Whig government, 1835–1841

Whig Viscount Melbourne led the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1835 to 1841. It consisted of two ministries: the second Melbourne ministry and the third Melbourne ministry.

History

Lord Melbourne's second government came to power after Sir Robert Peel's minority government resigned in 1835. Lord Palmerston returned as Foreign Secretary while Lord John Russell held his first major office as Home Secretary.

In 1837 Queen Victoria succeeded to the throne, and as was usual for a queen regnant, the Royal Household was appointed by the Prime Minister. The young Queen was so attached to her Whig ladies of the bedchamber that after Melbourne's resignation in 1839, she refused to let Sir Robert Peel replace them with Conservative ladies. This was known as the Bedchamber Crisis, and led to Peel's refusal to form a government. Melbourne therefore resumed, and continued in office until the Conservatives finally won a House of Commons majority in the General Election of 1841. He was succeeded by Sir Robert Peel's second government.

1841 votes of no confidence

The 1841 votes of no confidence against the government of Viscount Melbourne were votes of no confidence in the government of William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne which occurred on the 7 June 1841.^[1] Melbourne lost the vote by only one vote and dissolved Parliament leading to an election in July 1841. Melbourne lost a second vote of confidence shortly after the election in August, leading to his resignation.

Cabinets

April 1835 – August 1839

Office	Name	Term
First Lord of the Treasury	The Viscount Melbourne	April 1835 – August 1839
Lord Chancellor	In Commission	April 1835 – January 1836
	The Lord Cottenham	January 1836 – August 1839
Lord President of the Council	The Marquess of Lansdowne	April 1835 – August 1839
Lord Privy Seal	Viscount Duncannon	April 1835 – August 1839
Home Secretary	The Lord John Russell	April 1835 – August 1839
Foreign Secretary	The Viscount Palmerston	April 1835 – August 1839
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	The Lord Glenelg	April 1835 – February 1839
	The Marquess of Normanby	February–August 1839
First Lord of the Admiralty	The Lord Auckland	April–September 1835
	The Earl of Minto	September 1835 – August 1839
Chancellor of the Exchequer	Thomas Spring Rice	April 1835 – August 1839
President of the Board of Trade	Charles Poulett Thomson	April 1835 – August 1839
President of the Board of Control	Sir John Cam Hobhouse, Bt	April 1835 – August 1839
First Commissioner of Woods and Forests	Viscount Duncannon	April 1835 – August 1839
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	The Lord Holland	April 1835 – August 1839
Secretary at War	Viscount Howick	April 1835 – August 1839

Notes

Viscount Duncannon served concurrently as Lord Privy Seal and First Commissioner of Woods and Forests.

August 1839 – September 1841

Office	Name	Term
First Lord of the Treasury Leader of the House of Lords	The Viscount Melbourne	August 1839 – September 1841
Lord Chancellor	The Lord Cottenham	August 1839 – September 1841
Lord President of the Council	The Marquess of Lansdowne	August 1839 – September 1841
Lord Privy Seal	Viscount Duncannon	August 1839 – January 1840
	The Earl of Clarendon	January 1840 – September 1841
Home Secretary	The Marquess of Normanby	August 1839 – September 1841
Foreign Secretary	The Viscount Palmerston	August 1839 – September 1841
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies Leader of the House of Commons	The Lord John Russell	August 1839 – September 1841
First Lord of the Admiralty	The Earl of Minto	August 1839 – September 1841
Chancellor of the Exchequer	Francis Thornhill Baring	August 1839 – September 1841
President of the Board of Trade	Henry Labouchere	August 1839 – September 1841
President of the Board of Control	Sir John Cam Hobhouse	August 1839 – September 1841
First Commissioner of Woods and Forests	Viscount Duncannon	August 1839 – September 1841
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	The Lord Holland	August 1839 – October 1840
	The Earl of Clarendon	October 1840 – June 1841
	Sir George Grey, Bt	June–September 1841
Secretary at War	Thomas Babington Macaulay	August 1839 – September 1841
Chief Secretary for Ireland	Viscount Morpeth	August 1839 – September 1841

Notes

Viscount Duncannon served concurrently as Lord Privy Seal and First Commissioner of Woods and Forests between August 1839 and January 1840.
Lord Clarendon served concurrently as Lord Privy Seal and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster between October 1840 and June 1841.

List of Ministers

Members of the Cabinet are indicated by bold face.

