Henry Pelham
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The Right Honourable Henry Pelham |
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Prime Minister of Great Britain | |
In office 27 August 1743 – 6 March 1754 |
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Monarch | George II |
Preceded by | The Earl of Wilmington |
Succeeded by | The Duke of Newcastle |
Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
In office 12 December 1743 – 6 March 1754 |
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Monarch | George II |
Preceded by | Samuel Sandys |
Succeeded by | William Lee |
Personal details | |
Born | Laughton, Sussex, England |
25 September 1694
Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day St James's, Middlesex, England |
Political party | Whig |
Spouse(s) | Catherine |
Children | 4 |
Alma mater | Hart Hall, Oxford[1] |
Religion | Church of England |
Henry Pelham (25 September 1694 – 6 March 1754) was a British Whig statesman, who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 27 August 1743 until his death. He was the younger brother of Thomas Pelham-Holles, the Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, who succeeded Henry as Prime Minister. He is generally considered to have been Britain's third Prime Minister after Sir Robert Walpole and Earl of Wilmington.
Contents
Career
For the first year of Pelham's premiership, real power was held by the Secretary of State for the Northern Department, Lord Carteret, who headed the Carteret Ministry (Pelham was First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons). Thereafter, he shared power with his brother, the Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. This period was relatively uneventful in terms of domestic affairs (Great Britain fought in several wars, however). Upon his death, his brother took full control of the ministry.
Early life
Pelham, Newcastle's younger brother, was a younger son of the Thomas Pelham, 1st Baron Pelham and his wife, the former Lady Grace Holles, daughter of Gilbert Holles, 3rd Earl of Clare and Grace Pierrepont. He was educated at Westminster School and Hart Hall, Oxford. Hertford College Oxford, the present-day incarnation of Hart Hall, still honours him in the title of its most prestigious drinking club, the Sir Henry Pelham Gentlemen's Sporting Society. As a volunteer he served in Dormer's regiment at the Battle of Preston in 1715, spent some time on the Continent, and in 1717 entered Parliament for Seaford in Sussex which he represented until 1722.
Government
Through strong family influence, and the recommendation of Robert Walpole, he was chosen in 1721 as Lord of the Treasury. The following year he was returned for Sussex county. In 1724 he entered the ministry as Secretary at War, but this office he exchanged in 1730 for the more lucrative one of Paymaster of the Forces. He made himself conspicuous by his support of Walpole on the question of the excise. He, Newcastle, and the Prime Minister would often meet at Houghton Hall in Norfolk, where they would draw up much of the country's policy. These meetings became known as the Norfolk Congress. With Walpole, he served as a founding governor of the popular charity the Foundling Hospital when it opened its doors in 1739.
Prime minister
In 1742 a union of parties resulted in the formation of an administration in which Pelham became Prime Minister the following year, with the offices of First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons. The following year Carteret was forced out of the ministry and Pelham was regarded as the leading figure, but rank and influence made his brother very powerful in the Cabinet, and, in spite of a genuine attachment, there were occasional disputes between them, which led to difficulties.
Being strongly in favour of peace, Pelham carried on the War of the Austrian Succession with languor and indifferent success, but the country, wearied of the interminable struggle, was disposed to acquiesce in his foreign policy almost without a murmur. King George II, thwarted in his own favourite schemes, made overtures in 1746 to Lord Bath, but his purpose was upset by the resignation of the two Pelhams (Henry and Newcastle), who, after a two-day hiatus in which Bath and Carteret (now earl Granville) proved unable to form a ministry, resumed office at the king's request.

In 1749, the Consolidation Act was passed, reorganising the Royal Navy. On 20 March 1751, the British calendar was reorganised as well (New Year's Day became 1 January); Britain would adopt the Gregorian calendar one year later. Two of Pelham's final acts were the Jew Act of 1753, which allowed Jews to become naturalized by application to Parliament, and the Marriage Act of 1753, which enumerated the minimum age of consent for marriage. Upon his death, his brother (the aforementioned Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne) took over government.
Achievements
His very defects were among the chief elements of Pelham's success, for one with a strong personality, moderate amount self-respect, or haughty conceptions of statesmanship could not have restrained the discordant elements of the cabinet for any length of time the way he did. Moreover, he possessed tact and a thorough acquaintance with the forms of the House of Commons. Whatever quarrels or insubordination might have existed within the cabinet, they never broke out into open revolt. His financial policy was worthy of praise, especially his plans for the reduction of the national debt and the simplification and consolidation of different government branches related to this debt.
Personal life
Pelham had married Lady Catherine Manners, daughter of the John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland, in 1726. They had four daughters:
- Catherine (1727–1760), married 1744 Henry Clinton, 9th Earl of Lincoln, who by this marriage subsequently became the 2nd Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne
- Frances (1728–1824), died unmarried
- Grace (1735–1777), married 1752 the Hon. Lewis Watson, who in 1760 was created Baron Sondes
- Mary (1739–1???), died unmarried
When Pelham was elevated to Prime Minister, he began construction of a house located at 22 Arlington Street in St. James's, a district of the City of Westminster in central London. He hired the architect William Kent to build the structure in two phases.[2] Kent died in 1748[3] and the work was completed by completed by Stephen Wright[4] in 1754.[2]
Pelham was buried in All Saints' Church, Laughton, East Sussex.[5]
Pelham's personal papers were inherited by his son-in-law and now form part of the Newcastle (Clumber) Collection held at the department of Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of Nottingham. Pelham was the first British Prime Minister who never acceded to the peerage in his lifetime.
Titles from birth to death
- Mr. Henry Pelham (1694–1706)
- The Hon. Henry Pelham (1706–1717)
- The Hon. Henry Pelham, MP (1717–1725)
- The Rt. Hon. Henry Pelham, MP (1725–1754)
In popular culture
Pelham was portrayed by actor Roger Allam in the 2011 film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
References
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External links
- More about Henry Pelham on the Downing Street website.
- Biography of Henry Pelham, with links to online catalogues, on the website of Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of Nottingham
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by | Treasurer of the Chamber 1720–1722 |
Succeeded by Charles Stanhope |
Preceded by | Secretary at War 1724–1730 |
Succeeded by Sir William Strickland |
Preceded by | Paymaster of the Forces 1730–1743 |
Succeeded by Thomas Winnington |
Preceded by | Prime Minister of Great Britain 27 August 1743 – 6 March 1754 |
Succeeded by The Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
Preceded by | Chancellor of the Exchequer 1743–1754 |
Succeeded by William Lee |
Leader of the House of Commons 1743–1754 |
Succeeded by Thomas Robinson |
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Parliament of Great Britain | ||
Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Seaford 1717–1722 With: George Naylor |
Succeeded by Sir William Gage, Bt Sir Philip Yorke |
Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Sussex 1722–1754 With: Spencer Compton 1722–1728 James Butler 1728–1741 Earl of Middlesex 1742–1747 John Butler 1747–1754 |
Succeeded by John Butler Thomas Pelham |
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- Pages with reference errors
- Age error
- Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the ODNB
- Use dmy dates from December 2011
- Prime Ministers of Great Britain
- Chancellors of the Exchequer of Great Britain
- Alumni of Hart Hall, Oxford
- Paymasters of the Forces
- Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain
- Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
- People educated at Westminster School, London
- Whig (British political party) MPs
- People of the Jacobite rising of 1715
- 1694 births
- 1754 deaths
- Burials in Sussex
- 18th-century heads of government
- Leaders of the House of Commons
- Fellows of the Royal Society
- Pelham family
- Younger sons of barons
- Whig Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom