The St. Alban's Tavern group was an informal association of 78 British Members of Parliament who aimed to bring about a reconciliation of William Pitt the Younger and Charles James Fox in a unified Ministry. They were named after the St. Alban's Tavern in Pall Mall, London where the members met from January 1784.
Background The group were largely composed of 'independent country gentlemen' who held themselves free from party allegiance. On 26 January 1784 the group came to a resolution "to support the party who should in the present distracted moment manifest a disposition to union". Given the weakness of Pitt's government, which was in a minority in the House of Commons, he accepted the group's proposition but insisted that a government must be formed "with principle and honour". Fox spoke through the Duke of Portland, who had been titular Prime Minister during the Fox-North Coalition: the Duke insisted that Pitt had come to power through unconstitutional means, and therefore must first resign before a new Ministry was appointed.
In reality, neither Pitt nor Fox believed the group had any prospect of success, but both felt obliged to treat them with respect. Possibly in ignorance of the personal bitterness between Pitt and Fox, the promoters of reconciliation are described as "well-meaning and naive" by the History of Parliament. The failure of negotiations left the group itself split, with 45 members supporting Pitt and 30 supporting Fox.
Members of the group The membership of the group was published in the Annual Register for 1784. Analysis in the introductory survey to the History of Parliament 1754-1790 indicates that five of the 78 were from Scottish constituencies, and a large proportion of the members were returned from English counties. The leader was Thomas Grosvenor, MP for Chester, who on 2 February 1784 successfully moved a House of Commons motion which called "for a firm, efficient, extended and united Administration". The members of the group were: Member Constituency First elected Francis Annesley. Reading 1774 Sir John Barrington, Bt. Newtown (Isle of Wight) 1780 Hon. George Cranfield Berkeley Gloucester 1783 Richard Wilbraham-Bootle. Chester 1761 Hon. William Henry Bouverie Salisbury Thomas Berney Bramston. Essex 1779 The Viscount Bulkeley Anglesey 1774 John Buller. West Looe 1768 Sir George Cornewall, Bt Herefordshire 1774 Sir Robert Salusbury Cotton, Bt Cheshire 1780 John Dawes. Tregony 1780 Thomas, Baron Dimsdale Hertford 1780 William Drake, Jr. Amersham 1768 George Keith Elphinstone Dunbartonshire 1781 Earl of Euston Thetford 1782 William Ewer. Dorchester 1765 Archibald Campbell Fraser Inverness-shire 1782 Thomas Gilbert. Lichfield 1763 Ambrose Goddard. Wiltshire 1772 George Graham. Kinross-shire 1780 Sir Henry Gough Bramber 1774 Thomas Grosvenor Chester 1755 (Sir) Benjamin Hammet Taunton 1782 Thomas Harley Herefordshire 1761 E. Hervey, esq. Sir Harry Hoghton, Bt Preston 1768 Arthur Holdsworth Dartmouth 1780 Filmer Honywood Kent 1774 Sir Richard Hotham Southwark 1780 Sir George Howard Stamford 1761 William Hussey. Salisbury 1765 Benjamin Keene Cambridge 1776 Thomas Kemp Lewes 1780 Richard Payne Knight Leominster 1780 Sir Robert Lawley, Bt Warwickshire 1780 Sir William Lemon Cornwall 1770 James Tylney Long Devizes 1762 Lieutenant the Hon. James Luttrell Stockbridge 1775 Hon General Luttrell Bossiney 1768 William Lygon Worcestershire 1775 Sir Horatio Mann Maidstone 1774 Hon. Charles Marsham Bt Kent 1768 Sir Joseph Mawbey, Bt Surrey 1761 Sir Roger Mostyn, Bt Flintshire 1758 John Parry Caernarvonshire 1780 Henry Peirse (younger) Northallerton 1774 William Pochin Leicestershire 1780 Thomas Powys Northamptonshire 1774 William Praed St Ives 1774 John Purling Weymouth and Melcombe Regis 1770 Sir Walter Rawlinson Queenborough 1774 Abraham Rawlinson Lancaster 1780 Henry Rawlinson Liverpool 1780 Sir Matthew White Ridley, Bt Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1768 John Rolle Devon 1780 Charles Boughton Evesham 1780 Thomas Scott Bridport 1780 Sir George Shuckburgh, Bt Warwickshire 1780 Humphrey Sibthorp Boston 1777 John Sinclair Caithness 1780 Sir Thomas Skipwith Steyning 1769 William Charles Sloper St Albans 1780 Robert Smith Nottingham 1779 Sir Robert Smyth, Bt Colchester 1774 John Smyth Pontefract 1783 Walter Spencer Stanhope Haslemere 1775 Thomas Stanley Lancashire 1780 John Strutt Maldon 1774 Hon. John Manners-Sutton Newark 1783 Clement Taylor Maidstone 1780 John Tempest Durham (County) 1762 Robert Thistlethwayte Hampshire 1780 Beilby Thompson Thirsk 1768 Sir John Trevelyan, Bt Somerset 1777 Thomas Whitmore Bridgnorth 1771 Sir John Borlase Warren Great Marlow 1774 John Eardley Wilmot Tiverton 1776 Glyn Wynn Caernarvon Boroughs 1768
References History of Parliament 1754-1790 Annual Register, 1784, pp. 268-269