Editing Robert Walpole (section)

== Early career ==
===Political career===
Walpole's political career began in January 1701 when he won a seat in the [[January 1701 English general election|English general election]] at [[Castle Rising (UK Parliament constituency)|Castle Rising]] in Norfolk. He left Castle Rising in 1702 so that he could represent the neighbouring borough of [[King's Lynn (UK Parliament constituency)|King's Lynn]], a [[pocket borough]] that would re-elect him for the remainder of his political career. Voters and politicians nicknamed him "Robin".{{sfnp|Leadam|1899|p=180}}

Like his father, Robert Walpole was a member of the [[Whigs (British political party)|Whig Party]].{{sfnp|Leadam|1899|pp=180, 181}} In 1705, Walpole was appointed by [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]] to be a member of the council for her husband, [[Prince George of Denmark]], [[British Admiralty|Lord High Admiral]]. After having been singled out in a struggle between the Whigs and the government, Walpole became the intermediary for reconciling the government to the Whig leaders. His abilities were recognised by [[Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin|Lord Godolphin]] (the [[Lord High Treasurer]] and leader of the Cabinet) and he was subsequently appointed to the position of [[Secretary at War]] in 1708; for a short period of time in 1710 he also simultaneously held the post of [[Treasurer of the Navy]].{{sfnp|Leadam|1899|pp=181–182}}

Despite his personal clout, however, Walpole could not stop Lord Godolphin and the Whigs from pressing for the prosecution of [[Henry Sacheverell]], a minister who preached anti-Whig sermons. The trial was extremely unpopular with much of the country, causing the [[Sacheverell riots]], and was followed by the downfall of the [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Duke of Marlborough]] and the Whig Party in the general election of 1710. The new ministry, under the leadership of the Tory [[Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer|Robert Harley]], removed Walpole from his office of Secretary at War but he remained Treasurer of the Navy until 2 January 1711. Harley had first attempted to entice him and then threatened him to join the [[Tories (British political party)|Tories]], but Walpole rejected the offers, instead becoming one of the most outspoken members of the Whig Opposition. He effectively defended Lord Godolphin against Tory attacks in parliamentary debate, as well as in the press.<ref>{{cite book |author=Speck, W. T. |year=1977 |title=Stability and Strife: England 1714–1760 |pages=206–209}}</ref>

In 1712, Walpole was accused of [[venality]] and corruption in the matter of two forage contracts for Scotland. Although it was proven that he had retained none of the money, Walpole was pronounced "guilty of a high breach of trust and notorious corruption".{{sfnp|Leadam|1899|p=183}} He was impeached by the House of Commons and found guilty by the [[House of Lords]]; he was then imprisoned in the [[Tower of London]] for six months and expelled from Parliament. While in the Tower he was regarded as a political martyr, and visited by all the Whig leaders. After he was released, Walpole wrote and published anonymous pamphlets attacking the Harley ministry and assisted Sir [[Richard Steele]] in crafting political pamphlets. Walpole was re-elected for King's Lynn in 1713.{{sfnp|Leadam|1899|p=183}}

===Stanhope–Sunderland ministry===
{{Main|First Stanhope–Sunderland ministry|Second Stanhope–Sunderland ministry}}
Queen Anne died in 1714. Under the [[Act of Settlement 1701]], which excluded Roman Catholics from the line of succession, Anne was succeeded by her [[second cousin]], the [[Elector of Hanover]], [[George I of Great Britain|George I]]. George I distrusted the Tories, who he believed opposed his right to succeed to the Throne. The year of George's accession, 1714, marked the ascendancy of the Whigs who would remain in power for the next fifty years. Robert Walpole became a [[Privy Council of Great Britain|Privy Councillor]] and rose to the position of [[Paymaster of the Forces]]{{sfnp|Leadam|1899|p=184}} in a Cabinet nominally led by [[Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax]], but actually dominated by [[Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend]] (Walpole's brother-in-law), and [[James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope|James Stanhope (later 1st Earl Stanhope)]]. Walpole was also appointed chairman of a secret committee formed to investigate the actions of the previous Tory ministry in 1715.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/cihm_20078 archive.org: "A Report from the Committee of Secrecy, appointed by order of the House of Commons: to examine several books and papers laid before the House, relating to the late negotiations of peace and commerce, &c. : reported on the ninth of June, 1715"] by Robert Walpole, Chairman</ref> [[Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer]], was impeached, and [[Henry St&nbsp;John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke]], suffered from an [[Bill of attainder|act of attainder]], the [[Attainder of Viscount Bolingbroke Act 1714]] ([[1 Geo. 1. St. 2]]. c. 16).{{sfnp|Leadam|1899|p=184}}

