Talk:Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington

Untitled
Am I missing something? If he died unmarried and without issue, how can he have descendants in the U.S.? Davidz07 (talk) 15:27, 3 February 2008 (UTC)DavidZ07

So many tables, so little information.... :-P ugen64 01:21, Aug 24, 2004 (UTC)


 * There's some more (thanks especially to the DNB). Now does anyone have a picture of him that we can use? Timrollpickering 00:18, 2 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Prime Minister??
The term prime minister has only been around since the early 1900's, therefore he can not have been a PM. So can we remove it?? Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman was first PM, the others were First Lord of the Treasury. 86.63.26.124 (talk) 11:09, 16 February 2010 (UTC)


 * It was the office that was created at the beginning of the 20th century, but the general consensus of historians is that the first PM was Sir Robert Walpole (1721-42) because he was the first to exercise the powers of the modern PM altough there are alternative candidates suich as James Stanhope for the first PM. Lord Cornwallis (talk) 12:43, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

Which historians? My history books (bear in mind I am English) have them as First Lord not PM. It has also been raised in quiz shows with contestants giving the wrong answer by answering Walpole. 86.63.26.124 (talk) 16:31, 16 February 2010 (UTC)


 * The first example I came across on google books was this which includes Wilmington among its list of Prime Ministers. Another book I came across was this  about a pre-1900 figure which describes him as Prime Minister in the title.


 * There is a difference between the formal creation of the office of Prime Minister and the existing de facto post of Prime/First/Chief Minister. Walpole is considered the first because of the powers he wielded. There is a case that Walpole is not the first as predescessors had wielded similar powers. There were also later figures William Pitt wasn't First Lord of the Treasury between 1766 and 1768, yet is frequently referred to as First Minister.


 * I would admit to not being an expert on this sujhect. Perhaps you might be better off asking on List of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom or Prime Minister of the United Kingdom? Lord Cornwallis (talk) 00:44, 17 February 2010 (UTC)

In Walpole's time, the term 'Prime Minister' was used unofficially as a half-sneering code for royal favourite, in the sense of 'Teacher's Pet'. But Walpole is recognised as the first person to fill the role we now call prime Minister. 86.143.232.183 (talk) 01:09, 10 March 2013 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 1 one external link on Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20080625005325/http://www.whadelaware.org:80/compton.html to http://www.whadelaware.org/compton.html

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Writing biography
Is there any extra information to write a biography accurately. I’m desperate to write a full biography for him Primeminguy (talk) 13:11, 20 March 2023 (UTC)


 * I will respond at User_talk:Primeminguy. Peaceray (talk) 14:26, 20 March 2023 (UTC)

Events
Could someone tell me any events in his life I’m trying to fill his biography Primeminguy (talk) 08:46, 21 March 2023 (UTC)

Speaker of the House of Commons
It says in Compton's infobox that he was speaker of the House 1715-1727. This is contradicted in his successor, Onslow's infobox, saying his speakership began on 23 January 1728. Was there a gap in between? I notice that in the cited source it says "Speaker of House of Commons 1715-27"; however, 3 paragraphs down, it says "Before the new Parliament met in January 1728 Walpole, feeling that Compton had conceived too strong hopes of being [his] superior ever to serve in the House of Commons quietly under him, and that it might be dangerous ... to suffer him in the chair of a new Parliament ... advised the making him a peer. Accordingly he was created Baron of Wilmington[...]", which is vague because "before the new parliament met in January 1728" could mean anything from c. late 1727 - 23(ish) January 1728. Additionally, GOV.UK's "history of government" says "Compton was ennobled (as Baron, and later Earl of, Wilmington) in 1728, perhaps because Walpole was keen to remove him as a potential rival in the Commons." What's going on here? It looks to me that January 1728 is right. Tim O&#39;Doherty (talk) 20:09, 18 April 2023 (UTC)


 * Were speakers technically considered to be "in office" between Parliaments in the 18th century? Furius (talk) 21:10, 18 April 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm assuming yes, as even in the modern day, John Bercow's term isn't split up between Parliaments in his infobox. But you raise a good point. I'm not sure. Tim O&#39;Doherty (talk) 21:15, 18 April 2023 (UTC)

DoB
@142.67.114.138 - do you have a source for your recent edits? Tim O&#39;Doherty (talk) 20:46, 16 November 2023 (UTC)