First Rockingham ministry

First Rockingham ministry
1765–1766
Date formed	13 July 1765
Date dissolved	30 July 1766
People and organisations
Head of state	George III
Head of government	Lord Rockingham
Total no. of ministers	12 appointments
Member party	Rockingham Whigs
Status in legislature	Majority
Opposition party	Grenvillites
History
Legislature term(s)	12th Parliament (GB)
Predecessor	Grenville ministry
Successor	First Chatham ministry

The First Rockingham ministry was a British ministry headed by the Marquess of Rockingham which served between 1765 and 1766 during the reign of George III. The government was made up mainly of his followers known as the Rockingham Whigs. The most influential member of the government was the Duke of Newcastle, a former Prime Minister, who served as Lord Privy Seal. It is often referred to as the only government ever to have been made up almost entirely of members of the Jockey Club – Rockingham being a prominent patron and follower of the turf. Rockingham was noted for his ignorance of foreign affairs, and his ministry failed to reverse the growing isolation of Britain within Europe.^[1]

The Rockingham ministry fell in 1766 and was replaced by one headed by William Pitt.

Cabinet

July 1765 to July 1766

Changes

• October 1765 – HRH The Duke of Cumberland dies.
• May 1766 – The Duke of Grafton resigns from the cabinet. Henry Seymour Conway succeeds him as Northern Secretary, and The Duke of Richmond succeeds Conway as Southern Secretary.

Ministers not in cabinet

• Lord Chamberlain – The Duke of Portland

References

Bibliography

• Browning, Reed (1975). The Duke of Newcastle. Yale University Press. 
• Hibbert, Christopher (1999). George III: A Personal History. Penguin Books. 
• Simms, Brendan (2008). Three Victories and a Defeat: The Rise and Fall of the First British Empire. Penguin Books.