Halifax, the titular head of the administration, died in 1715 and by 1716 Walpole was appointed to the posts of [[First Lord of the Treasury|First Commissioner (Lord) of the Treasury]] and [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]]. He was a member of the ''Board of General Officers'' established in 1717 to investigate the abuse of pay. Walpole's fellow members, appointed by the Prince of Wales (later [[George II of Great Britain|George&nbsp;II]]), included [[William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath]], Secretary at War; General Lumley; General Erle; and [[Sir Philip Meadowes]], Controller of the Army and [[Knight Marshal]] of the King's Palace,<ref name="auto">{{cite web |last1=Oldmixon |first1=Mr (John) |title=The History of England: During the Reigns of King William and Queen Mary, Queen Anne, King George I |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dvsiAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA627 |publisher=T. Cox |year=1735 |location=Great Britain |page=627|access-date=4 March 2013}}</ref><ref name=Seccombe-DNB00>{{cite DNB |wstitle=Meadows, Philip |volume=37 |last=Seccombe |first=Thomas |author-link=Thomas Seccombe |pages=192–194 |short=1}}</ref>{{efn|Sir Philip Meadows Jnr. (d.&nbsp;1757) – the son of Sir Philip Meadows Snr. (d.&nbsp;1718) – was a commissioner of excise from 1698 to 1700, was on 2&nbsp;July 1700 appointed knight-marshal of the king's household, and formally knighted by William&nbsp;III on 23&nbsp;Dec. 1700 at Hampton Court.&nbsp;...<ref name=Seccombe-DNB00/>
}}
whose daughter, Mary Meadows,<ref>{{cite web |title=Household of Queen Caroline 1727–37 |url=http://www.history.ac.uk/publications/office/queencaroline#maid |publisher=University of London) The Institute of Historical Research (IHR, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU |access-date=4 March 2013 |quote=Maid of Honour – 172; Meadows, Mary. Transferred from household of Princess 1727. First occ. 1728 (Chamberlayne (1728), pt. iii, 264).}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire (Earl Manvers – Lineage) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h_U8AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA685 |work=Baronetage |publisher=Henry Colburn |year=1839 |pages=684–685 |access-date=4 March 2013}}</ref> was [[maid-of-honour]] to Walpole's friend, [[Caroline of Ansbach|Queen Caroline]]. A keen huntsman, Walpole built for himself Great Lodge (Old Lodge) in [[Richmond Park]]. Philip Medows, the deputy ranger of the park and son of Walpole's political ally, Sir Philip Meadowes, lived at Great Lodge after Walpole had vacated it.<ref>{{cite web |last1=White |first1=William |title=Noes and Queries |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y0oAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA370 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=370 |access-date=13 April 2014 |year=1858}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Collins |first1=Arthur |title=Meadows Pedigree – Collins's Peerage of England; Genealogical, Biographical, and Historical, Volume 5 |url=https://archive.org/details/collinsspeerage05brydgoog |publisher=F. C. and J. Rivington, Otridge and son |year=1812 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/collinsspeerage05brydgoog/page/n732 722]–723 |access-date=9 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="auto"/>

