Past Prime Ministers
NicknameGentle Shepherd
Born 14 October 1712, Wotton Buckinghamshire
Died 13 November 1770, Bolton St Piccadilly London
Dates in office August 1763 - 10 July 1765
Political party Whig
Major acts
The Navy Act 1758 - to speed up the payment of seamen’s wages and enable them to send a portion home to their families.
The Stamp Act 1765 - required all legal documents, licenses, commercial contracts, newspapers, pamphlets, and playing cards to carry a tax stamp.
The Parliamentary Elections Act 1770 - aka The Grenville Act – transferred the power of trying election petitions from the House of Commons to a small committee of MPs selected by lot
Interesting facts
He had a difficult relationship with George III, who eventually removed him from office. The King complained that;
‘When he has wearied me for two hours, he looks at his watch, to see if he may not tire me for an hour more’
George Grenville
1763 - 1765
“A wise government knows how to enforce with temper, or to conciliate with dignity.”
George Grenville had a perfect PM pedigree, being descended from a political family. However, he was not a success due to King George III’s dislike of him. He had to govern under the widespread perception that the King was still listening more to the advice of Grenville’s predecessor, the Earl of Bute.
He was also handicapped at first by the difficulty of having George III intervene in Parliamentary affairs. Eventually he delivered the King an ultimatum which secured him greater independence in his role.
His premiership was full of problems. His prosecution of MP John Wilkes for seditious libel against the King and Bute made him unpopular – Grenville was seen as a threat to the liberty of the people and the press.
He attempted to regain favour by lowering domestic taxes at the expense of the colonies, introducing the Stamp Act in 1765. The laws gave rise to widespread protests in America that eventually boiled over into the War for Independence.
Riotous times
There was also a riot by English weavers protesting against imported silk, for which George III blamed Grenvillle.
Grenville’s fate was sealed when he fell out with King George III over the matter of who should rule for the King in the event of a deterioration of his mental health – Grenville tried to remove Queen Caroline, the King’s mother, from the list because of her friendship with Bute.
It led to the King sacking him – a rare event in British history. He died of a blood disorder in 1770.