)

Originally the Secretary was dependent on fees for his remuneration. (fn. 7) From the time of the funding of the fees he enjoyed two thirds of the product. Gwyn received in 1685-6 two thirds of the fees arising from Irish business and from the payment of the arrears to the servants of Charles II. (fn. 8) After 1711 each Secretary received a third of the fees. (fn. 9) In 1782 they were accorded fixed salaries of £3000. These salaries were raised to £4000 in 1800. In 1821 they were reduced, for future holders of the offices, to £3500. They were further reduced to £2500 in 1831 and to £2000 in 1851. (fn. 10)

LISTS OF APPOINTMENTS

Senior (Parliamentary) Secretary



1660	June	Warwick, Sir P.
1667	May	Downing, Sir G.
1671	Oct.	Howard, Hon. Sir R.
1673	July	Bertie, Hon. C.
1679	March	Guy, H.
1689	April	Jephson, W.
1691	June	Guy, H.
1695	March	Lowndes, W.
1724	Jan.	Scrope, J.
1752	9 April	West, J.
1756	18 Nov.	Hardinge, N.
1758	9 April	West, J.
1762	29 May	Martin, S.
1763	18 April	Dyson, J.
1763	24 Aug.	Jenkinson, C.
1765	15 July	Mellish, W.
1765	30 Sept.	Lowndes, C.
1767	18 Aug.	Cooper, G.
1782	1 April	Strachey, H.
1782	15 July	Orde, T.
1783	5 April	Burke, R.
1783	27 Dec.	Rose, G.
1801	24 March	Addington, J. H.
1802	8 July	Vansittart, N.
1804	21 May	Sturges Bourne, W.
1806	10 Feb.	Vansittart, N.
1807	1 April	Wellesley, Hon. H.
1809	5 April	Arbuthnot, C.
1823	7 Feb.	Lushington, S. R.
1827	19 April	Planta, J.
1830	26 Nov.	Ellice, E.
1832	10 Aug.	Wood, C.
1834	19 Dec.	Clerk, Sir G.
1835	21 April	Stanley, E. J.
1841	19 June	Le Marchant, D. (fn. 11)
1841	8 Sept.	Fremantle, Sir T. F.
1844	21 May	Young, J.
1846	7 July	Tufnell, H.
1850	9 July	Hayter, W. G.
1852	2 March	Forbes Mackenzie, W.
1853	5 Jan.	Hayter, W. G.
1858	2 March	Jolliffe, Sir W. G. H.
1859	24 June	Brand, Hon. H. B. W.
1866	14 July	Taylor, T. E.
1868	11 Nov.	Noel, Hon. G. J.
1868	21 Dec.	Glyn, G. G.

Junior (Financial) Secretary



1711	11 June	Harley, T.
1714	Nov.	Taylor, J.
1715	12 Oct.	Walpole, H.
1717	April	Stanhope, C.
1721	April	Walpole, H.
1730	24 June	Walpole, E.
1739	1 June	Fox, S.
1741	30 April	Legge, Hon. H.
1742	15 July	Furnese, H.
1742	30 Nov.	Jeffreys, J.
1746	1 May	West, J.
1752	22 April	Hardinge, N.
1756	18 Nov.	Martin, S.
1757	5 July	West, J.
1758	31 May	Martin, S.
1762	29 May	Dyson, J.
1763	18 April	Jenkinson, C.
1763	24 Aug.	Whately, T.
1765	15 July	Lowndes, C.
1765	30 Sept.	Cooper, G.
1767	18 Aug.	Bradshaw, T.
1770	16 Oct.	Robinson, J.
1782	6 April	Burke, R.
1782	15 July	Rose, G.
1783	5 April	Sheridan, R. B.
1783	27 Dec.	Steele, T.
1791	26 Feb.	Long, C.
1801	9 April	Vansittart, N.
1802	8 July	Sargent, J.
1804	21 May	Huskisson, W.
1806	10 Feb.	King, J.
1806	2 Sept.	Fremantle, W. H.
1807	1 April	Huskisson, W.
1809	8 Dec.	Wharton, R.
1814	7 Jan.	Lushington, S. R.
1823	7 Feb.	Herries, J. C.
1827	4 Sept.	Lewis, T. F.
1828	28 Jan.	Dawson, G. R.
1830	26 Nov.	Spring Rice, T.
1834	6 June	Baring, F. T.
1834	20 Dec.	Fremantle, Sir T. F.
1835	21 April	Baring, F. T.
1839	6 Sept.	Gordon, R.
1841	9 June	More O'Ferrall, R. (fn. 12)
1841	8 Sept.	Clerk, Sir G.
1845	4 Feb.	Cardwell, E.
1846	7 July	Parker, J.
1849	22 May	Hayter, W. G.
1850	9 July	Lewis, G. C.
1852	2 March	Hamilton, G. A.
1853	5 Jan.	Wilson, J.
1858	2 March	Hamilton, G. A.
1859	21 Jan.	Northcote, Sir S. H.
1859	24 June	Laing, S.
1860	2 Nov.	Peel, F.
1865	19 Aug.	Childers, H. C. E.
1866	14 July	Hunt, G. W.
1868	4 March	Sclater Booth, G.
1868	21 Dec.	Ayrton, A. S.
1869	Nov.	Stansfeld, J.