Pitt–Newcastle ministry
The Pitt–Newcastle ministry governed the Kingdom of Great Britain between 1757 and 1762, at the height of the Seven Years' War. It was headed by Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, who was serving in his second term as Prime Minister. The most influential and famous figure in the government however was William Pitt, who served as Secretary of State.
The ministry ended a period of political instability, when Britain had struggled in the war. Pitt was a strong war leader, but lacked the support in parliament necessary to provide effective leadership. Newcastle provided this, as he has a strong base of support in the House of Commons. They divided duties between them: Pitt directed defence and foreign policy, while Newcastle controlled the nation's finances and patronage.
The ministry was very successful leading Britain to many victories in the war, particularly in the so-called Annus Mirabilis of 1759, which put the country in an immensely strong position by 1761. That year Pitt resigned over a dispute concerning the entry of Spain into the war. The ministry had been under pressure since the death of the old King with the accession of King George III, who disliked both Pitt and Newcastle and favoured John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute. Bute had joined the Cabinet as Northern Secretary in March 1761, and following Pitt's resignation the ministry was sometimes referred to as the Bute-Newcastle coalition.
In 1762 Newcastle was forced to resign, with his followers sacked by Bute in the "Massacre of the Pelhamite Innocents"; this is traditionally considered to have been the moment the ministry collapsed.
The Ministry
It is unclear who was member of the ministry.| Office | Name | Term |
| The Duke of Newcastle | 1757–1762 | |
| Hon. Henry Bilson Legge | 1757–1761 | |
| The Viscount Barrington | 1761–1762 | |
| Lord Chancellor | Sir Robert Henley, to 1761 as Lord Keeper; from 1760 The Lord Henley | 1757–1762 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Earl Granville | 1757–1762 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Earl Temple | 1757–1761 |
| Lord Privy Seal | In commission | 1761 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Duke of Bedford | 1761–1762 |
| Leader of the House of Commons | William Pitt the Elder | 1757–1761 |
| Leader of the House of Commons | George Grenville, also Treasurer of the Navy | 1761–1762 |
| Secretary of State for the Southern Department | William Pitt the Elder | 1757–1761 |
| Secretary of State for the Southern Department | The Earl of Egremont | 1761–1762 |
| Secretary of State for the Northern Department | The Earl of Holderness | 1757–1761 |
| Secretary of State for the Northern Department | The Earl of Bute | 1761–1762 |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | The Duke of Marlborough | 1757–1758 |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | Vacant | 1758–1759 |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | The Viscount Ligonier | 1759–1762 |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | The Lord Anson | 1757–1762 |
| Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland | The Duke of Argyll | 1757–1761 |
| Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland | The Duke of Queensberry and Dover | 1761–1762 |
| Lord Chamberlain of the Household | The Duke of Devonshire | 1757–1762 |
| Lord Steward of the Household | The Duke of Rutland | 1757–1761 |
| Lord Steward of the Household | The Earl Talbot | 1761–1762 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | The Lord Edgcumbe | 1757–1758 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | The Earl of Kinnoull | 1758/59-1762 |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | The Duke of Bedford | 1757–1761 |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | The Earl of Halifax | 1761–1762 |
| Master of the Horse | The Earl Gower | 1757–1760 |
| Master of the Horse | The Earl of Huntingdon | 1760–1761 |
| Master of the Horse | The Duke of Rutland | 1761–1762 |
| Paymaster of the Forces | The Lord Holland | 1757–1765 |