In late-eighteenth century Britain, during the administrations of Lord North (1770-1782) and the first government of William Pitt the Younger (1783-1801), the clergy were one of the foremost of the Hanoverian professions. Its patronage was a source of interest to the King, politicians, the landed elite and the universities. By concentrating on the appointments of clergy below the bench of bishops, this book gives a clear account of the complex relationships and criteria which underlay patronage networks. The first case study highlights how one family, the Yorke earls of Hardwicke, could dominate ecclesiastical life in Cambridgeshire through adherence to administration. Much scholarly attention has focused on the first earl of Hardwicke. This chapter looks at his two successors in the earldom. The second case study sheds light on a family with lesser influence than the Yorkes - the Harrises. This case study looks at their everyday interests in Church patronage, linked to their parliamentary affairs at Christchurch and public careers. The chapter provides a stark contrast to the influence of the Yorkes.
The final two case studies look at two individuals who had a hand in distributing the Crown's ecclesiastical patronage. The third case study, Charles Jenkinson, highlights the distribution of Church patronage under Lord North, something which has never been looked at in any detail before. Jenkinson would also later become an ecclesiastical patron under Pitt. The final case study looks at George Pretyman, bishop of Lincoln, as theologian and government adviser to his friend Pitt. He effectively became an unofficial member of Pitt's government. He also used his position to attack the Calvinist Evangelicals within his own Church, which brought him into conflict with William Wilberforce.