Whig Junto
Encyclopedia
The Whig Junto is the name given to a group of leading Whigs
who were seen to direct the management of the Whig party and often the government, during the reigns of William III
and Anne
. The Whig Junto proper consisted of John Somers
, later Baron Somers; Charles Montagu
, later Earl of Halifax; Thomas Wharton
, later Marquess of Wharton and Edward Russell
, later Earl of Orford. They came to prominence due to the favour of Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland
and during the reign of Queen Anne, Sunderland's son, the 3rd Earl
joined their ranks. Other figures prominent around the edges of the Junto include Sir John Trenchard
and Thomas Tollemache
.
Somers, Wharton, Russell and Montagu were elected to the House of Commons in 1689 and were granted minor office. Their effectiveness in the Commons brought them Sunderland's attention. The Junto began to dominate the ministry from the time of the resignation of the Tory Secretary of State Lord Nottingham
in 1693, communicating to the King and Sunderland through the Whig Secretary of State, the Duke of Shrewsbury
. As the members of the Junto entered the Lords — Somers was made Lord Keeper in 1693 and was promoted to a barony four years later, Wharton succeeded his father as Baron Wharton in 1696, Russell was created Earl of Orford in 1697 and Montague was created Baron Halifax in 1700 — their hold on the Commons weakened and by 1700 the Junto was largely out of power. In 1701 Somers, Orford and Halifax were impeached but survived the attack and late in the year the Junto seemed set to return to power in order to help the king rally support for the War of the Spanish Succession
.
William's death in March of 1702 delayed their return as Queen Anne
who had High Tory sympathies, detested them and refused to include them in the ministry which was dominated by Tories. With the elder Sunderland dead, the Junto's connections to his son who was the son-in-law of the Queen's favorite the Duke of Marlborough
proved useful as did the Junto's support of the war, in contrast to Tory ambivalence. In 1705 Somers's protégé Lord Cowper
was made Lord Keeper and in 1706 Sunderland became a Secretary of State. After the resignation of Harley
in 1708, Marlborough and his ally the Lord Treasurer Godolphin
became more and more dependent on the Junto, who returned to office with Somers as Lord President, Wharton as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and Orford as First Lord of the Admiralty.
The ministry's increasing dependence on the Junto Whigs caused the Queen's relationship with the Marlboroughs and Godolphin to sour. In 1710 Godolphin and the Junto Whigs were forced from power. The Junto led opposition to the new ministry's peace policy from the House of Lords
, leading to the creation of new peers to prevent this opposition from voting down the peace treaty.
The Junto came back to power after the accession of George I
in 1714 but most of the members died early in the new reign: Wharton and Halifax in 1715, Somers the next year, while Orford and Sunderland soon fell out with each other, with Orford not holding office after 1717.
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
who were seen to direct the management of the Whig party and often the government, during the reigns of William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
and Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
. The Whig Junto proper consisted of John Somers
John Somers, 1st Baron Somers
John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, PC, FRS was an English Whig jurist and statesman. Somers first came to national attention in the trial of the Seven Bishops where he was on the their defence counsel. He published tracts on political topics such as the succession to the crown, where he elaborated his...
, later Baron Somers; Charles Montagu
Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax
Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, KG, PC, FRS was an English poet and statesman.-Early life:Charles Montagu was born in Horton, Northamptonshire, the son of George Montagu, fifth son of 1st Earl of Manchester...
, later Earl of Halifax; Thomas Wharton
Thomas Wharton, 1st Marquess of Wharton
Thomas Wharton, 1st Marquess of Wharton PC was an English nobleman and politician. He was the son of Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton and his second wife, Jane Goodwin, only daughter of Colonel Arthur Goodwin of Upper Winchendon, Buckinghamshire, and heiress to the extensive Goodwin estates in...
, later Marquess of Wharton and Edward Russell
Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford
Admiral of the Fleet Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford, PC was the First Lord of the Admiralty under King William III.-Naval career:...
