Some Wikipedians have formed a project to better organize information in articles related to the British Government. This page and its subpages contain their suggestions; it is hoped that this project will help to focus the efforts of other Wikipedians. If you would like to help, please inquire on the talk page and see the to-do list there.
Title
WikiProject on British Government
Scope
This WikiProject defines conventions for the succession tables that should be located at the very end of every member of the British government who held one of the enumerated offices defined later on this page.
Parentage
Descendant WikiProjects
No descendant WikiProjects have been defined.
Similar WikiProjects
Similar WikiProjects are:
Participants
Structure
Each article on a member of the British government should include, at the bottom, a succession table (defined in the Succession Tables section below), and a link to several relevant categories. Additionally, Prime Ministers have a specific infobox.
Templates
Hierarchy definition
No classification of this project has been defined.
Goals
- To facilitate navigation between members of a similar office, and to illustrate a specific statesman's passage through various different positions throughout his political career.
General strategy and discussion forums
Succession Tables
{{start box}}
{{succession box | title=[[Name of Position]] | years=xxxx–yyyy | before=[[Name of Preceding Statesman]] | after=[[Name of Succeeding Statesman]]}}
{{end box}}
There are specific conventions for peers:
Other conventions:
- When noting a statesman who is preceding the guy you're writing about, use the most senior title he had when he left office. Therefore, Robert Walpole should not be noted as The Earl of Orford on Spencer Compton's page, even though he became Earl of Orford immediately after leaving his position as Prime Minister.
- When noting a statesman who is following the guy you're writing about, use the most senior title he had when he entered office. For some cases, exceptions may be made: Alec Douglas-Home should probably not be termed "The Earl of Home".
Date conventions:
- Use – for dates. Please don't use —, although hyphens are not as bad.
- When the given person served during only one year, simply write the year: 1999. If he/she served for more than two years, write out both years: 1986–1987.
Categories
Most statesmen/politicians should fit under one or more of these categories, although many don't:
Offices that take succession tables
The following officers take succession tables:
Royal/ ceremonial officers:
- Great Officers of State (excluding Lord High Stewards and Lord High Constables who served for coronations)
- Officers of the Royal Household (Lord Steward, Lord Chamberlain, Master of the Horse, Mistress of the Robes, Treasurer of the Household, Comptroller of the Household, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, Master of the Buckhounds, Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms, Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard, etc.)
- Viceroys of India, Lord Lieutenants of Ireland, Governors-General, colonial/ Commonwealth Realm Governors and Lieutenant Governors
Cabinet and Parliament:
- Prime Ministers
- First Lords of Commissions of Great Offices of State (First Lord of the Treasury, First Lord of the Admiralty, etc.)
- Secretaries of State
- Secretaries for Scotland
- Chief Secretaries for Ireland
- Chancellors of the Exchequer, Chancellors of the Duchy of Lancaster
- Secretaries to the Treasury
- Secretaries at War
- Ministers of Health, other Ministers
- Presidents of the Board of Trade, Presidents of the Board of Education, Presidents of the Board of Control, Presidents of the Poor Law Board, Presidents of the Local Government Board, Presidents of the Board of Agriculture
- First Commissioners of Works, First Commissioners of Woods and Forests
- Speakers of the House of Commons
- Leaders of the House of Lords, Leaders of the House of Commons
- Leaders of major parties (Whig, Tory/Conservative, Labour, etc.)
Military:
- Paymasters of the Forces, Masters-General of the Ordnance, Captains-General
- Lord Wardens of the Cinque Ports, First Sea Lords, Treasurers of the Navy
- Commanders-in-Chief of the Forces, Chiefs of the General Staff, Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff, Commanders-in-Chief, India, Commanders-in-Chief, Ireland, Commanders-in-Chief, North America
Law officers/ judges:
Church of England:
- Archbishops
- Diocesan bishops
Church of Ireland:
- Archbishops
- Diocesan bishops
Church in Wales:
Other:
