Southern Department (Great Britain)
Foreign Office | |
Jurisdiction | Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Great Britain |
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Minister responsible |
The Southern Department was a department of the government of the
History
The department was initially established in 1660. It had a variety of responsibilities, including Irish policy, the Channel Islands, and foreign affairs concerning southern European powers such as France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Italian states, Greece and the Ottoman Empire.[2] Colonial policy was also the responsibility of the Southern Department until 1768, at which time it was assigned to the newly created Secretary of State for the Colonies. Domestic affairs in England and Wales were shared indifferently between the Southern and Northern Departments. Scotland, which joined with England into the Kingdom of Great Britain after 1707, was at times represented by a separate Secretary of State for Scotland, though at others (1725–1741 and 1746–1782) it too was represented by the Northern and Southern Departments.[3]
It was administered by the
See also
- Northern Department
- Secretaries of State for the Southern Department
- Secretaries of State for the Northern Department
- Secretary of State (England)
References
- ^ Sainty, J. C. "Lists of appointments British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Originally published by University of London, London, 1973. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
- ^ Thompson (1932), p. 2
- ^ Thompson (1932), pp. 37ff
Bibliography
- Thomson, Mark A. (1932). The Secretaries of State: 1681-1782. London: Frank Cass.