After George I's death in 1727, Walpole was briefly superseded by George II's favourite, Spencer Compton, but succeeded in returning himself to favour, partly through the support of the new queen ...

In this article we explore David Hume’s essay of 1742, ‘A Character of Sir Robert Walpole.’ Modern scholars have not given this early, and admittedly minor, piece much attention. Hume’s contemporaries ...

In 1733, Sir Robert Walpole, the former Finance Minister of England, presented budget proposals in a small bag to Parliament. When questioned about its contents, he famously replied, "It contains ...