List of Chief Secretaries for Ireland

The Chief Secretary's office in Dublin Castle.
The Chief Secretary's residence was the Chief Secretary's Lodge in the Phoenix Park, next to the Viceregal Lodge.

The following contains a list of Chief Secretaries of Ireland.The list includes holders of a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, from the late 18th century until the end of British rule he was effectively the government minister with responsibility for governing Ireland; usually it was the Chief Secretary, rather than the Lord Lieutenant, who sat in the British Cabinet.^[1] Exceptions were the periods from 29 June 1895 to 8 August 1902, when the Lord Lieutenant Lord Cadogan sat in the Cabinet and the Chief Secretaries Gerald Balfour until 9 November 1900 did not sit there and George Wyndham from that date also sat there,^[2] and from 28 October 1918 to 2 April 1921, when both the Lord Lieutenant Lord French and the Chief Secretaries Edward Shortt, Ian Macpherson and Sir Hamar Greenwood sat in the Cabinet.^[3]

British rule over much of Ireland came to an end as the result of the Irish War of Independence, which culminated in the establishment of the Irish Free State. In consequence the office of Chief Secretary was abolished, as well as that of Lord Lieutenant. Executive responsibility within the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland was effectively transferred to the President of the Executive Council (i.e. the prime minister) and the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland respectively.

Chief Secretaries for Ireland

1566–1660

Name	Entered office	Left office	Served under
Edward Waterhouse^[4]	20 January 1566	9 October 1567	Sir Henry Sidney
Edward Waterhouse (second time)^[4]	28 October 1568		Sir Henry Sidney
Edmund Tremayne	15 July 1569	31 March 1571	Sir Henry Sidney
Philip Williams	post March 1571	17 September 1575	Sir William Fitzwilliam
Edmund Molyneux	18 September 1575		Sir Henry Sidney
Edmund Spenser	7 September 1580	30 August 1582	The Lord Grey de Wilton
Philip Williams	21 June 1584	10 August 1594	Sir John Perrot Sir William FitzWilliam
Richard Cooke^[5]	11 August 1594	21 May 1597	Sir William Russell
Philip Williams	22 May 1597	13 October 1597	The Lord Burgh
Henry Wotton	15 April 1599	4 September 1599	The Earl of Essex
Francis Mitchell	28 February 1600	March 1600	The Lord Mountjoy
George Cranmer	March 1600	Died 16 July 1600	The Lord Mountjoy
Fynes Moryson	14 November 1600	31 May 1603	The Lord Mountjoy
John Bingley	1 June 1603	2 February 1605	Sir George Carey
Henry Piers	3 February 1605	10 February 1616	Sir Arthur Chichester
Henry Holcroft^[6]	30 August 1616	3 May 1622	Sir Oliver St John
Sir John Veele	8 September 1622	25 October 1629	The Viscount Falkland
George Lane	21 January 1644	April 1646	The Marquess of Ormonde

1660–1701

Name	Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Served under
Matthew Locke		1660	1660	The Lord Robartes
Sir Thomas Page		1662	1669	The Duke of Ormonde: The Earl of Ossory
Henry Ford		1669	1670	The Lord Robartes
Sir Ellis Leighton		1670	1672	The Lord Berkeley of Stratton
Sir Henry Ford		1672	1673	The Earl of Essex
William Harbord		1673	1676	The Earl of Essex
Sir Cyril Wyche		1677	1682	The Duke of Ormonde
Sir William Ellis		1682	1685	The Duke of Ormonde
Sir Paul Rycaut	75px	1686	1687	The Earl of Clarendon
Thomas Sheridan		1687	1688^[7]	The Earl of Tyrconnell
Bishop Patrick Tyrrell		1688	1689	The Earl of Tyrconnell
John Davis		1690	1692
Sir Cyril Wyche		1692	1693^[8]	The Viscount Sydney
Sir Richard Aldworth		1693	1696	The Lord Capell
William Palmer		1696	1697
Matthew Prior		1697	1699
Humphrey May		1699	1701

1701–1750

Name	Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Served under
Francis Gwyn		1701	1703	The Earl of Rochester
Edward Southwell	75px	1703	1707	The Duke of Ormonde
George Dodington		1707	1708	The Earl of Pembroke
Joseph Addison		1708	1710	The Earl of Wharton
Edward Southwell	75px	1710	1713	The Duke of Ormonde
Sir John Stanley, Bt		1713	1714	The Duke of Shrewsbury
Joseph Addison		1714	1715	The Earl of Sunderland
Martin Bladen and Charles Delafaye		1715	1717
Edward Webster		1717	1720	The Duke of Bolton
Horatio Walpole	75px	1720	1721	The Duke of Grafton
Edward Hopkins		1721	1724	The Duke of Grafton
Thomas Clutterbuck		1724	1730	The Lord Carteret
Walter Cary (also spelt 'Carey')		1730	1737	The Duke of Dorset
Sir Edward Walpole	75px	1737	1739	The Duke of Devonshire
Thomas Townshend		1739	1739	The Duke of Devonshire
Hon. Henry Bilson Legge		1739	1741	The Duke of Devonshire
Viscount Duncannon	75px	1741	1745	The Duke of Devonshire
Richard Liddell		1745	1746	The Earl of Chesterfield
Sewallis Shirley		1746	1746	The Earl of Chesterfield
Edward Weston		1746	1750	The Earl of Harrington

1750–1801

Name	Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Served under
Lord George Sackville		1750	1755	The Duke of Dorset
Hon. Henry Seymour Conway		1755	1757	The Duke of Devonshire
Richard Rigby		1757	1761	The Duke of Bedford
William Gerard Hamilton		1761	1764	The Earl of Halifax; The Earl of Northumberland
The Earl of Drogheda		1764	1765	The Earl of Northumberland
Sir Charles Bunbury		1765	1765	The Viscount Weymouth
Viscount Conway		1765	1766	The Earl of Hertford
Hon. Augustus Hervey	75px	1766	1767^[9]	The Earl of Bristol
Theophilus Jones		1767	1767	The Earl of Bristol
Lord Frederick Campbell		1767	1768	The Viscount Townshend
Sir George Macartney		1769	1772	The Viscount Townshend
Sir John Blaquiere	75px	1772	1776	The Earl Harcourt
Sir Richard Heron		1776	1780	The Earl of Buckinghamshire
William Eden		1780	1782	The Earl of Carlisle
Hon. Richard FitzPatrick		1782	1782	The Duke of Portland
William Grenville		1782	1783	The Earl Temple
William Windham	75px	1783	1783	The Earl of Northington
Hon. Thomas Pelham		1783	1784	The Earl of Northington
Thomas Orde	75px	1784	1787	The Duke of Rutland
Alleyne FitzHerbert		1787	1789	The Marquess of Buckingham
Hon. Robert Hobart		1789	1793	The Marquess of Buckingham; The Earl of Westmorland
Sylvester Douglas	75px	1793	1794	The Earl of Westmorland
Viscount Milton	75px	1794	1795	The Earl FitzWilliam
Hon. Thomas Pelham		1795	1798	The Earl Camden
Viscount Castlereagh		1798	1801	The Marquess Cornwallis

1801–1852

	Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Political party
Charles Abbot	75px	1801	1802	Tory
William Wickham		1802	1804	Tory
Sir Evan Nepean, Bt		1804	1805	Tory
Nicholas Vansittart		1805	1805	Tory
Charles Long		1805	1806	Tory
William Elliot		1806	1807	Whig
Hon. Sir Arthur Wellesley		1807	1809	Tory
Hon. Robert Dundas		1809	1809	Tory
Hon. William Wellesley-Pole	75px	1809	1812	Tory
Robert Peel	75px	1812	1818	Tory
Charles Grant		1818	1821	Tory
Henry Goulburn		1821	1827	Tory
Hon. William Lamb		29 April 1827	21 June 1828	Whig
Lord Francis Leveson-Gower		21 June 1828	30 July 1830	Tory
Sir Henry Hardinge		30 July 1830	15 November 1830	Tory
Hon. Edward Smith-Stanley		29 November 1830	29 March 1833	Whig
Sir John Hobhouse, Bt		29 March 1833	May 1833	Whig
Edward Littleton		May 1833	14 November 1834	Whig
Sir Henry Hardinge		16 December 1834	8 April 1835	Conservative
Viscount Morpeth		22 April 1835	30 August 1841	Whig
Lord Eliot		6 February 1841	1 February 1845	Conservative
Sir Thomas Fremantle, Bt	75px	1 February 1845	14 February 1846	Conservative
The Earl of Lincoln		14 February 1846	June 1846	Conservative
Henry Labouchere	75px	6 July 1846	22 July 1847	Whig
Sir William Somerville, Bt		22 July 1847	21 February 1852	Whig

