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Clarendon ministry
Government of England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Clarendon ministry was forged out of the royalist camp of Charles II, who was returned to the throne (the English Restoration) in 1660. Two years previously, Lord Hyde (later Earl of Clarendon) had been appointed Lord Chancellor, and in 1660, he was joined by several other powerful statesmen, including the heir presumptive of the English throne, the Duke of York. After the Second Anglo-Dutch War, however, Charles lost confidence in his ministers, and in 1667, five statesmen took cooperative power in the Cabal ministry.
Clarendon ministry | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1660-1667 | |
Portrait of Clarendon, 1670 | |
| Date formed | 1660 |
| Date dissolved | 1667 |
| People and organisations | |
Monarch | Charles II |
| Edward Hyde, 1st Baron Hyde, later 1st Earl of Clarendon | |
Member party | Cavalier |
Status in legislature | Majority government |
Opposition cabinet | None |
| History | |
| Elections | 1660 1661 |
| Legislature terms | 1st Parliament of Charles II 2nd Parliament of Charles II |
| Predecessor | Rump Parliament |
| Successor | Cabal ministry |
_-_The_Disgrace_of_Lord_Clarendon,_after_his_Last_Interview_with_the_King_-_Scene_at_Whitehall_Palace,_in_1667_(replica)_-_N00431_-_National_Gallery.jpg)
Lord Clarendon was impeached by the House of Commons and forced to flee;[1] the Duke of Albemarle sold his position to George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham; and Sir George Carteret simply left his position, eventually being forced out of the House two years later.
Committee for Foreign Affairs
The Privy Council Committee for Foreign Affairs served as the ministry; other significant statesmen not in the committee are listed in the next section. As the name of the ministry would suggest, Lord Clarendon (earlier Lord Hyde) was, in effect, the leader of the government.
| Office | Name | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lord Chancellor | Edward Hyde, 1st Baron Hyde | 1660–1667 | appointed 1658; created Earl of Clarendon in 1661 |
| Lord High Treasurer | Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton | 1660–1667 | died before government was dissolved |
| Lord Steward | James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde | 1660–1667 | also Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1662–1668) |
| Master of the Horse | George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle | 1660–1667 | also Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1660–1662) |
| Southern Secretary | Sir Edward Nicholas | 1660–1662 | appointed 1654 |
| Sir Henry Bennet, Bt. | 1662–1667 | created Baron Arlington in 1664 | |
| Northern Secretary | Sir William Morice | 1660–1667 | created a baronet in 1661 |
| Secretary to the Admiralty | Sir William Coventry | 1665–1667 |
Ministers not in committee
| Office | Name | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lord Privy Seal | John Robartes, 1st Baron Robartes | 1661–1667 | |
| Lord High Admiral | Prince James, Duke of York | 1660–1667 | |
| Lord Chamberlain | Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester | 1660–1667 | |
| Secretary of State for Scotland | John Maitland, 2nd Earl of Lauderdale | 1660–1667 | |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley | 1661–1667 | |
| Treasurer of the Navy | Sir George Carteret, Bt. | 1660–1667 | also Vice-Chamberlain of the Household |