Office	Name	Date	Notes
Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Leader of the House of Lords	The Viscount Melbourne	18 April 1835 – 30 August 1841	The Government resigned 7 May 1839 and resumed 10 May 1839
Chancellor of the Exchequer	Thomas Spring Rice	18 April 1835
Chancellor of the Exchequer	Francis Baring	26 August 1839
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury	Hon. Edward Stanley	21 April 1835
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury	Sir Denis Le Marchant	19 June 1841
Financial Secretary to the Treasury	Francis Baring	21 April 1835
	Robert Gordon	6 September 1839
	Richard More O'Ferrall	9 June 1841
Junior Lords of the Treasury	Lord Seymour	18 April 1835 – 2 November 1839
	William Ord	18 April 1835 – 18 July 1837
	Robert Steuart	18 April 1835 – 26 May 1840
	Richard More O'Ferrall	16 May 1835 – 28 August 1839
	John Parker	18 July 1837 – 23 June 1841
	Thomas Wyse	28 August 1839 – 30 August 1841
	Henry Tufnell	2 November 1839 – 30 August 1841
	Edward Horsman	26 May 1840 – 30 August 1841
	Hon. William Cowper	23 June 1841 – 30 August 1841
Lord Chancellor	in commission	23 April 1835
Lord Chancellor	The Lord Cottenham	16 January 1836
Lord President of the Council	The Marquess of Lansdowne	23 April 1835
Lord Privy Seal	The Viscount Duncannon	23 April 1835
Lord Privy Seal	The Earl of Clarendon	15 January 1840
Secretary of State for the Home Department	Lord John Russell	18 April 1835	also Leader of the House of Commons
Secretary of State for the Home Department	The Marquess of Normanby	30 August 1839
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department	Hon. Fox Maule	18 April 1835
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department	Lord Seymour	15 June 1841
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	Viscount Palmerston	18 April 1835
Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	Hon. William Fox-Strangways	18 April 1835
Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	Viscount Leveson	7 March 1840
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Charles Grant	18 April 1835	created Baron Glenelg 8 May 1835
	The Marquess of Normanby	20 February 1839
	Lord John Russell	30 August 1839	also Leader of the House of Commons
Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Sir George Grey, Bt	18 April 1835
	Henry Labouchere	28 February 1839
	Robert Vernon Smith	31 August 1839
First Lord of the Admiralty	The Lord Auckland	22 April 1835
First Lord of the Admiralty	The Earl of Minto	15 September 1835
First Secretary of the Admiralty	Charles Wood	27 April 1835
	Richard More O'Ferrall	4 October 1839
	John Parker	9 June 1841
Civil Lord of the Admiralty	Lord Dalmeny	23 April 1835
President of the Board of Control	Sir John Hobhouse, Bt	23 April 1835
Joint Secretaries of the Board of Control	Robert Gordon	21 April 1835 – 30 September 1839
	Robert Vernon Smith	21 April 1835 – 30 September 1839
	Lord Seymour	30 September 1839 – 15 June 1841
	William Clay	30 September 1839 – 30 August 1841
	Charles Buller	21 June 1841 – 30 August 1841
Chief Secretary for Ireland	Viscount Morpeth	22 April 1835	entered the Cabinet 20 February 1839
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland	The Earl of Mulgrave	29 April 1835
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland	Viscount Ebrington	13 March 1839
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	The Lord Holland	20 February 1835
	The Earl of Clarendon	31 October 1840
	Sir George Grey, Bt	23 June 1841
President of the Board of Trade	Charles Poulett Thomson	18 April 1835
President of the Board of Trade	Henry Labouchere	29 August 1839
Vice-President of the Board of Trade	Henry Labouchere	6 May 1835
	Richard Lalor Sheil	29 August 1839
	Hon. Fox Maule	28 June 1841
Secretary at War	Viscount Howick	18 April 1835
Secretary at War	Thomas Babington Macaulay	27 September 1839
First Commissioner of Woods and Forests	The Viscount Duncannon	28 April 1835
Master of the Mint	Henry Labouchere	25 April 1835
Treasurer of the Navy	Sir Henry Parnell, Bt	20 April 1835	office merged to become Paymaster-General 1 December 1836
Master-General of the Ordnance	Sir Hussey Vivian, Bt	4 May 1835	created Baron Vivian 19 August 1841
Treasurer of the Ordnance	Sir Henry Parnell, Bt	9 May 1835	office merged to become Paymaster-General 1 December 1836
Surveyor-General of the Ordnance	Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin	20 April 1835
Surveyor-General of the Ordnance	Charles Richard Fox	5 May 1841
Clerk of the Ordnance	Andrew Leith Hay	20 April 1835
	James Whitley Deans Dundas	21 March 1838
	George Anson	23 June 1841
Storekeeper of the Ordnance	George Anson	25 April 1835
Storekeeper of the Ordnance	James Hanway Plumridge	23 June 1841
Paymaster of the Forces	Sir Henry Parnell, Bt	28 April 1835	office merged to become Paymaster-General 1 December 1836
Paymaster-General	Sir Henry Parnell, Bt	27 April 1835
Paymaster-General	Hon. Edward Stanley	19 June 1841
Postmaster-General	The Marquess Conyngham	30 April 1835
Postmaster-General	The Earl of Lichfield	22 May 1835
Attorney General	Sir John Campbell	30 April 1835
Attorney General	Sir Thomas Wilde	3 July 1841
Solicitor General	Sir Robert Rolfe	4 May 1835
Solicitor General	Sir Thomas Wilde	2 December 1839
Judge Advocate General	Robert Cutlar Fergusson	20 April 1835
	William St Julien Arabin	24 November 1838
	Sir George Grey, Bt	15 February 1839
	Richard Lalor Sheil	23 June 1841
Lord Advocate	John Murray	20 April 1835
Lord Advocate	Andrew Rutherfurd	20 April 1839
Solicitor General for Scotland	John Cunninghame	22 April 1835
	Andrew Rutherfurd	9 February 1837
	James Ivory	20 April 1839
	Thomas Maitland	9 May 1840
Attorney General for Ireland	Louis Perrin	29 April 1835
	Michael O'Loghlen	31 August 1835
	John Richards	10 November 1836
	Stephen Woulfe	3 February 1837
	Nicholas Ball	11 July 1838
	Maziere Brady	23 February 1839
	David Richard Pigot	11 August 1840
Solicitor General for Ireland	Michael O'Loghlen	29 April 1835
	John Richards	21 September 1835
	Stephen Woulfe	10 November 1836
	Maziere Brady	3 February 1837
	David Richard Pigot	11 February 1839
	Richard Moore	14 August 1840
Lord Steward of the Household	The Duke of Argyll	23 April 1835
Lord Steward of the Household	The Earl of Erroll	21 November 1839
Lord Chamberlain of the Household	The Marquess Wellesley	23 April 1835
	The Marquess Conyngham	22 May 1835
	Earl of Uxbridge	6 May 1839
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household	Lord Charles FitzRoy	29 June 1835
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household	Earl of Belfast	27 April 1838
Master of the Horse	The Earl of Albemarle	25 April 1835
Treasurer of the Household	Sir William Henry Fremantle	27 May 1826	continued in office
	Earl of Surrey	17 July 1837
	Hon. George Byng	23 June 1841
Comptroller of the Household	Hon. George Byng	6 May 1835
Comptroller of the Household	Lord Marcus Hill	23 June 1841
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms	The Lord Foley	6 May 1835
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard	The Earl of Gosford	23 April 1835
	The Earl of Ilchester	5 August 1835
	Earl of Surrey	6 July 1841
Master of the Buckhounds	The Earl of Erroll	30 April 1835
Master of the Buckhounds	The Lord Kinnaird	21 December 1839
Mistress of the Robes	The Duchess of Sutherland	29 August 1837
Lords in Waiting	The Marquess of Headfort	17 July 1837 – 30 August 1841
	The Marquess of Queensberry	17 July 1837 – 30 August 1841
	The Viscount Falkland	17 July 1837 – 4 February 1840
	The Viscount Torrington	17 July 1837 – 30 August 1841
	The Lord Byron	17 July 1837 – 31 March 1860	(permanent)
	The Lord Gardner	17 July 1837 – 1 July 1840
	The Lord Lilford	17 July 1837 – 30 August 1841
	The Lord Templemore	17 July 1837 – 26 September 1837
	Earl of Uxbridge	11 October 1837 – 6 May 1839
	The Earl of Fingall	11 December 1837 – 30 August 1841
	The Earl of Listowel	4 February 1840 – 30 August 1841
	Earl of Aboyne	1 July 1840 – 30 August 1841