In his new political positions, and encouraged by his advisers, Walpole introduced the [[sinking fund]], a device to reduce the national debt.<ref>{{harvtxt|Leadam|1899|pp=184, 186}}.</ref> The Cabinet of which he was a member was often divided over most important issues. Normally, Walpole and Townshend were on one side, with Stanhope and [[Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland]] on the other. Foreign policy was the primary issue of contention; George I was thought to be conducting foreign affairs with the interests of his German territories, rather than those of Great Britain, at heart. The Stanhope–Sunderland faction, however, had the King's support. In 1716 Townshend had been removed from the important post of [[Secretary of State for the Northern Department|Northern Secretary]] and put in the lesser office of [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland]].{{sfnp|Leadam|1899|p=185}}

Even this change did not appease Stanhope and Sunderland, who secured the dismissal of Townshend from the Lord-Lieutenancy in April 1717.{{sfnp|Leadam|1899|p=185}} On the next day, Walpole resigned from the Cabinet to join the Opposition "because I could not connive at some things that were carrying on",<ref>{{harvtxt|Leadam|1899|p=185}} cites ''Parl. Hist.'' (9 May 1717) vii. 460.</ref> and by joining the opposition he did not intend "to make the king uneasy or to embarrass his affairs."<ref>{{harvtxt|Leadam|1899|p=185}} cites ''Parl. Hist.'' (16 April 1717) vii. 449.</ref> This began the [[Whig Split]], dividing the dominant party for three years. In the new Cabinet, Sunderland and Stanhope (who was created an Earl) were the effective heads.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}} Walpole reversed his earlier support for the [[Impeachment of Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford|impeachment of Robert Harley]], the former first minister, and joined with the Tory opposition in securing an acquittal in July&nbsp;1717.<ref>{{cite book |author=Hill, Brian W. |year=1998 |title=Robert Harley. Speaker, Secretary of State and Premier Minister |publisher=Yale University Press |page=330}}</ref>

Soon after Walpole's resignation, a bitter family quarrel between the King and the Prince of Wales, split the royal family. Walpole and others who opposed the Government often congregated at [[Leicester Square#History|Leicester House]], the home of the Prince of Wales, to form political plans.<ref>{{cite web|title=George II|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/george_ii_king.shtml|website=BBC History|access-date=20 January 2017}}</ref>

Walpole also became an adviser and close friend of the Prince of Wales's wife, [[Caroline of Ansbach|Caroline]].{{sfnp|Leadam|1899|p=187}} In 1720 he improved his position by bringing about a reconciliation between the Prince of Wales and the King.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/dec/03/books.monarchy|title=Diaries reveal passions at the court of King George|last=Thorpe|first=Vanessa|date=3 December 2006|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref>

Walpole continued to be an influential figure in the House of Commons.<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica">{{Cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Walpole-1st-Earl-of-Orford |author= Plumb, John |author-link=John H. Plumb |title=Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford |at=prime minister of Great Britain |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref> He was especially active in opposing one of the Government's more significant proposals, the [[Peerage Bill]], which would have limited the power of the monarch to create new [[peerage]]s.{{sfnp|Leadam|1899|p=186}} Walpole brought about a temporary abandonment of the bill in 1719<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica"/> and the outright rejection of the bill by the House of Commons.{{sfnp|Leadam|1899|p=187}} This defeat led Stanhope and Sunderland to reconcile with their opponents;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/walpole-robert-1676-1745|title=Walpole, Robert (1676–1745), of Houghton, Norf. |website=www.historyofparliamentonline.org|access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref> Walpole returned as Paymaster of the Forces{{sfnp|Leadam|1899|p=187}} and Townshend was appointed [[Lord President of the Council]]. By accepting the position of Paymaster, however, Walpole lost the favour of the Prince of Wales (the future King George II), who still harboured disdain for his father's Government.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.historyhome.co.uk/people/walpole-r.htm |title=Sir Robert Walpole, first Earl of Orford (1676–1745) |website=historyhome.co.uk |access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref>