Secretary of State for the Northern Department

The secretary of state for the Northern Department was a position in the Cabinet of the government of Great Britain up to 1782. Following this, the Northern Department became the Foreign Office, and the position evolved into the foreign secretary.

History

Before the Act of Union, 1707, the Secretary of State's responsibilities were in relation to the English government. Even after the Union, there was still a separate secretary of state for Scotland until 1746, though the post was sometimes vacant. This continued the previous Scottish government post of Secretary of State.

Before 1782, the responsibilities of the two secretaries of state for the Northern and the Southern Departments were not divided up in terms of area of authority, but rather geographically. The secretary of state for the Northern Department was responsible for relations with the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Poland, Russia, and the Holy Roman Empire. The secretary of state for the Southern Department was responsible for Ireland, the Channel Islands, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, the Italian states, and the Ottoman Empire. Domestic responsibilities in England and Wales were shared between the two Secretaries. After the union with Scotland in 1707, the two secretaries also took responsibility for Scotland when there was no secretary of state for Scotland in office.

Until 1706, the practice was generally for the senior official to lead the Southern Department, and the junior the Northern Department, with the Northern Secretary being transferred to the Southern Department when a vacancy arose at the latter. During the reigns of George I and George II, however, the Northern Department began to be seen as the more important, since its responsibilities included the monarchs' ancestral home of Hanover. During the reign of George III, the two departments were of approximately equal importance.

In 1782, the two secretaries of state were reformed as the secretary of state for the Home Department and the secretary of state for foreign affairs. During the 18th century, secretaries of state for the Northern Department, if peers, were often Leaders of the House of Lords as well.

Secretaries of state for the Northern Department, 1660–1782

Included:

Portrait	Name Constituency	Term of office		Notes
File:Jacob Huysmans - Sir William Morice, MP.jpg	Sir William Morice MP for Plymouth	27 May 1660	29 September 1668
File:No image.svg	Sir John Trevor MP for Arundel until 1661 MP for Great Bedwyn after 1661	29 September 1668	8 July 1672
File:No image.svg	Henry Coventry MP for Droitwich	3 July 1672	11 September 1674
File:Sir Joseph Williamson, MP (1690–1700).jpg	Sir Joseph Williamson MP for Thetford	11 September 1674	20 February 1679
File:Lord sunderland.jpg	Robert Spencer 2nd Earl of Sunderland	10 February 1679	26 April 1680
File:Sir Leoline Jenkins by Herbert Tuer.jpg	Sir Leoline Jenkins MP for Oxford University	26 April 1680	2 February 1681
File:No image.svg	Edward Conway 1st Earl of Conway	2 February 1681	January 1683
File:Lord sunderland.jpg	Robert Spencer 2nd Earl of Sunderland	28 January 1683	1684
File:Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt.jpg	Sidney Godolphin MP for Helston	17 April 1684	24 August 1684
File:No image.svg	Charles Middleton 2nd Earl of Middleton MP for Winchelsea after 1685	24 August 1684	28 October 1688
File:No image.svg	Richard Graham 1st Viscount Preston MP for Cumberland	29 October 1688	2 December 1688
File:Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham and 7th Earl of Winchilsea by Jonathan Richardson.jpg	Daniel Finch 7th Earl of Nottingham	5 March 1689	26 December 1690
File:Earl of Romney.jpg	Henry Sydney 1st Viscount Sydney	26 December 1690	3 March 1692
File:SirJohnTrenchard (cropped).jpg	Sir John Trenchard MP for Poole	23 March 1693	2 March 1694
File:Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt.jpg	Charles Talbot 1st Duke of Shrewsbury	2 March 1694	3 May 1695
File:Sir-William-Trumbull.jpg	Sir William Trumbull MP for Oxford University	3 May 1695	2 December 1697
File:James Vernon by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt (2).jpg	James Vernon MP for Penryn until 1699 MP for Westminster after 1699	2 December 1697	5 November 1700
File:No image.svg	Sir Charles Hedges MP for Malmesbury	5 November 1700	29 December 1701
File:James Vernon by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt (2).jpg	James Vernon MP for Westminster	4 January 1702	1 May 1702
File:No image.svg	Sir Charles Hedges MP for Malmesbury until 1702 MP for Calne after 1702	2 May 1702	18 May 1704
File:RobertHarley1710.jpg	Robert Harley MP for Radnor	16 May 1704	13 February 1708
File:Henry Boyle Lord Carleton by Godfrey Kneller.jpg	Henry Boyle MP for Westminster	13 February 1708	21 September 1710
File:Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (1678-1751).jpg	Henry St John 1st Viscount Bolingbroke MP for Berkshire until 1712 Viscount Bolingbroke after 1712	21 September 1710	17 August 1713
File:WilliamBromleySpeaker.jpg	Sir William Bromley MP for Oxford University	17 August 1713	17 September 1714
File:Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt (2).jpg	Charles Townshend 2nd Viscount Townshend	17 September 1714	12 December 1716
File:James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt.jpg	James Stanhope	12 December 1716	12 April 1717
File:Charles Spencer 3rd Earl of Sunderland.jpg	Charles Spencer 3rd Earl of Sunderland	12 April 1717	2 March 1718
File:James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt.jpg	James Stanhope 1st Earl Stanhope	19 March 1718	4 February 1721
File:John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville by William Hoare.jpg	John Carteret Baron Carteret	5 February 1721	21 February 1721
File:Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt (2).jpg	Charles Townshend 2nd Viscount Townshend	21 February 1721	16 May 1730
File:William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington (1683-1756), Attributed to Godfrey Kneller.jpg	William Stanhope 1st Baron Harrington	19 June 1730	12 February 1742
File:John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville by William Hoare.jpg	John Carteret Baron Carteret	12 February 1742	24 November 1744
File:William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington (1683-1756), Attributed to Godfrey Kneller.jpg	William Stanhope 1st Earl of Harrington	24 November 1744	January 1746
File:John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville by William Hoare.jpg	John Carteret 2nd Earl Granville	12 February 1746	March 1746	as sole Secretary
File:William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington (1683-1756), Attributed to Godfrey Kneller.jpg	William Stanhope 1st Earl of Harrington	March 1746	19 October 1746
File:Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield by Allan Ramsay.jpg	Philip Dormer Stanhope 4th Earl of Chesterfield	29 October 1746	6 February 1748
File:1stDukeOfNewcastleOld.jpg	Thomas Pelham-Holles 1st Duke of Newcastle	6 February 1748	23 March 1754
File:Joshua Reynolds - Robert d’Arcy, 4th Earl of Holderness - Google Art Project.jpg	Robert Darcy 4th Earl of Holderness	April 1757	June 1757	as sole Secretary
File:John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, by Joshua Reynolds.jpg	John Stuart 3rd Earl of Bute	25 March 1761	27 May 1762
File:George Grenville (1712–1770) by William Hoare (1707-1792).jpg	George Grenville MP for Buckingham	5 June 1762	9 October 1762
File:2ndEarlofHalifaxByJoshuaReynoldsNSArtGallery.jpg	George Montagu-Dunk 2nd Earl of Halifax	14 October 1762	9 September 1763
File:John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich.jpg	John Montagu 4th Earl of Sandwich	9 September 1763	10 July 1765
File:2ndEarlofHalifaxByJoshuaReynoldsNSArtGallery.jpg	George Montagu-Dunk 2nd Earl of Halifax	September 1763	July 1765
File:Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton.jpg	Augustus Henry Fitzroy 3rd Duke of Grafton	12 July 1765	14 May 1766
File:Henryseymour.jpg	Henry Seymour Conway MP for Thetford	23 May 1766	20 January 1768
File:PORTRAIT OF THOMAS THYNNE, 1ST MARQUESS OF BATH.webp	Thomas Thynne 3rd Viscount Weymouth	20 January 1768	21 October 1768
File:William Nassau.jpg	William Nassau de Zuylestein 4th Earl of Rochford	21 October 1768	19 December 1770
File:John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich.jpg	John Montagu 4th Earl of Sandwich	19 December 1770	12 January 1771
File:2ndEarlofHalifaxByJoshuaReynoldsNSArtGallery.jpg	George Montagu-Dunk 2nd Earl of Halifax	22 January 1771	6 June 1771
File:Sir Joshua Reynolds - Portrait of Henry Howard.jpg	Henry Howard 12th Earl of Suffolk	12 June 1771	7 March 1779
File:Portrait of David Murray 2nd Earl of Mansfield by Sylvester Harding.jpg	David Murray Viscount Stormont	27 October 1779	27 March 1782

See also

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