St. Alban's Tavern group
The St. Alban's Tavern group was an informal association of 78 British Members of Parliament who aimed to bring about a reconciliation of William Pitt the Younger and Charles James Fox in a unified Ministry. They were named after the St. Alban's Tavern where the members met from January 1784.
Background
The group were largely composed of 'independent country gentlemen' who held themselves free from party allegiance. On 26 January 1784 the group came to a resolution "to support the party who should in the present distracted moment manifest a disposition to union". Given the weakness of Pitt's government, which was in a minority in the House of Commons, he accepted the group's proposition but insisted that a government must be formed "with principle and honour". Fox spoke through the Duke of Portland, who had been titular Prime Minister during the Fox-North Coalition: the Duke insisted that Pitt had come to power through unconstitutional means, and therefore must first resign before a new Ministry was appointed.
In reality, neither Pitt nor Fox believed the group had any prospect of success, but both felt obliged to treat them with respect. Possibly in ignorance of the personal bitterness between Pitt and Fox, the promoters of reconciliation are described as "well-meaning and naive" by the History of Parliament. The failure of negotiations left the group itself split, with 45 members supporting Pitt and 30 supporting Fox.
Members of the group
The membership of the group was published in the Annual Register for 1784. Analysis in the introductory survey to the History of Parliament 1754-1790 indicates that five of the 78 were from Scottish constituencies, and a large proportion of the members were returned from English counties. The leader was Thomas Grosvenor, MP for Chester, who on 2 February 1784 successfully moved a House of Commons motion which called "for a firm, efficient, extended and united Administration". The members of the group were:
| Member | Constituency | First elected |
Francis Annesley. | Reading | 1774 |
Sir John Barrington, Bt. | Newtown (Isle of Wight) | 1780 |
Hon. George Cranfield Berkeley | Gloucester | 1783 |
Richard Wilbraham-Bootle. | Chester | 1761 |
Hon. William Henry Bouverie | Salisbury | |
Thomas Berney Bramston. | Essex | 1779 |
The Viscount Bulkeley | Anglesey | 1774 |
John Buller. | West Looe | 1768 |
Sir George Cornewall, Bt | Herefordshire | 1774 |
Sir Robert Salusbury Cotton, Bt | Cheshire | 1780 |
John Dawes. | Tregony | 1780 |
Thomas, Baron Dimsdale | Hertford | 1780 |
William Drake, Jr. | Amersham | 1768 |
George Keith Elphinstone | Dunbartonshire | 1781 |
Earl of Euston | Thetford | 1782 |
William Ewer. | Dorchester | 1765 |
Archibald Campbell Fraser | Inverness-shire | 1782 |
Thomas Gilbert. | Lichfield | 1763 |
Ambrose Goddard. | Wiltshire | 1772 |
George Graham. | Kinross-shire | 1780 |
Sir Henry Gough | Bramber | 1774 |
Thomas Grosvenor | Chester | 1755 |
(Sir) Benjamin Hammet | Taunton | 1782 |
Thomas Harley | Herefordshire | 1761 |
| E. Hervey, esq. | ||
Sir Harry Hoghton, Bt | Preston | 1768 |
Arthur Holdsworth | Dartmouth | 1780 |
Filmer Honywood | Kent | 1774 |
Sir Richard Hotham | Southwark | 1780 |
Sir George Howard | Stamford | 1761 |
William Hussey. | Salisbury | 1765 |
Benjamin Keene | Cambridge | 1776 |
Thomas Kemp | Lewes | 1780 |
Richard Payne Knight | Leominster | 1780 |
Sir Robert Lawley, Bt | Warwickshire | 1780 |
Sir William Lemon | Cornwall | 1770 |
James Tylney Long | Devizes | 1762 |
Lieutenant the Hon. James Luttrell | Stockbridge | 1775 |
Hon General Luttrell | Bossiney | 1768 |
William Lygon | Worcestershire | 1775 |
Sir Horatio Mann | Maidstone | 1774 |
Hon. Charles Marsham Bt | Kent | 1768 |
Sir Joseph Mawbey, Bt | Surrey | 1761 |
Sir Roger Mostyn, Bt | Flintshire | 1758 |
John Parry | Caernarvonshire | 1780 |
Henry Peirse (younger) | Northallerton | 1774 |
William Pochin | Leicestershire | 1780 |
Thomas Powys | Northamptonshire | 1774 |
William Praed | St Ives | 1774 |
John Purling | Weymouth and Melcombe Regis | 1770 |
Sir Walter Rawlinson | Queenborough | 1774 |
Abraham Rawlinson | Lancaster | 1780 |
Henry Rawlinson | Liverpool | 1780 |
Sir Matthew White Ridley, Bt | Newcastle-upon-Tyne | 1768 |
John Rolle | Devon | 1780 |
Charles Boughton | Evesham | 1780 |
Thomas Scott | Bridport | 1780 |
Sir George Shuckburgh, Bt | Warwickshire | 1780 |
Humphrey Sibthorp | Boston | 1777 |
John Sinclair | Caithness | 1780 |
Sir Thomas Skipwith | Steyning | 1769 |
William Charles Sloper | St Albans | 1780 |
Robert Smith | Nottingham | 1779 |
Sir Robert Smyth, Bt | Colchester | 1774 |
John Smyth | Pontefract | 1783 |
Walter Spencer Stanhope | Haslemere | 1775 |
Thomas Stanley | Lancashire | 1780 |
John Strutt | Maldon | 1774 |
Hon. John Manners-Sutton | Newark | 1783 |
Clement Taylor | Maidstone | 1780 |
John Tempest | Durham (County) | 1762 |
Robert Thistlethwayte | Hampshire | 1780 |
Beilby Thompson | Thirsk | 1768 |
Sir John Trevelyan, Bt | Somerset | 1777 |
Thomas Whitmore | Bridgnorth | 1771 |
Sir John Borlase Warren | Great Marlow | 1774 |
John Eardley Wilmot | Tiverton | 1776 |
Glyn Wynn | Caernarvon Boroughs | 1768 |
References
- History of Parliament 1754-1790
Annual Register, 1784, p. 268-269
