Whig government, 1830–1834

Lord Grey led the Government from 1830 to 1834. He was succeeded by Lord Melbourne upon his resignation.

Melbourne led the Government following the resignation of his predecessor in July 1834. He was dismissed in November.

The Whig government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that began in November 1830 and ended in November 1834 consisted of two ministries: the Grey ministry (from 1830 to July 1834) and then the first Melbourne ministry.

## History

[edit]

The first wholly Whig government since 1783 came to power after the Duke of Wellington's Tory government lost a vote of no confidence on 15 November 1830. The government, led by the Earl Grey, passed the Great Reform Act in 1832, which brought about parliamentary reform, and enacted the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, bringing about the abolition of slavery in most of the British Empire.[citation needed]

However, King William IV dismissed Grey's successor Lord Melbourne in 1834 and asked Sir Robert Peel to form a government. Peel was out of the country at the time, so the Duke of Wellington formed a caretaker government.[citation needed]

## Cabinets

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### The Earl Grey's Cabinet, November 1830 – July 1834

[edit]

Office | Name | Term

|
|

First Lord of the Treasury
Leader of the House of Lords | The Earl Grey | November 1830 – July 1834
Lord Chancellor | The Lord Brougham | November 1830 – July 1834
Lord President of the Council | The Marquess of Lansdowne | November 1830 – July 1834
Lord Privy Seal | The Lord Durham | November 1830 – April 1833
The Earl of Ripon | April 1833 – June 1834
The Earl of Carlisle | June 1834 – July 1834
Home Secretary | The Viscount Melbourne | November 1830 – July 1834
Foreign Secretary | The Viscount Palmerston | November 1830 – July 1834
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies | The Viscount Goderich | November 1830 – April 1833
Edward Smith-Stanley | April 1833 – June 1834
Thomas Spring Rice | June 1834 – July 1834
First Lord of the Admiralty | Sir James Graham | November 1830 – June 1834
The Lord Auckland | June – July 1834
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Leader of the House of Commons | Viscount Althorp | November 1830 – July 1834
President of the Board of Control | Charles Grant | November 1830 – July 1834
Chief Secretary for Ireland | Edward Smith-Stanley | June 1831 – March 1833
Postmaster-General | The Duke of Richmond | December 1830 – July 1834
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | The Lord Holland | November 1830 – July 1834
Paymaster of the Forces | Lord John Russell | June 1831 – July 1834
Secretary at War | Edward Ellice | June – July 1834
Minister without Portfolio | The Earl of Carlisle | November 1830 – June 1834

### The Viscount Melbourne's Cabinet, July 1834 – November 1834

[edit]

Portrait of Lord Melbourne by John Partridge, 1844 Office | Name | Term

|
|

First Lord of the Treasury
Leader of the House of Lords | The Viscount Melbourne | July–November 1834
Lord Chancellor | The Lord Brougham | July–November 1834
Lord President of the Council | The Marquess of Lansdowne | July–November 1834
Lord Privy Seal | Earl of Mulgrave | July–November 1834
Home Secretary | Viscount Duncannon | July–November 1834
Foreign Secretary | The Viscount Palmerston | July–November 1834
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies | Thomas Spring Rice | July–November 1834
First Lord of the Admiralty | The Lord Auckland | July–November 1834
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Leader of the House of Commons | Viscount Althorp | July–November 1834
President of the Board of Trade
Treasurer of the Navy | Charles Poulett Thomson | July–November 1834
President of the Board of Control | Charles Grant | July–November 1834
Master of the Mint | James Abercromby | July–November 1834
First Commissioner of Woods and Forests | Sir John Hobhouse, Bt | July–November 1834
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | The Lord Holland | July–November 1834
Paymaster of the Forces | Lord John Russell | July–November 1834
Secretary at War | Edward Ellice | July–November 1834

## List of ministers

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Members of the Cabinet are indicated by bold face.

Office  | Name  | Date

|
|

Prime Minister
First Lord of the Treasury
Leader of the House of Lords | The Earl Grey | 22 November 1830 -
9 July 1834[a]
The Viscount Melbourne | 16 July 1834 -
14 November 1834
Chancellor of the Exchequer | Viscount Althorp[b] | 22 November 1830
Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Thomas Spring-Rice | 26 November 1830
Francis Baring | 6 June 1834
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury | Edward Ellice | 26 November 1830
Charles Wood | 10 August 1832
Junior Lords of the Treasury | The Lord Nugent | 22 November 1830 -
22 November 1832
Robert Vernon Smith | 22 November 1830 -
14 November 1834
Francis Baring | 22 November 1830 -
6 June 1834
Hon. George Ponsonby | 22 November 1830 -
14 November 1834
Thomas Francis Kennedy | 22 November 1832 -
9 April 1834
Robert Graham | 9 April 1834 -
14 November 1834
George Byng | 20 June 1834 -
14 November 1834
Lord Chancellor | The Lord Brougham and Vaux | 22 November 1830
Lord President of the Council | The Marquess of Lansdowne | 22 November 1830
Lord Privy Seal | The Lord Durham[c] | 22 November 1830
The Earl of Ripon | 3 April 1833
The Earl of Carlisle | 5 June 1834
The Earl of Mulgrave | 30 July 1834
Secretary of State for the Home Department | The Viscount Melbourne | 22 November 1830
Viscount Duncannon | 19 July 1834
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | Hon. George Lamb | 22 November 1830
Viscount Howick | 13 January 1834
Edward Stanley | 23 July 1834
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | The Viscount Palmerston | 22 November 1830
Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Sir George Shee | 26 November 1830
Viscount Fordwich | 13 November 1834
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies | The Viscount Goderich | 22 November 1830
Hon. Edward Smith-Stanley | 3 April 1833
Thomas Spring Rice | 5 June 1834
Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies | Viscount Howick | 23 November 1830
Sir John Shaw-Lefevre | 13 January 1834
Sir George Grey | 16 July 1834
First Lord of the Admiralty | Sir James Graham | 22 November 1830
The Lord Auckland | 7 June 1834
First Secretary to the Admiralty | Hon. George Elliot | 29 November 1830
Civil Lord of the Admiralty | Henry Labouchere | 8 June 1832
President of the Board of Control | Charles Grant | 1 December 1830
Secretary to the Board of Control | Viscount Sandon | 18 December 1830
Thomas Hyde Villiers | 18 May 1831
Thomas Babington Macaulay | 19 December 1832
Robert Gordon[d] | 26 December 1833 -
14 November 1834
James Alexander Stewart-Mackenzie[d] | 22 April 1834 -
14 November 1834
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | The Lord Holland | 25 November 1830
Chief Secretary for Ireland | Hon. Edward Smith-Stanley[e] | 29 November 1830
Sir John Hobhouse | 29 March 1833
Edward Littleton | 18 May 1833
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | The Marquess of Anglesey | 4 December 1830
The Marquess Wellesley | 12 September 1833
Master of the Mint | The Lord Auckland | 14 December 1830
James Abercromby | 13 June 1834
Paymaster of the Forces | Lord John Russell[f] | 16 December 1830
Minister without Portfolio | The Earl of Carlisle | 22 November 1830 -
5 June 1834
Postmaster-General | The Duke of Richmond | 11 December 1830
The Marquess Conyngham | 5 July 1834
President of the Board of Trade | The Lord Auckland | 22 November 1830
Charles Poulett Thomson | 5 June 1834
Vice-President of the Board of Trade | Charles Poulett Thomson | 22 November 1830
Henry Labouchere | 5 June 1834
Secretary at War | Charles Williams-Wynn | 30 November 1830
Sir Henry Parnell | 4 April 1831
Sir John Hobhouse | 1 February 1832
Edward Ellice[g] | 6 April 1833
First Commissioner of Woods and Forests | George Agar-Ellis | 2 December 1830
Viscount Duncannon | 7 February 1831
Sir John Hobhouse | 22 July 1834
Treasurer of the Navy | Charles Poulett Thomson | 30 November 1830
Master-General of the Ordnance | Sir James Kempt | 11 December 1830
Treasurer of the Ordnance | Thomas Creevey | 31 January 1831
Surveyor-General of the Ordnance | William Leader Maberly | 12 January 1831
Charles Richard Fox | 30 November 1832
Clerk of the Ordnance | Charles Tennyson | 30 December 1830
Thomas Francis Kennedy | 8 February 1832
William Leader Maberly | 30 November 1832
Andrew Leith Hay | 19 June 1834
Storekeeper of the Ordnance | Henry Duncan | 30 December 1830
Attorney General | Sir Thomas Denman | 24 November 1830
Sir William Horne | 26 November 1832
Sir John Campbell | 1 March 1834
Solicitor General | Sir William Horne | 24 November 1830
Sir John Campbell | 26 November 1832
Sir Charles Pepys | 25 February 1834
Sir Robert Rolfe | 6 November 1834
Judge Advocate General | Sir Robert Grant | 24 November 1830
Robert Cutlar Fergusson | 19 June 1834
Lord Advocate | Francis Jeffrey | 3 December 1830
John Murray | 17 May 1834
Solicitor General for Scotland | Henry Cockburn | 3 December 1830
Andrew Skene | 5 November 1834
Attorney General for Ireland | Edward Pennefather | 23 December 1830
Francis Blackburne | 11 January 1831
Solicitor General for Ireland | Philip Cecil Crampton | 23 December 1830
Michael O'Loghlen | 21 October 1834
Lord Steward of the Household | The Marquess Wellesley | 23 November 1830
The Duke of Argyll | 11 September 1833
Lord Chamberlain of the Household | The Duke of Devonshire | 22 November 1830
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household | Earl of Belfast | 24 July 1830
Master of the Horse | The Earl of Albemarle | 24 November 1830
Treasurer of the Household | Sir William Henry Fremantle | 27 May 1826 -
Continued in office
Comptroller of the Household | Lord Robert Grosvenor | 23 November 1830
Captain of the Gentlemen Pensioners[h] | The 3rd Lord Foley | 8 December 1830
The 4th Lord Foley | 1 May 1833
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard | The Marquess of Clanricarde | 1 December 1830
The Earl of Gosford | 16 July 1834
Master of the Buckhounds | The Viscount Anson[i] | 24 November 1830

Notes

1. ^ The Government resigned 8 May 1832 and resumed 17 May 1832.
2. ^ Also Leader of the House of Commons until 1834.
3. ^ Created Earl of Durham 23 March 1833.
4. ^ a b Joint Secretary from 22 April 1834.
5. ^ Entered the Cabinet 16 June 1831.
6. ^ Entered the Cabinet 16 June 1831; also Leader of the House of Commons 1834.
7. ^ entered the Cabinet 20 June 1834.
8. ^ Office renamed Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms 17 March 1834.
9. ^ Created Earl of Lichfield 15 September 1831.

## References

[edit]

* C. Cook and B. Keith, British Historical Facts 1830–1900

Preceded by

Wellington–Peel ministry

|  Government of the United Kingdom
1830–1834  | Succeeded by

Wellington caretaker ministry

|
|

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