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Portrait of Duke of Portland

Prime Ministers · 18th century

Duke of Portland

1738–1809 · English

Whig

In office: 1783; 1807–1809

William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, was twice Prime Minister, 24 years apart. In 1783 he was nominal head of the Fox–North coalition, dismissed by George III after the defeat of Fox's India Bill; in 1794 he led the conservative 'Portland Whigs' into Pitt's government; and his second ministry (1807–09) saw the bombardment of Copenhagen, the start of the Peninsular War and the feud between Canning and Castlereagh.

How to spot them

  • ▸Nominal head of the Fox–North coalition (1783)
  • ▸Led the Portland Whigs into coalition with Pitt in 1794; Home Secretary
  • ▸Second ministry: Copenhagen 1807, Peninsular War, Canning–Castlereagh duel
  • ▸The Portland Vase, copied by Josiah Wedgwood; Welbeck Abbey

In office

The Fox–North coalition (1783)

Nominal head of the alliance of Charles James Fox and Lord North

Fox's East India Bill defeated in the Lords after the King's intervention (1783)

George III let it be known that anyone voting for it was his enemy, then dismissed the ministry

Bombardment of Copenhagen and seizure of the Danish fleet (1807)

Pre-emptive strike to stop Napoleon gaining Denmark's navy

Start of the Peninsular War (1808)

British forces sent to Portugal to fight Napoleon's armies

Cabinet feud ending in the Canning–Castlereagh duel (1809)

Two of his ministers fought on Putney Heath as his government collapsed

Loan of the Portland Vase to Josiah Wedgwood for copying (1786)

The Roman cameo-glass vase, bought by his mother, is now in the British Museum

Quick-fire facts

  • •Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1782
  • •Home Secretary under Pitt from 1794 to 1801
  • •Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1792
  • •Resigned after a stroke in 1809 and died weeks later, on 30 October
  • •His family seat was Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire

Drill it — 6 cards

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Sources