Clarendon Ministry

The Clarendon Ministry was forged out of the royalist camp of Charles II, who was returned to the throne (the English Restoration) in 1660. Two years previously, Lord Hyde (later Earl of Clarendon) had been appointed Lord Chancellor, and in 1660, he was joined by several other powerful statesmen, including the heir presumptive of the English throne, the Duke of York. After the Second Anglo-Dutch War, however, Charles lost confidence in his ministers, and in 1667, five statesmen took cooperative power in the Cabal Ministry.

Lord Clarendon was impeached by the House of Commons and forced to flee; the Duke of Albemarle sold his position to George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham; and Sir George Carteret simply left his position, eventually being forced out of the House two years later.

Committee for Foreign Affairs

The Privy Council Committee for Foreign Affairs served as the Ministry; other significant statesmen not in the committee are listed in the next section. As the name of the ministry would suggest, Lord Clarendon (earlier Lord Hyde) was, in effect, the leader of the government.

Office	Name	Term	Notes
Lord Chancellor	The Lord Hyde	1660–1667	appointed 1658; created Earl of Clarendon in 1661
Lord High Treasurer	The Earl of Southampton	1660–1667	died before government was dissolved
Lord Steward	The Duke of Ormonde	1660–1667	also Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1662–1668)
Master of the Horse	The Duke of Albemarle	1660–1667	also Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1660–1662)
Southern Secretary	Sir Edward Nicholas	1660–1662	appointed 1654
	Sir Henry Bennet, Bt.	1662–1667	created Baron Arlington in 1664
Northern Secretary	Sir William Morice	1660–1667	created a baronet in 1661
Secretary to the Admiralty	Sir William Coventry	1665–1667

Ministers not in Committee

Office	Name	Term	Notes
Lord Privy Seal	The Lord Robartes	1661–1667
Lord High Admiral	Prince James, Duke of York	1660–1667
Lord Chamberlain	The Earl of Manchester	1660–1667
Secretary of State for Scotland	The Earl of Lauderdale	1660–1667
Chancellor of the Exchequer	The Lord Ashley	1661–1667
Treasurer of the Navy	Sir George Carteret, Bt.	1660–1667	also Vice-Chamberlain of the Household