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The 'First Lord of the Treasury' is the head of the commission exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom, usually but not always the Prime Minister. Currently, it is held by Gordon Brown

Contents

Lords of the Treasury

Official residences

List of First Lords of the Treasury, 1714–1905

See also

References

Lords of the Treasury

Beginning in the 17th century, the Treasury was frequently entrusted to a commission, rather than to a single individual, and after 1714, it was always in commission. The commissioners were referred to as 'Lords Commissioners of the Treasury', and given a number based on seniority. Eventually, the 'First Lord of the Treasury' came to be seen as the natural head of any ministry, and, from Robert Walpole on, began to be known, unofficially, as the prime minister. Indeed, the term Prime Minister was sometimes used in a derogatory way. 'Prime minister' was first used officially in a royal warrant in 1905.
Before 1827, the First Lord of the Treasury, when a commoner, also held the office of 'Chancellor of the Exchequer', while if the First Lord was a peer, the Second Lord would usually serve as Chancellor. Since 1827, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has always been Second Lord of the Treasury when he has not also been the Prime Minister. By convention, the other Lords Commissioners of the Treasury are Government Whips in the House of Commons.

Official residences

Contrary to popular belief, 10 Downing Street is the residence of the First Lord of the Treasury, not the prime minister. There is in fact no prime ministerial residence apart from Chequers, a country house in Buckinghamshire used as a weekend and holiday home; however, all modern prime ministers have simultaneously been First Lord of the Treasury, so 10 Downing Street has come to be identified closely with the premiership.
Similarly, 11 Downing Street is the residence of the Second Lord of the Treasury, not the residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. As all chancellors since 1755 who were not themselves prime minister have also been Second Lord, people often wrongly presume that 11 Downing Street is the Chancellor's residence.

List of First Lords of the Treasury, 1714–1905

''Much of this list overlaps with the list of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, but there are some notable differences. Those First Lords who were simultaneously Prime Minister, are indicated by 'bold typeface'. For earlier Lord Treasurers and First Lords, see List of Lord Treasurers. ''

Name		Entered office	Left office	Political party
	Earl of Halifax	13 October 1714	19 May 1715	Whig
	Earl of Carlisle	23 May 1715	10 October 1715	Whig
	Robert Walpole	10 October 1715	12 April 1717	Whig
	Earl Stanhope	12 April 1717	21 March 1718	Whig
	Earl of Sunderland	21 March 1718	4 April 1721	Whig
	'Sir Robert Walpole'	4 April 1721	11 February 1742	Whig
	'Earl of Wilmington'	16 February 1742	2 July 1743	Whig
	'Henry Pelham'	27 August 1743	6 March 1754	Whig
	'Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne'	16 March 1754	16 November 1756	Whig
	'Duke of Devonshire'	16 November 1756	25 June 1757	Whig
	'Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne'	2 July 1757	26 May 1762	Whig
	'Earl of Bute'	26 May 1762	16 April 1763	Tory
	'George Grenville'	16 April 1763	13 July 1765	Whig
	'Marquess of Rockingham'	13 July 1765	30 July 1766	Whig
	''Duke of Grafton''[1]	30 July 1766	28 January 1770	Whig
	'Lord North'	28 January 1770	22 March 1782	Tory
	'Marquess of Rockingham'	27 March 1782	1 July 1782	Whig
	'Earl of Shelburne'	4 July 1782	2 April 1783	Whig
	'Duke of Portland'	2 April 1783	19 December 1783	Whig
	'William Pitt the Younger'	19 December 1783	14 March 1801	Tory
	'Henry Addington'	17 March 1801	10 May 1804	Tory
	'William Pitt the Younger'	10 May 1804	23 January 1806	Tory
	'Lord Grenville'	11 February 1806	31 March 1807	Whig
	'Duke of Portland'	31 March 1807	4 October 1809	Whig
	'Spencer Perceval'	4 October 1809	11 May 1812	Tory
	'Earl of Liverpool'	9 June 1812	10 April 1827	Tory
	'George Canning'	10 April 1827	8 August 1827	Tory
	'Viscount Goderich'	31 August 1827	22 January 1828	Tory
	'Duke of Wellington'	22 January 1828	22 November 1830	Tory
	'Earl Grey'	22 November 1830	16 July 1834	Whig
	'Viscount Melbourne'	16 July 1834	17 November 1834	Whig
	'Sir Robert Peel'	10 December 1834	8 April 1835	Tory
	'Viscount Melbourne'	18 April 1835	30 August 1841	Whig
	'Sir Robert Peel'	30 August 1841	29 June 1846	Conservative
	'Lord John Russell'	30 June 1846	23 February 1852	Whig
	'Earl of Derby'	23 February 1852	19 December 1852	Conservative
	'Earl of Aberdeen'	19 December 1852	6 February 1855	Peelite
	'Viscount Palmerston'	6 February 1855	20 February 1858	Liberal
	'Earl of Derby'	20 February 1858	12 June 1859	Conservative
	'Viscount Palmerston'	12 June 1859	18 October 1865	Liberal
	'Earl Russell'	29 October 1865	28 June 1866	Liberal
	'Earl of Derby'	28 June 1866	27 February 1868	Conservative
	'Benjamin Disraeli'	27 February 1868	3 December 1868	Conservative
	'William Ewart Gladstone'	3 December 1868	20 February 1874	Liberal
	'Benjamin Disraeli' ''(from 1876 as Earl of Beaconsfield)''	20 February 1874	23 April 1880	Conservative
	'William Ewart Gladstone'	23 April 1880	23 June 1885	Liberal
	Earl of Iddesleigh	29 June 1885	1 February 1886	Conservative
	'William Ewart Gladstone'	1 February 1886	25 July 1886	Liberal
	'''Marquess of Salisbury'''[2]	3 August 1886	14 January 1887	Conservative
	William Henry Smith	14 January 1887	6 October 1891	Conservative
	Arthur Balfour	6 October 1891	15 August 1892	Conservative
	'William Ewart Gladstone'	15 August 1892	5 March 1894	Liberal
	'Earl of Rosebery'	5 March 1894	25 June 1895	Liberal
	''Arthur Balfour''[3]	25 June 1895	5 December 1905	Conservative

''thereafter the First Lord of the Treasury has always been identical to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom''

See also

★ List of Commissioners of the Treasury

★ Secretary to the Treasury

★ Chancellor of the Exchequer (the title held by the British cabinet minister responsible for all financial matters).

★ Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer

★ UK topics

References

★ E.B. Fryde, D.E. Greenway, S. Porter, and I. Roy, ed. ''Handbook of British Chronology'', 3rd Edition

★ Haydn, Joseph Timothy. ''The Book of Dignities'' (1894)
1. Grafton was also Prime Minister from 14 October 1768
2. Salisbury was also Prime Minister until 11 August 1892
3. Balfour was also Prime Minister from 11 July 1902 onwards''