References

↑ "British parliamentary timeline 1828 - 1900". Archived from the original on 2009-06-06. Retrieved 2009-06-01.

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

Preceded by First Peel ministry	Government of the United Kingdom 1835–1841	Succeeded by Second Peel ministry

British governments
Great Britain (1707–1801)	Godolphin–Marlborough III & IV Harley I–III Townshend I & II Stanhope–Sunderland I Stanhope–Sunderland II Walpole–Townshend I–III Walpole IV–VI Carteret Broad Bottom I–III Short-lived Newcastle I & II Pitt–Devonshire 1757 Caretaker Pitt–Newcastle I & II Bute Grenville Rockingham I Chatham I & II Grafton North I–III Rockingham II Shelburne Fox–North (Portland I) Pitt the Younger I–IV
UK (GB & Ire) (1801–1922)	Addington I & II Pitt the Younger V All the Talents I & II Portland II & III Perceval Liverpool I–V Canning Goderich Wellington Grey I–III Melbourne I Wellington Caretaker Peel I Melbourne II & III Peel II Russell I & II Who? Who? (Derby I & II) Aberdeen Palmerston I & II Derby III Palmerston III & IV Russell III Derby IV Disraeli I Gladstone I Disraeli II Gladstone II Salisbury I Gladstone III Salisbury II Gladstone IV Rosebery Salisbury III–V Balfour Campbell-Bannerman I & II Asquith I–III IV Lloyd George I & II
UK (GB & NI) (1922–present)	Law I & II Baldwin I MacDonald I Baldwin II MacDonald II National Government I II III IV Chamberlain War Churchill War Churchill Caretaker Attlee I & II Churchill III Eden I & II Macmillan I & II Douglas-Home Wilson I & II Heath Wilson III & IV Callaghan Thatcher I II III Major I II Blair I–III Brown Cameron–Clegg Cameron II May I II
Current ministry

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