, later Earl of Orford. They came to prominence due to the favour of Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland
Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland
Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland KG, PC was an English statesman and nobleman.-Life:Born in Paris, son of Henry Spencer, 1st Earl of Sunderland, Spencer inherited his father's peerage dignities at the age of three, becoming Baron Spencer of Wormleighton and Earl of Sunderland...
and during the reign of Queen Anne, Sunderland's son, the 3rd Earl
Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland
Sir Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland KG PC , known as Lord Spencer from 1688 to 1702, was an English statesman...
joined their ranks. Other figures prominent around the edges of the Junto include Sir John Trenchard
John Trenchard (Secretary of State)
Sir John Trenchard was an English politician belonging to an old Dorset family. His father was Thomas Trenchard of Wolverton , and his grandfather was Sir Thomas Trenchard of Wolverton...
and Thomas Tollemache
Thomas Tollemache
Thomas Tollemache was an English soldier; the second son of Sir Lionel Tollemache of Helmingham, Suffolk and his wife, Elizabeth, 2nd Countess of Dysart....
.
Somers, Wharton, Russell and Montagu were elected to the House of Commons in 1689 and were granted minor office. Their effectiveness in the Commons brought them Sunderland's attention. The Junto began to dominate the ministry from the time of the resignation of the Tory Secretary of State Lord Nottingham
Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham
Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham, 7th Earl of Winchilsea PC , was an English Tory statesman during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.-Early life:...
in 1693, communicating to the King and Sunderland through the Whig Secretary of State, the Duke of Shrewsbury
Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury
Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury, KG, PC was an English statesman. Born to Roman Catholic parents, he remained in that faith until 1679 when—during the time of the Popish Plot and following the advice of the divine John Tillotson—he converted to the Church of England...
. As the members of the Junto entered the Lords — Somers was made Lord Keeper in 1693 and was promoted to a barony four years later, Wharton succeeded his father as Baron Wharton in 1696, Russell was created Earl of Orford in 1697 and Montague was created Baron Halifax in 1700 — their hold on the Commons weakened and by 1700 the Junto was largely out of power. In 1701 Somers, Orford and Halifax were impeached but survived the attack and late in the year the Junto seemed set to return to power in order to help the king rally support for the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
.
William's death in March of 1702 delayed their return as Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
who had High Tory sympathies, detested them and refused to include them in the ministry which was dominated by Tories. With the elder Sunderland dead, the Junto's connections to his son who was the son-in-law of the Queen's favorite the Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
proved useful as did the Junto's support of the war, in contrast to Tory ambivalence. In 1705 Somers's protégé Lord Cowper
William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper
William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper PC KC FRS was an English politician who became the first Lord Chancellor of Great Britain. Cowper was the son of Sir William Cowper, 2nd Baronet, of Ratling Court, Kent, a Whig member of parliament of some mark in the two last Stuart reigns...
was made Lord Keeper and in 1706 Sunderland became a Secretary of State. After the resignation of Harley
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer KG was a British politician and statesman of the late Stuart and early Georgian periods. He began his career as a Whig, before defecting to a new Tory Ministry. Between 1711 and 1714 he served as First Lord of the Treasury, effectively Queen...
in 1708, Marlborough and his ally the Lord Treasurer Godolphin
Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin
Sir Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, KG, PC was a leading English politician of the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
became more and more dependent on the Junto, who returned to office with Somers as Lord President, Wharton as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and Orford as First Lord of the Admiralty.
The ministry's increasing dependence on the Junto Whigs caused the Queen's relationship with the Marlboroughs and Godolphin to sour. In 1710 Godolphin and the Junto Whigs were forced from power. The Junto led opposition to the new ministry's peace policy from the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, leading to the creation of new peers to prevent this opposition from voting down the peace treaty.
The Junto came back to power after the accession of George I
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
in 1714 but most of the members died early in the new reign: Wharton and Halifax in 1715, Somers the next year, while Orford and Sunderland soon fell out with each other, with Orford not holding office after 1717.