Editing Robert Walpole (section)

===Decline===
[[File:The Stature of a Great Man or the English Colossus cph.3b03411.jpg|thumb|upright|1740 political cartoon depicting Walpole as the [[Colossus of Rhodes]], alluding to his reluctance to engage Spain and France militarily]]
[[File:The Solicitor Committed, or the Dumb Screen (BM 1868,0808.3700).jpg|thumb|Satire on [[Nicholas Paxton]], solicitor to the Treasury, and his refusal to answer questions from the Committee of Secrecy enquiring into the conduct of Robert Walpole.]]
The year 1737 saw the death of Walpole's close friend [[Caroline of Ansbach|Queen Caroline]]. Though her death did not end his personal influence with George&nbsp;II, who had grown loyal to the Prime Minister during the preceding years, Walpole's domination of government continued to decline. His opponents acquired a vocal leader in the [[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Prince of Wales]] who was estranged from his father, the King. Several young politicians including [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William Pitt the Elder]] and [[George Grenville]] formed a faction known as the "[[Patriot Whigs|Patriot Boys]]" and joined the Prince of Wales in opposition.<ref>{{cite book |first=Keith |last=Laybourn |author-link=Keith Laybourn |year=2001 |title=British Political Leaders: A biographical dictionary |publisher=ABC-CLIO |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=IolLcc5htJoC&pg=PA319 319]–320}}</ref>

Walpole's failure to maintain a policy of avoiding military conflict eventually led to his fall from power.<ref>{{cite book |first=J.H. |last=Plumb |year=1960 |title=Sir Robert Walpole; the Making of a Statesman: The King's Minister |publisher=Cresset Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=brYNAQAAMAAJ}}</ref>{{page needed|date=March 2014}} Under the [[Treaty of Seville (1729)]], Great Britain agreed not to trade with the Spanish colonies in North America. Spain claimed the right to board and search British vessels to ensure compliance with this provision. Disputes, however, broke out over trade with the [[West Indies]].{{citation needed|date=August 2019}} Walpole attempted to prevent war but was opposed by the King, the House of Commons, and by a faction in his own Cabinet. In 1739 Walpole abandoned all efforts to stop the conflict and commenced the [[War of Jenkins' Ear]] (so called because [[Robert Jenkins (master mariner)|Robert Jenkins]], a Welsh mariner, claimed that a Spaniard inspecting his vessel had severed his ear).{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}

Walpole's influence continued to dramatically decline even after the war began. In the [[1741 British general election|1741 general election]] his supporters secured an increase in votes in constituencies that were decided by mass electorates but failed to win in many [[rotten borough|pocket boroughs]] (constituencies subject to the informal but strong influence of patrons). In general, the government made gains in England and [[Wales]] but this was not enough to overturn the reverses of the [[1734 British general election|1734 election]] and further losses in [[Cornwall]] where many constituencies were obedient to the will of the Prince of Wales (who was also [[Duke of Cornwall]]). These constituencies returned members of parliament hostile to the Prime Minister. Similarly, the influence of the [[John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll|Duke of Argyll]] secured the election of members opposed to Walpole in some parts of Scotland. Walpole's new majority was difficult to determine because of the uncertain loyalties of many new members, but contemporaries and historians estimated it as low as fourteen to eighteen.<ref>{{cite book |last=Speck |first=W. A. |year=1977 |title=Stability and Strife: England, 1714–1760 |publisher=Harvard U. Press |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=mKVPUNbbeUEC&pg=PA235 235]–238}}</ref>

In the new Parliament, many Whigs thought the ageing Prime Minister incapable of leading the military campaign. Moreover, his majority was not as strong as it had formerly been, his detractors – such as William Pulteney, earl of Bath, and Lord Perceval – being approximately as numerous as his supporters. Behind these political enemies were opposition Whigs, Tories and Jacobites. Walpole was alleged to have presided over an immense increase in corruption and to have enriched himself enormously whilst in office. Parliamentary committees were formed to investigate these charges.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Sir Robert Walpole |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/history/past-prime-ministers/robert-walpole |access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref> In 1742 when the House of Commons was prepared to determine the validity of a by-election in [[Chippenham (UK Parliament constituency)|Chippenham]], Walpole and others agreed to treat the issue as a [[motion of no confidence]]. As Walpole was defeated on the vote, he agreed to resign from the Government. The news of the naval disaster against Spain in the [[Battle of Cartagena de Indias]] also prompted the end of his political career. King George&nbsp;II wept on his resignation and begged to see him frequently.<ref name=Brtna-primes>{{cite web |title=British Prime Ministers: Sir Robert Walpole |website=britannia.com |url=http://www.britannia.com/gov/primes/prime1.html |access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref> As part of his resignation the King agreed to elevate him to the House of Lords as the [[Earl of Orford]], Viscount Walpole and [[Baron Walpole]] of Houghton in the County of Norfolk, this occurred on 6 February 1742. Five days later he formally relinquished the seals of office.<ref name=Langford-1998>{{cite book |first=Paul |last=Langford |year=1998 |title=A Polite and Commercial People: England, 1727–1783 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref>{{rp|style=ama|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=9-b81opKYREC&pg=PA56 56]}}

Although no longer First Lord of the Treasury, Walpole remained politically involved as an advisor. His former colleagues were still pleased to see him, perhaps in part because he retained the king's favour. After his resignation, his main political roles were to support the government by means of advice, to dole out some patronage and to speak on the ministry's behalf in the Lords.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Oates, Jonathan |year=2006 |title=Sir Robert Walpole after his Fall from Power, 1742–1745 |journal=History |volume=91 |issue=302 |pages=218–230|doi=10.1111/j.1468-229X.2006.00364.x }}</ref>