1852–1900

	Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Political party
Lord Naas		1 March 1852	17 December 1852	Conservative
Sir John Young, Bt		6 January 1853	30 January 1855
Edward Horsman	75px	1 March 1855	27 May 1857	Whig
Henry Arthur Herbert		27 May 1857	21 February 1858	Whig
Lord Naas		4 March 1858	11 June 1859	Conservative
Edward Cardwell		24 June 1859	29 July 1861	Liberal
Sir Robert Peel, Bt	75px	29 July 1861	7 December 1865	Liberal
Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue		7 December 1865	26 June 1866	Liberal
The Earl of Mayo		10 July 1866	29 September 1868	Conservative
John Wilson-Patten	75px	29 September 1868	1 December 1868	Conservative
Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue		16 December 1868	12 January 1871	Liberal
Marquess of Hartington		12 January 1871	17 February 1874	Liberal
Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, Bt		27 February 1874	15 February 1878	Conservative
James Lowther	75px	15 February 1878	21 April 1880	Conservative
William Edward Forster		30 April 1880	6 May 1882	Liberal
Lord Frederick Cavendish	75px	6 May 1882	6 May 1882	Liberal
George Trevelyan		9 May 1882	23 October 1884	Liberal
Henry Campbell-Bannerman		23 October 1884	9 June 1885	Liberal
Sir William Hart Dyke, Bt		25 June 1885	23 January 1886	Conservative
William Henry Smith		23 January 1886	28 January 1886	Conservative
John Morley		6 February 1886	20 July 1886	Liberal
Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, Bt		5 August 1886	7 March 1887	Conservative
Arthur Balfour		7 March 1887	9 November 1891	Conservative
William Jackson		9 November 1891	11 August 1892	Conservative
John Morley	75px	22 August 1892	21 June 1895	Liberal
Gerald Balfour		4 July 1895	9 November 1900	Conservative

1900–1922

	Entered office	Left office	Political party
George Wyndham	9 November 1900	12 March 1905	Conservative
Walter Long	12 March 1905	4 December 1905	Conservative
James Bryce	10 December 1905	23 January 1907	Liberal
Augustine Birrell	23 January 1907	3 May 1916	Liberal
Henry Duke	31 July 1916	5 May 1918	Conservative
Edward Shortt	5 May 1918	10 January 1919	Liberal
Ian Macpherson	10 January 1919	2 April 1920	Liberal
Sir Hamar Greenwood, Bt	2 April 1920	19 October 1922	Liberal

References

↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
↑ Chris Cook and Brendan Keith, British Historical Facts 1830–1900, Macmillan, 1975, pages 45–46
↑ British Political Facts 1900–1994, by David Butler and Gareth Butler (Macmillan Press, 7th edition 1994) Page7.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Handbook of British Chronology calls him 'Sir Edward Waterhouse', but he was not knighted until 1584
↑ Handbook of British Chronology calls him 'Sir Richard Cooke', but he was not knighted until 1603 – see History of Parliament – Member Biographies
↑ knighted 1 May 1622 – see History of Parliament – Member Biographies
↑ 'removed from his offices on 20 January 1688' John Miller, ‘Sheridan, Thomas (1646–1712)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Oct 2006 , accessed 3 Aug 2014
↑ 'Following Sidney's removal as lord lieutenant in 1693 Wyche was appointed one of three lords justices to take over the chief governorship of Ireland.'C. I. McGrath, ‘Wyche, Sir Cyril (c.1632–1707)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 , accessed 3 Aug 2014
↑ In July 1767 he resigned, having quarrelled with his brother over his own continuing attachment to George Grenville. Ruddock Mackay, ‘Hervey, Augustus John, third earl of Bristol (1724–1779)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Sept 2010, accessed 3 Aug 2014

British Historical Facts 1760–1830, by Chris Cook and John Stevenson (The Macmillan Press 1980) ISBN 0-333-21512-5 (includes list of Chief Secretaries on page 31)
British Historical Facts 1830–1900, by Chris Cook and Brendan Keith (The Macmillan Press 1975) ISBN 0-333-13220-3 (includes list of Chief Secretaries on pages 52–53)
Twentieth-Century British Political Facts 1900–2000, by David Butler and Gareth Butler (Macmillan Press, Eighth edition 2000) ISBN 0-333-77222-9 paperback (includes list of Chief Secretaries on page 61)

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[2] Chris Cook and Brendan Keith, British Historical Facts 1830–1900, Macmillan, 1975, pages 45–46

[3] British Political Facts 1900–1994, by David Butler and Gareth Butler (Macmillan Press, 7th edition 1994) Page7.

[EW-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Handbook of British Chronology calls him 'Sir Edward Waterhouse', but he was not knighted until 1584

[5] Handbook of British Chronology calls him 'Sir Richard Cooke', but he was not knighted until 1603 – see History of Parliament – Member Biographies

[6] ted 1 May 1622 – see History of Parliament – Member Biographies

[7] 'removed from his offices on 20 January 1688' John Miller, ‘Sheridan, Thomas (1646–1712)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Oct 2006 , accessed 3 Aug 2014

[8] 'Following Sidney's removal as lord lieutenant in 1693 Wyche was appointed one of three lords justices to take over the chief governorship of Ireland.'C. I. McGrath, ‘Wyche, Sir Cyril (c.1632–1707)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 , accessed 3 Aug 2014

[9] In July 1767 he resigned, having quarrelled with his brother over his own continuing attachment to George Grenville. Ruddock Mackay, ‘Hervey, Augustus John, third earl of Bristol (1724–1779)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Sept 2010, accessed 3 Aug 2014

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List of Chief Secretaries for Ireland

Contents

Chief Secretaries for Ireland

1566–1660

1660–1701

1701–1750

1750–1801

1801–1852

1852–1900

1900–1922

References

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